When solar installer Liam Madden, who is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and small-business owner, talks about the future of rooftop solar, he’s not speaking in hypotheticals; he’s talking about his job, his coworkers, and his young family.

In a YouTube episode of “Plugged In” from EnergySage, the video opens up with a warning: “Politicians are one step closer to killing the average American’s chance at energy independence and, in the process, padding the pockets of big utilities and raising everyone’s electric bills.” 

Madden shares in the video how a new House proposal could cut the federal residential solar tax credit much earlier than expected, threatening thousands of jobs in the process. “It’s like the perfect storm of a time to have a torpedo in the side of your industry,” he says. With a new baby on the way and two kids at home, he’s bracing for what comes next.

“Eliminate entire incentive and public policy initiatives overnight or, you know, in very short time frames, I think is harmful to families, communities, businesses, and the American energy ecosystem,” Madden said. 

The Investment Tax Credit has made solar more accessible by letting homeowners claim 30% of installation costs on their federal taxes. Originally set to phase out over the next decade, a new House proposal would end it as soon as this year. For people like Madden, that could mean layoffs and business closures. “With a wholesale removal of the residential tax credit,” he says, “we’d be laying off a lot of guys and we would have a trickle of the work we’re used to.”

While some lawmakers argue the incentive mainly helps wealthier homeowners, data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that more low- and middle-income families have been installing solar in recent years thanks to incentives like the ITC. 

Congress has signaled it may eliminate the tax credit as soon as the end of this year, cutting the timeline nearly a decade short. If passed, homeowners would need to complete installations by the end of this year to receive the 30% credit.

The tax credit’s future is still uncertain, but if it does go away, it could mean losing out on thousands of dollars in savings. According to EnergySage, homeowners typically save close to $10,000 when incentives are factored in. The platform also offers a mapping tool that shows average solar costs and available incentives by state, helping people figure out what kind of deal they could get.

“If the 25d residential solar tax credit & 48E are not added back into this bill you will immediately lose 280,000 American Solar Workers & shutter 10,000 American solar businesses,” one commenter wrote.

“Keep Solar Going and Growing,” another added. 

“Towards net zero. People should use 4 technologies, solar panels, battery storage, heat pumps, and EV with V2X technology,” a third commented.

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