Rhode Island § 44-57-8 - Residential Renewable Energy System Tax Credit

§ 44-57-8. Contractor Certification.

(a) When the state energy office finds that each sale and installation of a renewable energy system can meet the standards adopted under the provisions of this chapter without requiring a system certification, the state energy office may issue a contractor certification to a contractor. A contractor certification may be required for tax credit eligibility of a specific renewable energy system if the office determines that this will improve installation quality and program efficiency. A contractor certification shall apply only to the specific products, plans, specifications, and installations and operation procedures approved by the state energy office in the contractors certification.

(b) Application for a contractor certification shall be made, in writing, on a form provided by the state energy office. The application shall contain:

(1) A statement that the solar dealer and/or solar contractor is registered and in good standing with the contractors’ registration board and has any license, bonding insurance, and permit that is required by the contractors’ registration board for the sale, construction, and installation of renewable energy systems;

(2) A description of the renewable energy system, including at least the material, equipment and mechanism used in the device, operating procedures, freeze protection method, method of indicating flow or temperature, sizing and siting method, and installation procedure;

(3) The addresses of three (3) installations of the systems installed by the applicant that the state energy office may inspect;

(4) The range of installed costs of the device;

(5) Names and addresses of all retail outlets, partners, and investors in the business, officers, licensed plumbers, license;

(6) Sample copies of sales contracts, including any warranty provisions; and

(7) Any other information that the state energy office determines is needed.

(c) The holder of a contractor certification shall notify the state energy office within ten (10) days if changes are made in any of the information in the contractor certification application.

(d) The holder of a contractor certification shall provide the owner of the renewable energy system with a copy of their contractor’s certification, their building contractor’s registration number, a copy of consumer information published by the state energy office, an operating manual, and a statement of the reasonably expected annual energy savings of the renewable energy system. The contractor shall provide the state energy office with a copy of each signed verification form.

(e) The state energy office may reject any application if the renewable energy system does not comply with the provisions of this chapter. The state energy office shall explain all rejected applications in writing. Approved requests for lesser costs than claimed by the applicant will also include written reasons.

(f) Any system that is not the same as the system or systems for which a contractor certification has been issued shall require a system certification application.

(g) Contractor certificates must be renewed annually. Renewal forms shall be available, upon request, through the state energy office.