Enlightened on EPAct

Staff -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 11/1/2005

The National Electrical Manufacturers Assn. (NEMA) recently convened a coalition of organizations to educate its members, government officials and the community on the commercial buildings tax deduction provision and proper implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005).

EPAct 2005 provides a new deduction for investing in energy-efficient systems for commercial building property. The deduction is equal to the energy-efficient expenditures made on the property, subject to a cap, and applies to both new construction and retrofits that are installed between Dec. 31, 2005 and Jan 1, 2008.

The meeting was held in October in Washington, D.C. Among the participants were Alliance to Save Energy, Consortium for Energy Efficiency, National Assn. of Electrical Distributors, Building Owners and Managers Assn., American Institute of Architects, National Electrical Contractors Assn. and National Assn. of Electrical Distributors. Membership in the coalition is open to all interested parties.