May 1st, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

You’d like to make energy upgrades on the casa, but you’re a little short on the green.

Not enough green to green is a common problem right now. Yet, there are some changes you can barely afford not to make. One of these easy fixes involves addressing the build-up of heat in your attic this summer. If you live any place south of Washington, Maine and Michigan, you’re going to experience some days when it’s difficult to cool the house, and the typical attic compounds the problem by trapping heat overhead. If your AC unit is installed up there, the situation is even worse; the extreme heat will make the air conditioning system work harder and run longer as it pushes cooled air through hot duct work.

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March 6th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

Looking to replace your windows this year? Well, look out, you may qualify for newly increased tax credits of up to $1,500 if you install an energy-saving product.

The new government stimulus package includes tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements such as installing new exterior windows, doors, air conditioning systems or insulation. The new legislation extends tax credits through 2010. Most of these improvements were increased from $500 to the new $1500 cap; a cap of $200 for windows was removed.

If windows are on your mind, SeriousWindows, of Sunnyvale, Calif., is promoting energy efficient models that it claims are 200 to 400 percent more efficient than regular old Energy Star rated windows.

Many other firms sell windows, and many of those meet the Energy Star designation; windows must at least meet that test to qualify for receiving a tax credit.

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February 17th, 2009

By Mark Matthews
KGO – San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO — This has been a rough year so far for the solar power business in the Bay Area. Not just the installers, but also the manufacturers of solar panels are hurting.

The business of manufacturing solar panels and installing them on the rooftops of houses and companies is an industry that has relied on tax credits. But those tax credits for businesses are useless when there is no profit to write off with tax credit.

> Watch Now

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February 13th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports:

In a alert released this afternoon, entitled “Congress Gets It Right — Recovery Deal to Spur Clean Energy Economy”, the Natural Resources Defense Council praised the compromise stimulus package hammered out by Congress for the ways it steers the American economy in a greener direction.

“Congress really got it right with this economic recovery package that will deliver jobs and green infrastructure to America. The bill makes smart investments that will jumpstart the economy, help sustain future growth, and meet the challenges of the 21st century,”effused Wesley Warren, director of programs for the NRDC. “We need to put America on a path to a clean-energy economy, and Congress has taken a big step forward in heeding this call.

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August 19th, 2008

By John DeFore

Though it was an odd thing to call a “groundbreaking” — the act involved no shovel stuck in soil, but rather the placement of a panel on a metal stand — a ceremony alongside an Oregon highway this month inaugurated what Governor Ted Kulongoski calls “the nation’s first solar highway project.”

Speaking in a promotional video made at the event, Kulongoski was joined by Transportation Commission chair Gail Achterman, who explained that the solar panel being mounted was the first of 594 that will soon cover 8,000 square feet alongside the right-of-way at the interchange of Interstates 5 and 205 south of Portland.

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July 30th, 2008

The Alliance to Save Energy, a 30-year-old coalition of business, political, consumer and environmental leaders, today urged the U.S. Senate to adopt a bill that would grant or extend tax credits to consumers for energy-saving home improvements, while also potentially stimulating the economy. The bill, The Jobs, Energy, Families & Disaster Relief Act of 2008, [...]

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