As a retired homeowner, I look for every opportunity to reduce my household expenses. As someone who cares about our future, I am also particularly interested in reducing the energy I use and the pollution that my home generates.

That is why I’ve installed solar panels, in conjunction with replacing my old gas water heater with a high-efficiency electric water heater powered by my solar panels.

Investments to increase energy efficiency, from electric heat pumps to better insulation, or installing clean energy like my solar panels, have gotten much cheaper in the few years since I made my improvements. That was particularly true after federal home energy tax credits and rebates were created in 2022, allowing people to save thousands of dollars on energy efficiency and other clean energy improvements, not to mention the savings to their electricity and heating bills people like me see each month.

Sadly, these tax credits were eliminated at year’s end, thanks to Trump’s so-called “big beautiful bill” that Congress passed last summer. The timing couldn’t be worse, with utility costs climbing an average of 11% nationwide and more increases expected in the new year.

Electric bills are growing at more than double the rate of inflation, and one in six American households is currently behind on utility payments. At the same time, nearly 60 utility companies are implementing or seeking rate hikes affecting 56 million electric customers and 26 million gas customers this year. That includes PECO, with price hikes in 2025 of close to $150 a year for the average residential customer, according to the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project.

Trump’s tax law alone will cause American households to pay an additional $130 annually in electricity costs by 2030. Had Trump and Congressional Republicans preserved the clean energy tax credits, Americans would have collectively saved $38 billion on electricity bills by 2030.

This is just part of a Trump Administration assault on affordable energy that is increasing our utility bills and costing our country energy jobs. Instead of providing support, Trump’s EPA is eliminating essential infrastructure and disaster response programs throughout the state. This includes funding for clean energy workforce initiatives, water quality monitoring, air quality programs, and efforts to address private well contamination across Pennsylvania. Our kids and grandkids deserve better.

The home energy tax credits are just a part of what’s being slashed away, but it’s important for families. It made it possible for people to afford home improvements that reduced their monthly expenses. I’ve shared information about these tax credits with my neighbors and encouraged them to take advantage of this opportunity while they still had the chance. Nobody I’ve spoken with has supported their elimination — yet that’s precisely what Trump and other Republicans chose to do.

If you spent money last year to make your home more energy-efficient or transitioned to renewable energy sources like solar, check to see if you can take advantage of these tax credits before they’re gone. You could save thousands of dollars on improvements that will continue saving you money for years to come. And whether or not you can take advantage of these credits, contact your elected officials and tell them that they must do more to make life more affordable for their constituents.

Joy Bergey is a Flourtown resident.