Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
WLIE Welcomes Tax Experts for Morning Business Talk Show
February 19th, 2010 | 
Author: For Immediate Release
Ronkonkoma, NY – Feb. 26 – WLIE station broadcasting for the New York Metropolitan area will host their weekly business talk radio show on Saturday, February 27th starting at 10 am on station 540 AM. The show will focus on tax strategies and will feature Darnell Morris’s interviews with various tax experts.
One particular field to be explored will be tax incentives through engineering studies. Joel Ackerman, Director of Business Relations of Engineered Tax Services, is scheduled to air in the morning portion of the show. His presentation will focus on explaining tax benefits available for commercial property owners and homeowners whose building may qualify for certification according to requirements set forth in § 179D(c)(1) and (d) of the Internal Revenue Code. ETS specializes in providing a wide spectrum of engineered accounting solutions such as energy tax credits, cost segregation studies, construction audits and insurance appraisals. ETS is a licensed engineering firm with professionally staffed engineers who marry the science of engineering with the principles of tax and accounting to arrive at financial solutions resulting in increased cash flow, minimized tax payments and increased ROI. ETS works in collaboration with clients’ CPA firm to ensure the process of obtaining your tax benefits follows legislative guidelines.
For more information on ETS, please contact 800-236-6519 email info@engineeredtaxservices.com or visit www.engineeredtaxservices.com
Posted in Cost Segregation, ETS News, Energy Tax Credits, Press Releases, Uncategorized | 
Tags: Cost Segregation, Energy Efficiency, Energy Tax Credits, EPAct, Green Building | 
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USING EPACT TO SPEED TAX PAYBACK
By Joel Ackerman, CPA
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) is a complicated government method that encourages integrators to make US buildings more energy-efficient. Less than 1 percent of eligible buildings owners or leaseholders have taken advantage of this multi-billion dollar benefit.
The US government does a lot of good things to encourage more efficient building; unfortunately the process is cumbersome and requires third-party engineering certification. This comprehensive tax legislation is where we find the $1.80 per square foot tax benefit we all talk about and we’ll attempt to clarify the process and increase the awareness of this very important benefit. The elusive $1.80 that EPAct holds can be broken down into three categories: Lighting, HVAC and Building Envelope. Each is worth $0.60/SF in tax benefits. The EPAct relies on the ASHRAE 90.1-2001 specification as a baseline to calculate savings percentages. To qualify for the full $1.80, the building must be 50 percent more efficient than this 2001 standard. To qualify for the partial incentive, the savings must be 16 2/3 percent better than 90.1-2001 in the respective categories.
Lighting
Lighting consumes approximately 40% of the energy in commercial buildings; the goal is to rein in this energy hog. By using a $0.60 per SF tax benefit, EPAct encourages the use of more efficient fixtures and controls. In order to qualify for the lighting portion of the available deductions, lighting energy consumption must beat the ASHRAE 90.1-200 1 specifications for efficiency by 16 2/3%. If the building is undergoing a lighting retrofit or adding controls, it is worth investigating whether or not this new system will qualify for the $0.60 lighting deduction. In majority of cases the lighting savings level is achieved and can be introduced to your ROI calculations – win-win.
HVAC
HVAC is the second largest energy consumer in commercial buildings and can be very tricky to retrofit without major renovation and disruption to the space. The addition of new controls has the ability to bring the system energy consumption down by 16 2/3 percent in order to achieve the second tax benefit of $0.60/SF. This total of $1.20/SF could be included in the ROI calculations for your building owner. In a 100,000 SF building, this could be as high as $120,000 in tax benefits. Unlike tax credits, deductions don’t translate dollar for dollar; rather they are calculated as part of your tax return. The numbers add up fast and can make the purchase decision for your building owner easier.
Architects and designers
The benefits get even better for the architect and specifying segment of the market. The Government doesn’t pay tax, so what happens when the tens of thousands of schools, federal and state buildings are upgraded? Prior to 2008 this tax benefit was simply lost, or wasted. The government quickly realized that in order to encourage architects and designers to implement energy efficiency in federal buildings they had to provide encouragement. The EPAct was amended to run until 2013 and included a provision that for all public, government or non-profit buildings the EPAct tax benefit would go back to the designer of the specifications which could be the architect, designer or lighting contractor. This has resulted in approximately $25Mper month in tax benefits being discovered by one engineering/tax firm alone. As with many Federal grants and subsidies this EPACT deduction is out there to reward taxpayers for their efforts in saving energy. What better reward than with cash in the pocket from tax savings.
Want to be a hero to your clients? Did your client construct or renovate their lighting, HVAC, or building envelope to their commercial building? Discuss EPACT — you could save the client thousands of tax dollars.
Joel E. Ackerman, CPA is Director of Business Development for the Northeast for Engineered Tax Services, Inc. He earned a Masters degree in Tax from C.W. Post – Long Island University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Syracuse University. With over 16 years of experience in public accounting, Joel specializes in engineering-based real estate tax products such as cost segregation studies and energy efficiency studies. He is active in the local CPA community and serves on the Board of Directors for the Suffolk County chapter of the New York Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is currently planning a series of seminars for the Suffolk and Nassau County Bar Associations on the benefits and technical aspects of real estate related tax and engineering opportunities.
ABOUT ENGINEERED TAX SERVICES
ETS has provided thousands of energy tax certifications since 2005. Handling over 50 certifications every month, they have perfected the process by working closely with the Internal Revenue Service on a regular basis. Their precise documentation meets and exceeds the standards required by the Department of Energy and the IRS and has consistently withstood the toughest scrutiny. ETS is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). With the most innovative and highest-quality LEED and green building knowledge and training, the approved USGBC educational courses helps green building professionals across all market sectors build the capacity to build their careers.
Engineered Tax Services (ETS) is a nationally licensed engineering firm with professionally staffed engineers who marry the science of engineering with the principles of tax and accounting to arrive at financial solutions that result in increased cash flow, minimized tax payments and increased return on investment. ETS engineering professionals have over 100 years of combined experience in energy modeling. The ETS team consists of multi-disciplinary professionals including Professional Engineers (PE), LEED Accredited Professionals (AP), Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and architectural professionals. ETS specializes in providing a wide spectrum of engineered accounting solutions such as energy tax credits, cost segregation studies, energy audits, carbon footprint certification and insurance appraisals.
CONTACT:
Joel Ackerman
Engineered Tax Services
Toll Free: 1.800.236.6519
Northeast Office: 516-398-7807
email: jackerman@engineeredtaxservices.com
website: www.engineeredtaxservices.com
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Energy Tax Benefits to Be Focus in San Francisco
Retrofits and Energy Tax Benefits to be focus of Seminar on October 21st in San Francisco.
San Francisco, CA Oct. 20- As part of their ongoing Green Educational Forums, the Global Strategic Management Institute will be holding their first annual Sustainable Building Series Conference on retrofits this month on October 20-22, at the Missions Bay Center at UCSF in San Francisco, California. This event will address, among many other subjects, how to capitalize on the Economic Recovery Stimulus Package, financing sustainable retrofits, investing in green retrofits and updates on LEED certification. The conference will bring together a wide variety of participants, from facilities and property managers to brokers, investors, developers, planners and architects.
National Sales Director for Engineered Tax Services, Don McDougall, will be a featured speaker at the conference on October 21st at 2:45 pm. He will discuss the available options for achieving energy efficiency through retrofits and how to cut costs while maintaining energy efficiency when selecting and acquiring properties. Mr. McDougall will also address in detail legislative initiatives dealing with retrofits and 179D Tax Deduction/ EPACT tax benefits associated with Energy Efficient Buildings. New construction and building renovations may qualify for Federal Tax Deductions of up to $1.80 per square foot.
Engineered Tax Services is a nationally-licensed engineering firm with professionally staffed engineers who marry the science of engineering with the principles of tax and accounting to arrive at financial solutions that result in increased cash flow, minimized tax payments and increased return on investment. ETS specializes in providing a wide spectrum of engineered accounting solutions such as energy tax credits, cost segregation studies, energy audits, carbon footprint certification and insurance appraisals. Additional information about the conference may be found at www.engineeredtaxservices.com or by calling ETS at 1-800-236-6519.
Julio P. Gonzalez wows the AIA at the Florida 2009 Convention
Engineered Tax Services (ETS) is proud to announce that Julio P. Gonzalez was a featured speaker at the American Institute of Architects’ Florida 2009 Convention held in Tampa, FL on July 29 – August 1. Mr. Gonzalez, CEO, addressed the audience on how architects, engineers and contractors can benefit as the designers of constructed or renovated public buildings and turn their knowledge and application of the Energy Policy Act into a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Mr. Gonzalez’s presentation was well-received and showcased his expertise in the area of marrying the sciences of engineering and accounting to improve cash flow and the bottom line.
About the AIA Convention - The AIA Florida 2009 Convention was held at the Marriott Waterside in downtown Tampa, Florida on July 29 – August 1. The AIA Convention theme this year was Design Metamorphosis: Buildings, Boundaries and Bottom Lines. This theme was chosen to recognize the rapidly changing world and its effect on the architectural profession – the speakers and courses presented represented a variety of topics related to the theme, along the three tracks of Buildings, Boundaries and Bottom Lines. Mr. Gonzalez’s course fell into the Bottom Line category as he delved into the benefits of the Energy Policy Act and related energy-efficient incentives and deductions.
Maintaining Green Practices - To help create an environmentally sustainable convention and to reduce waste, printed handouts were not provided at the continuing education seminars. As an alternative, AIA Florida supplied all of the handouts on a USB flash drive.
About the American Institute of Architects (AIA) - Based in Washington, D.C., the AIA has been the leading professional membership association for licensed architects, emerging professionals, and allied partners since 1857. For the latest news, visit the AIA’s Pressroom. With nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA serves as the voice of the architecture profession and the resource for their members in service to society. They carry out our goal through advocacy, information, and community.
About Engineered Tax Services – Engineered Tax Services is a nationally-licensed engineering firm with professionally staffed engineers who marry the science of engineering with the principles of tax and accounting to arrive at financial solutions that result in increased cash flow, minimized tax payments and increased return on investment. ETS specializes in providing a wide spectrum of engineered accounting solutions such as energy tax credits, cost segregation studies, energy audits, carbon footprint certification and insurance appraisals.
CONTACT:
Julio Gonzalez
Engineered Tax Services
Office: 1.800.236.6519
Cell: 561.358.7858
email: jgonzalez@engineeredtaxservices.com
website: www.engineeredtaxservices.com