Get a cash bonus
on top of the rebates.
If you're a school, church, nonprofit, or government building doing an energy upgrade — federal law (Section 179D) lets you transfer the energy efficiency deduction to BidVolt at project close. We absorb it; you receive a pre-disclosed cash bonus on top of all your utility rebates. Simple. Private. No marketplaces, no buyers, no waiting.
What is YOUR building worth?
Type your square footage. The math runs in real time.
No commitment. Walkthrough takes 30 minutes. We tell you the exact number for YOUR building.
Wait — really?
Yes, really. Section 179D of the federal tax code, as expanded by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, gives a deduction up to $5.81 per square foot to commercial buildings that meet specific energy efficiency targets relative to ASHRAE 90.1 baseline.
For decades this deduction sat on the books unused by tax-exempt building owners — schools, churches, nonprofits, and government buildings — because they don't pay income tax, so a tax deduction is worthless to them. The IRA fixed that. Tax-exempt owners can now allocate the deduction to the designer/contractor who did the energy work. BidVolt becomes the designer of record on your project; the deduction transfers to us at project close.
We use the deduction directly on BidVolt's federal tax filing. In exchange, we pay your organization a pre-negotiated cash bonus at project close — typically 10-15% of the full deduction value, transparent and locked in your contract before any work begins.
BidVolt is the only commercial energy efficiency platform in NJ that runs this in-house instead of routing your project through a public tax-credit exchange. No marketplace listing means no public records, no buyer-matching delays, and no third-party fees eating into your bonus. The cash hits your bank account when the project closes — not 6 months later.
How BidVolt monetizes 179D for you
Photos, fixture counts, building info. Everything that goes into the energy model — captured in 30 minutes.
Lighting, HVAC, envelope, controls. Contractor competes for your project, you get vetted bids, work gets done.
A licensed PE third-party runs the energy model and signs the IRS-compliant certification. BidVolt covers the certification cost — it's never billed to you.
Allocates the federal deduction from your organization to BidVolt. Standard IRS-Notice-2008-40 form. Your accountant reviews it in minutes — does not affect your tax-exempt status.
Private. Internal. No exchange, no buyer matching, no public records. The deduction reduces BidVolt's federal tax liability — that's how we capture our value, and that's why we can afford to pay you a cash bonus immediately rather than waiting for a marketplace transaction to clear.
Typically 10-15% of the deduction value, wired to your account when the project is placed in service. The number is locked in your contract before any work begins — no negotiating after the fact, no escrow waits, no surprise fees. Just cash.
Who qualifies
- ✓ Independent K-12 schools, daycares, charter schools
- ✓ Churches, mosques, synagogues, religious nonprofits
- ✓ Hospitals and clinics (501(c)(3))
- ✓ YMCAs, community centers, food banks
- ✓ Universities and colleges
- ✓ Government buildings (city, county, state)
- ✓ Public housing authorities
These owners can't use the deduction themselves but can allocate it to BidVolt. We absorb it on our taxes; you receive a pre-disclosed cash bonus at project close.
- ✓ Office buildings (privately owned)
- ✓ Retail strip malls and shopping centers
- ✓ Warehouses, distribution centers
- ✓ Hotels and motels
- ✓ Industrial / manufacturing facilities
- ✓ Auto dealerships, gas stations
- ✓ Self-storage, mixed-use, condo HOAs
Private owners use the deduction directly on their own taxes. We do the modeling and certification — a flat fee covered out of the project budget so you keep 100% of the deduction value.
What it takes to qualify
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Energy reduction of at least 25% compared to ASHRAE 90.1 reference building. Typical full retrofit (LED + HVAC + envelope) clears 35-50% easily.
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Building must be commercial (residential 4+ stories also counts). Single-family homes don't qualify (they have a separate residential credit, 25C).
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Independent third-party certification. A licensed PE engineer must run the energy model and sign the IRS-compliant certification. BidVolt's partner network handles this.
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Prevailing wage on installation for the maximum $5.81/sqft tier. Without prevailing wage, the cap drops to $1.16/sqft (still significant on large buildings — a 100,000 sqft warehouse = $116,000 deduction without prevailing wage).
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Building owner allocation letter (tax-exempt only). One-page signed document allocating the deduction to BidVolt's entity. Required by IRS Notice 2008-40.
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Project must be completed and placed in service. The deduction applies in the tax year the energy upgrade is operational, not when contracted.
FAQ
Is this real money or a paper credit?
Real money. Wired to your account at project close. The deduction itself is a tax document — what the IRS recognizes — but BidVolt converts it into immediate cash for you because we're absorbing it on our own taxes, not waiting for an outside buyer.
Does this affect my organization's tax-exempt status?
No. Allocating a deduction you can't use to a designer is explicitly authorized by IRS Notice 2008-40 and the IRA. Your 501(c)(3) status, your tax-exempt bonds, your grants — none of it is affected. Run it past your accountant; they'll confirm.
How long until I see the cash?
Project must be installed and placed in service first (typically 60-120 days from contract). After our certifier signs the energy model (2-3 weeks), the bonus is wired to you. Total time from project start to cash-in-hand: typically 90-150 days. No marketplace listing, no buyer matching, no extra delays.
Why does BidVolt keep the deduction instead of selling it?
Because public tax-credit marketplaces (Crux, Basis Climate) charge fees on every transaction, take 30-90 days to clear, and create public records of every project. By absorbing the deduction internally, BidVolt cuts out the marketplace, pays you faster, and keeps the entire process private. It's better for you and better for us.
Can I stack 179D with utility rebates?
Yes. PSE&G and JCPL prescriptive rebates, Tier II custom incentives, and federal 179D are all separate programs. They stack. You can also stack solar Investment Tax Credits (ITC), state SREC-II, and PACE financing. BidVolt's whole job is making sure every dollar that's available to you gets captured.
What if my building is small?
Below ~5,000 sqft the certification cost (~$5K-$10K) eats most of the deduction. We typically recommend 179D only for buildings 10,000 sqft and up. Smaller projects still get utility rebates — those don't have a minimum size.
What if my project doesn't hit 25% savings?
Then 179D doesn't apply. But your utility rebate, federal ITC (if solar), and any state grants do. Our walkthrough tells you up front what your project will hit. We don't promise 179D unless we're confident the model will support it.
Why doesn't every contractor do this?
Because it requires three separate competencies most contractors don't have: ASHRAE 90.1 energy modeling, IRS Section 179D paperwork, and tax credit marketplace operations (Crux/Basis listings, buyer matching, allocation contracts). BidVolt invested in all three. That's the moat.
Schedule a 30-minute walkthrough.
A BidVolt sales rep visits your building, photographs fixtures, and gives you a precise estimate of total stacked incentives — utility rebates + 179D + financing — within 48 hours. No upfront cost. No commitment.
BidVolt Marketplace is not a tax advisor. Section 179D is governed by IRS Internal Revenue Code §179D and IRS Notice 2008-40 (and its successors). Building owners should consult their tax advisor before allocating deductions. Inflation-adjusted maximum cited ($5.81/sqft) reflects the IRS-published 2024 maximum for prevailing-wage projects. Sale prices on tax credit marketplaces vary by transaction; figures shown are typical 2024 ranges.