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AIA encourages energy efficient commercial buildings tax deduction

sourcecorp — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:17:25 +0000

A report issued by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) encourages green building tax deductions.

According to the AIA issue brief:

AIA believes that governmental policies, programs, and incentives should encourage energy efficiency, especially as it relates to the built environment. To this end, the AIA supported legislation enacted in 2005 that allows for a tax deduction for constructing energy efficient commercial buildings and for installing energy efficient systems in existing buildings; this deduction however, expires on December 31, 2008. The AIA believes that Congress should make this deduction permanent or at least extend it until 2013, and increase the size of the deduction to increase its effectiveness.

The AIA also supports efforts to amend the U.S. tax code to allow for the accelerated depreciation of new energy efficient, “green” buildings and energy saving equipment for renovated buildings.

Actions Sought
The AIA strongly urges Congress to enact legislation that makes the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Tax Deduction (26 U.S. Code §179D) permanent or to at least extend the deduction until 2013. Congress should also increase the dollar amount per square foot allowed for the deduction from the current $1.80 per square foot to $2.25 per square foot.

Click here to learn how you can receive substantial Federal Tax Deductions for your green building

H.R. 539: Buildings for the 21st Century Act

California adopts statewide green building standards

sourcecorp — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:16:42 +0000

California will become the first state in the nation to require new homes and businesses to be energy efficient.

The California Building Standards Commission unanimously voted to adopt the green building code Thursday.

Commission chairwoman Rosario Marin says the energy and water efficiency standards will help the state cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

The rules are voluntary for now, but become mandatory in 2010. They also apply to new hospitals and schools.

Craig Noble, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, says about 75 California cities and counties already have more stringent green standards.

Click here to learn how you can receive substantial Federal Tax Deductions for your green building

Story

Federal Tax Deductions For Green Buildings

Free Cash For Your Green Building

sourcecorp — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:22:01 +0000

Fort Worth, TX (Business Wire) July 16, 2008 -- High energy costs, an unprecedented level of government mandates for green building, heightened demand for green construction, and improvements and better pricing for environmentally sustainable materials have many building owners, architects, and facility managers considering significant updates to save cash.

Sec. 179D of the IRS Code provides a significant deduction for the cost of energy-efficient improvements to commercial property.

FREE Green Building Tax Deduction Review

With an estimated 4.5 million existing commercial properties in the U.S. and with 14% of U.S. cities with populations of at least 50,000 having mandated green standards for new commercial buildings and dozens more poised to follow, the 179D tax deduction could help mitigate the average 3-7% cost difference in building green.

Build green – get cash
If your company owns or leases commercial buildings including residential rental buildings with four or more stories above grade and you have installed or retrofitted the property to be more energy efficient, you may be eligible for a deduction for part or all of the costs associated with the installation or retrofit. In other words, instead of capitalizing and recovering through depreciation over 27.5 years or 39 years this allows for potential immediate expensing of costs.

Cash flow - there’s gold in your green building
The maximum deduction is $1.80 per square foot of building floor area that qualifies under IRC Sec. 179D measured against the reference building. The deduction is allowed for prior tax years, including 2006 and 2007, and can include multiple taxpayers. Multiple taxpayers are limited to allocating the $1.80 among the taxpayers. And, if your building does not qualify for the full deduction, it could qualify for a partial deduction. If your building does not meet the 50% energy savings, it could still qualify for 60 cents per square foot deduction if certified to reduce energy costs by at least 16.66%.

FREE Green Building Tax Deduction Review

$85,000 reduction in tax liability
A building owner constructs a new, 120,000 sq. ft., 4-story office building that exceeds all ASHRAE reference building comparisons including interior lighting systems, HVAC, hot water systems, and building envelope and gets the full deduction of $1.80/sqft. Additional tax deduction first year benefit expensing comes to $216,000. With a combined tax rate of 40%, the immediate cash value of the deduction would be $85,000. At an 8% discount rate the overall net present value building life would be $59,000.

$28,000 reduction in tax liability
A building owner retrofits an existing 120,000 square foot, 4-story building and receives a partial deduction of $.60/sqft by replacing existing lighting systems with high efficiency lights combined with bi-level switching. First year benefit expensing (an additional tax deduction) would be $72,000. At a combined tax rate of 40%, the immediate cash value of the deduction would be $28,000. At an 8% discount rate the overall net present value building life would be $19,600.

How it works
If you have constructed a new commercial building or reconstructed an existing commercial building and placed the building into service after December 31, 2005 or will place it into service by January 1, 2009 you may be eligible for a deduction. If your building has been or is in the process of becoming LEED Gold or Platinum-certified, you’re nearly assured the deduction. And if you haven’t already taken advantage of the deduction your return can be amended for up to three years.

FREE Green Building Tax Deduction Review

Qualifying buildings
To qualify for a full or partial deduction, the energy-efficient commercial building property must meet the following criteria:

• The building must be located in the United States.
• Installation as part of interior lighting systems, HVAC and hot water systems or the building envelope (insulation, exterior doors, exterior windows, roofing material).
• Certified that installation will reduce total annual energy and power costs by 50 percent or more as compared to Std. 90.1-2001 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Reference Building.
• Energy and power consumption calculation based on IRS-approved software programs that compare the subject facility to an ASHRAE Reference Building.
• The property must be certified by an IRS-qualified professional engineer or contractor licensed in the same jurisdiction as the proposed building.

Tax deduction eligibility
The person or organization that makes the expenditures for construction is generally the recipient of the allowed tax deductions. This is usually the building owner, but for some HVAC or lighting efficiency projects, it could be the tenant. For government-owned buildings, the building or system designer may take the deduction.

What about government-owned energy efficient buildings?
If the property is a Federal, State, or local government or a political subdivision, the owner of the property may allocate the section 179D deduction to the person primarily responsible for designing the property. For example, a designer may include the architect, engineer, contractor, environmental consultant or energy services provider.

Green building federal tax deductions – are you missing out?
Before a taxpayer may claim the section deduction, the taxpayer must obtain a certification (not to be confused with LEED certification) with respect to the property. The certification must be provided by a qualified individual and satisfy the requirements of section 179D(c)(1).

The qualified individual must be properly licensed as a professional engineer or contractor in the jurisdiction in which the building is located, not be "related" to the taxpayer taking the deduction (as defined by the IRS), and represent to the taxpayer in writing that he or she has the requisite qualifications to provide the certification. The certifier must also use IRS-qualified computer software. Software must be on a list of products approved by the U.S. Department of Energy. SourceCorp can provide your Green Building Tax Deduction Certification/Analysis.

The Energy Tax Incentives Act greatly encourages commercial building energy conservation. For an immediate and free review of your property to see up front whether or not this deduction will improve your cash flow, contact SourceCorp Professional Services.

FREE Green Building Tax Deduction Review

About SourceCorp:
Celebrating their 25th year in business, SourceCorp specializes in Green Building 179D Tax Deduction Certification, LIFO Accounting, R&D Tax Credit Studies, and Cost Segregation Studies. With a team of nearly 70 professionals and with offices located throughout the country, SourceCorp helps clients realize unparalleled experience, services, and trust. SourceCorp serves many of the nation’s most prominent CPA firms, Associations, and Fortune 1000 companies. For more information, please call 817.732.5494 or visit www.SourceCorpTax.com.

Senior Facility Engineer, Aldermaston

mrcas — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:00:19 +0000

Senior Facility Engineer

Reference: 1215514721

ERS has a Client who is seeking a Senior Facility Engineer to provide mechanical/process engineering support in aid of facility operations, specialising in the area of glovebox containment systems and enclosed glovebox manufacturing plant and equipment.

Location

Aldermaston

Salary

Competitive salary depending on qualifications and experience

Job Responsibilities

Engineer plant and equipment modifications (Modification Manager) to comply with modern standards ensuring compliance with Nuclear Licence Conditions for Change Control.

Comply with Facility configuration policy and maintain the configuration baseline.

Advise the Facility Manager on a variety of complex and novel matters of technical judgement affecting the above areas.

Undertake and lead technical investigations to identify root cause of plant failures or performance trends.

Prepare engineering specifications for capital projects, review associated design submissions and witness test and installation through handover.

Fulfil Facility Engineer, suitably, qualified, experienced person (SQEP) role for delivery of operational support modifications.

Fulfil Responsible Engineer (SQEP) role for specification and verification approach to the delivery of sponsored capital projects.

Delivery of modifications (Modification Management role) to time and cost within agreed boundaries.

Delivering the concise specification of technical requirement and applicable standards. Ensure that completed designs and associated installations meet facility requirements.

Keep up to date with developments in field of expertise (technical and legislative).

Tel: 01454 203 460

cv@energyrs.co.uk