February 2023 Update
Greetings MBEF Members,
The winter chill is in full gear, so hopefully, your homes and businesses are winterized to maximize efficiency and protect against cold weather. While inflation continues to keep costs for consumer goods high, we can ill-afford to pay too much for our utility bills.
Energy Efficiency Saves $$
This story from KSDK in St. Louis shows some simple tips and tricks on how to keep your utility bills lower. Weather-stripping around your doors and windows, installing a programmable thermostat, and lowering the thermostat’s settings are just some examples.
The story also reveals that Ameren Missouri customers will be paying a little less each month for power relating to Ameren’s investment in energy efficiency through the Missouri Energy Efficiency Act.
Solar Tax?
Elsewhere in Missouri, a new solar farm is being considered in Callaway County. Show-Me State Solar is looking at a site near Kingdom City to potentially build a 250-megawatt solar generation facility that could provide power to approximately 100,000 homes.
In light of the Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling this summer, which determined that solar projects are not tax-exempt, The Missouri General Assembly will be taking a look at the issue during this legislative session. As mentioned in our last update, a task force was created to provide guidance on how to resolve the tax issues created by this ruling. No final recommendation was determined, but the task force did create a sound framework to address the issue going forward.
One such solution is Senator Travis Fitzwater’s recently introduced bill, which imposes a 37.5% tax on the original costs relating to a solar energy system. While a significant tax increase is one such suggestion, I’m confident the General Assembly will fairly debate the issue and come to a reasonable solution as multiple solar projects look to come online in the coming years.
More EV Chargers in Missouri
Missouri continues to build out its electric vehicle charging network. Small businesses across the state can apply for grants through the Department of Natural Resources Volkswagen Trust fund. New awards were recently announced. For a full map of charging stations near you check out this link.
That’s all for now. Stay warm and safe out there.
