greenrightnow.com » Tax Incentives

Brace for winter by sealing up windy windows and drafty doors

BKessler — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:20:20 +0000

Jamie Swise, a Chicago-based weatherization expert, said President-elect Barack Obama made his job a whole lot easier when during a recent debate he urged Americans “to weatherize” their homes to save energy.

Obama made the appeal at a presidential debate last month before his election in response to a question about sacrifices his administration would ask Americans to make during these tumultuous economic times.

“Here you have the soon-to-be president of the United States stressing the importance of weatherization,” Swise said after the election. “He’s got a lot of people thinking about how weatherizing their homes can help save energy. You can’t beat that.”

Swise, who has been in the business of weatherizing homes for 10 years and works with the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County, one of the largest weatherization programs in the nation, says having such support coming from on high is important because the issue has long been ignored. Ignoring the issue, Swise and other experts say, is foolhardy because weatherization adds up to savings and goes a long way toward helping to reduce the nation’s carbon footprint. And in some cases, the effort doesn’t cost a dime.

Easy Steps, Money Back

“Most people can start by lowering the furnace (settings),” Swise said. “Most people have it up too high. They should also change the filter. These simple steps can result in immediate savings.”

Clogged filters force furnaces to heat the same area. Clean filters help remove dust and mold from the air, resulting in cleaner air. Filters should be checked monthly.

Additionally, homeowners can receive federal tax breaks if they replace their furnace, windows or doors with higher efficiency replacements. The long fought-over incentives passed as part of the $700 billion bailout bill approved by Congress and signed by President Bush in October.

The law extended or added several energy tax incentives – allowing homeowners to get tax rebates for installing Energy Star-rated windows and doors, insulation, roofs or heating and cooling equipment. The total amount of the credit is capped at $500.

Each item carries different rules. Homeowners can get back, for instance, 10 percent of the cost of new storm windows and skylights or exterior doors and insulation up to the $500 allowed.

For more details check with The Alliance to Save Energy, which has outlined these tax incentives and similar ones that apply to automobiles.

The Alliance also suggests several simple ways homeowners can reduce their winter heating bills:

Turn down the thermostat at night and add a blanket to the bed

Lower the temperature on the water heater to the “warm” settings, and buy a water tank insulation wrap to help the water heater retain heat

Reduce hot water use by washing in cold water and taking showers instead of baths.

Seal It Up

Another big first step homeowners can take is to seal open airways, whether they are doorways, or around pipes or duct work. One way to identify open passages is to conduct a blower door test, which helps determine a home’s airtightness. But you’ll have to hire a professional energy auditor to do this correctly.

You can check for leaks yourself, looking for obvious openings and feeling for air flow at duct junctures and around window frames. See this consumer’s guide for more ideas.

As gas prices fall, will our will to conserve wither?

BKessler — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:53:47 +0000

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

The question keeps coming up on newscasts and blogs: Now that gas prices are abating will Americans revert to their guzzling ways. Or put another way: Are we stupid?

Seriously, this is a legitimate question. Look at our history. Our memory of tough energy times in the 1970s was short. The next decade brought a celebration of consumption, and stagnation on the green energy front.

The current economic freeze may temporarily cloud any clear verdict on our behavior this go-round. Consider the person with the gas-guzzling vehicle that they’d like to unload. They may be unable to buy a new gas-sipper and take on debt. Even someone who can afford to make a change may be holding out for a better built hybrid, those clean diesels coming our way or the all-electric cars we keep hearing will be here in 2010. (Here’s betting GM dearly wishes it was a year closer on its Volt.)

But should $2.50 a gallon gasoline cause us to waver in kicking our oil addiction, we may have a less co-dependent government this time. Politicians of both parties support clean energy initiatives, and both presidential contenders have proposed tax incentives for people buying fuel efficient cars. These incentives mimic those already in place for hybrid cars, but also go beyond to include other types of eco-friendly vehicles.

A $5,000 to $7,000 tax credit for hybrids should cause many potential buyers to fall in love, or at least like, with new eco-cars, especially now that the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrids have proven the technology works.

To find out more, check out The Pew Center on Global Climate Change website which has posted a thorough and nonpartisan voter’s guide. It details Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s energy proposals pertaining to transportation.

This guide comes late for some of us who’ve already voted. But it has value even past the election for people who want to learn how government hopes to nudge both car buyers and automakers down the green highway.

Energy Group Asks Congress To Not Give Up On Green Energy Tax Incentives

BKessler — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:12:43 +0000

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, would offer energy-related tax incentives to consumers and businesses, and includes a new provision that would provide a tax credit for plug-in electric vehicles. But for all its timeliness, it has not been a slam-dunk in Congress, where Democrats and Republicans have been locked in debate over how to fund the tax credits. A vote Wednesday on whether to continue to debate the bill suggested it may be killed, going the way of previous proposals on the same topic deep-sixed earlier this year.

The Alliance to Save Energy sees the tax incentives as economically wise because they would do double duty – helping consumers strapped by high food and gas prices, while also assisting businesses selling the covered home improvements. The net effect: an overall boost to the economy, especially the green sector. All of which prompted the Alliance to issue a new release asking senators to “move beyond partisan bickering” to “help Americans meet the challenge of spiraling energy costs.”

“At a time when American households are paying an estimated $6,300 a year in total energy costs, it is simply inexcusable for Congress to leave for the August recess without approving the ‘extenders’ bill,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan in a news release.

The Alliance, whose board is composed of Democratic and Republican senators, representatives from companies like Dow Chemical Company and Washington Gas, as well as policy groups like the Edison Electric Institute and the National Resources Defense Council, is among many organizations advocating for the tax incentive bill.

Senate Bill 3335 would:

Extend consumer income tax credits for energy-efficient upgrades to existing homes through 2008.

Extend business tax credits through 2013 for energy-efficient commercial buildings.

Modify and extend through 2010 the energy-efficient tax credits for appliance manufacturers producing greener products

Introduce a new $3,000 tax credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles.

Extend tax incentives for certain types of wind and geothermal energy installations.

The Alliance to Save Energy was formed by Senators Charles H. Percy (R-Ill.) and Hubert H. Humphrey (D-Minn.) following the energy crisis of the mid-1970s.