(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) "Cost" means the aggregate funds actually invested and expended by a taxpayer to put into service the qualified equipment.

(2) "Energy efficient equipment" means all machinery and equipment certified pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated for purposes of this Code section by the commissioner of natural resources, as effective in reducing business or domestic energy usage. Such certifications may include, by way of example and not limitation, any dishwasher, clothes washer, furnace, air conditioner, central heating and air conditioning system, ceiling fan, fluorescent light bulb, dehumidifier, programmable thermostat, refrigerator, energy efficient water heater, skylighting system, whole house fan, energy use meter, light-emitting diode lighting system, geothermal heating system, door, window, or window film which has been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Energy as meeting or exceeding each such agency's energy saving efficiency requirements or which have been designated as meeting or exceeding such requirements under each such agency's Energy Star program.

(3) "Qualified equipment" means energy efficient equipment or water efficient equipment.

(4) "Water efficient equipment" means all machinery and equipment certified pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated for purposes of this Code section by the commissioner of natural resources as effective in reducing business or domestic water usage. Such certifications shall include, by way of example and not limitation, water conservation systems capable of storing rain water or gray water for future use and reusing the collected water for the same residential or commercial property and other products used for the conservation or efficient use of water which have been designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as meeting or exceeding such agency's water saving efficiency requirements or which have been designated as meeting or exceeding such requirements under such agency's Water Sense program.

(b) Rules and regulations of the commissioner of natural resources shall establish classifications or categories of qualified equipment, and no item of such qualified equipment shall be included in more than one classification or category for purposes of claiming a tax credit under this Code section. The commissioner of natural resources may take all reasonable and necessary steps to identify qualified equipment and to bring such equipment to the attention of taxpayers in this state qualified to install such equipment.

(c) After the effective date of this Code section, any taxpayer who is the ultimate purchaser of an item of qualified equipment for installation as part of new construction or for retrofit in this state shall be allowed a credit against the tax imposed under this article in the taxable year in which such qualified equipment was placed in service. The amount of the credit allowed under this Code section shall be 25 percent of the cost of the qualified equipment or $2,500.00, whichever is less.

(d) The credit granted under subsection (c) of this Code section shall be subject to the following conditions and limitations:

(1) The aggregate amount of credit which shall be claimed and allowed by taxpayers in any taxable year under this Code section shall be limited solely and exclusively to the amount of federal funds granted to the state for purposes of this Code section. In any tax year in which no federal funds are available for such purposes, no credit shall be claimed and allowed under this Code section;

(2) A taxpayer that claims a credit allowed under this Code section shall not be eligible to claim such qualified equipment for the clean energy property credit provided in Code Section 48-7-29.14; and

(3) To claim a credit allowed by this Code section, the taxpayer shall provide any information required by the Department of Natural Resources or the department. Every taxpayer claiming a credit under this Code section shall maintain and make available for inspection by the Department of Natural Resources or the department any records that either entity considers necessary to determine and verify the amount of the credit to which the taxpayer is entitled. The burden of proving eligibility for a credit and the amount of the credit rests upon the taxpayer, and no credit may be allowed to a taxpayer that fails to maintain adequate records or to make them available for inspection.

(e) In no event shall the amount of the tax credit allowed by this Code section for a taxable year exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. Any unused credit amount shall be allowed to be carried forward for five years from the close of the taxable year in which the qualified equipment was placed in service. No such credit shall be allowed the taxpayer against prior years' tax liability.

(f) After the qualified equipment is placed in service, a taxpayer seeking to claim any tax credit provided for under this Code section must submit an application to the commissioner for tentative approval of such tax credit. The commissioner shall promulgate the rules and forms on which the application is to be submitted. The commissioner shall review such application and shall tentatively approve such application upon determining that it meets the requirements of this Code section within 60 days after receiving such application.

(g) The commissioner shall allow the tax credits on a first come, first served basis. In no event shall the aggregate amount of tax credits approved by the commissioner for all taxpayers under this Code section exceed the amount of federal funds granted to the state for purposes of this Code section.

(h) The Department of Natural Resources and the department shall be authorized to adopt rules and regulations to provide for the administration of the tax credit provided by this Code section. Specifically, the Department of Natural Resources and the department shall create a mechanism to track and report the status and availability of credits for the public to review at a minimum on a quarterly basis.