Editors Note: The Covington News received the following op-ed from Sara Vinson.
Since 2014, I’ve owned and operated Yellow Hen Farm in Covington, Georgia, where we grow and sell seasonal produce and eggs to the local community year-round. We don’t use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, and we take great pride in the level of service we’re able to provide to our local community as a small business.
It’s always been one of my top priorities to operate sustainably, in a way that enriches our environment and economy while minimizing our carbon footprint. I co-founded Sustainable Newton, a nonprofit dedicated to local responses to the global issue of climate change and sustainability, because I believe we all have a role to play in tackling the climate crisis.
I also know that climate-friendly solutions don’t need to be cumbersome or costly. In fact, switching to clean energy and energy-efficient appliances is not only better for the environment, it has saved me money in the long run. Thanks to incentives provided by the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy plan, my husband Randy and I were able to make energy efficiency improvements to our home, like upgrading our home’s insulation and purchasing an electric vehicle.
Yellow Hen Farm has benefited from solar energy for over five years. Now our home will benefit from a brand-new home insulation system, delivering lasting savings while making our home more energy efficient and more comfortable, reducing our emissions and employing Georgia small businesses at the same time. Energy Consulting Services, an Atlanta-based small business, performed an energy audit on our home, and Keith Porter Insulation, a Jefferson County-based, family-owned company, updated our home’s insulation.
We could afford the audit and insulation upgrade thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s clean energy tax credits. Our plan for over the next couple of years is to use the clean energy tax credits to upgrade our aging heat pump and duct work as well as replace our water heater with a more energy efficient model as the energy audit recommended. I couldn’t be more thrilled with the opportunities these clean energy incentives afford us, which is why I want as many people as possible to know about them.
The administration’s clean energy plan is already saving Georgians money across the state. New data from the IRS and new analysis by the Office of Economic Policy shows that more than 87,000 Georgia families benefited from more than $148 million in tax credits to lower the costs of clean energy and make energy efficiency upgrades to their homes in 2023.
This includes $97 million in credits for residential clean energy investments and more than $51 million for energy efficient home improvements—which include heat pumps, efficient air conditioners, insulation, windows, and doors. Across the country, 3.4 million Americans have taken advantage of the credits—more than double what the federal government initially expected.
Last month, my husband Randy and I hosted an event with Sustainable Newton at Yellow Hen Farm to highlight the benefits of these clean energy incentives. This was the 11th in a series of “front porch ribbon cutting” events across the country that are showcasing the impact of the administration’s clean energy plan on the legislation’s second anniversary. I had so many great conversations with friends and neighbors that day, people interested in learning more about how they could take advantage of these cost-saving policies in their own homes and businesses.
The many Americans who have already benefited from these clean energy tax credits, like me and my husband, want them to stay. We want everyone to have the opportunity to save money while reducing carbon emissions and keeping our air and water clean for generations to come.
