Shifting Solutions

The awards for switching to alternative and renewable energy sources are very generous.

The financial benefits for changing to renewable energy systems, have become really rather generous. Congress recently did away with the caps on 30 percent tax credits for homeowners who install solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, or windmills. Now a $24,000 investment to make a home solar-powered would generate a federal tax credit worth $7,200. (Before the stimulus, credits were capped at $2,000 for geothermal and solar; $4,000 for wind).

Now affordability ballgame has changed because of these tax code revisions says Craig Perkins, executive director of the Energy Coalition, a nonprofit in Irvine, Calif., that helps consumers become more energy-efficient. He has estimated that more than 1 in 4 Californians can now borrow the funds necessary to install solar panels and be paying less out-of-pocket per month immediately (including payments on solar panels) rather than keep keep getting power from their regular utility company . Yet others, he says, will often recoup the costs of adding solar or high-efficiency air conditioning over a few years.

One of the keys to make the most of savings, Perkins says, is to choose the projects that qualify for a rebate from one’s state or utility and are also eligible for a federal tax credit. The type of “piggybacking” is allowed and encouraged. The challenge, however is to get consumers to research their options and to take the necessary actions to make this happen.

“The problem we find constantly is that [navigating incentives] can be extremely confusing,” Mr. Perkins says. “People don’t want to become wonks about what’s eligible and what isn’t…. It’s the nuts and bolts of making it happen that really stops a lot people.”

Merchandisers have begun to educate consumers about new tax benefits. At Home & Hearth, a heating stove dealer in Hampton Falls, N.H., manager Bob King was talking up tax credits with every customer hours after Congress passed the stimulus bill. With brochure in his hand, Jim Marshall of Exeter, N.H., liked hearing from Mr. King in the store’s parking lot that a new wood pellet stove would qualify. He’d like to make a switch and stop spending more than $300 per month for oil heat.

“Most of the time, this can make the high-efficiency product cheaper than the low-efficiency product.”

Courtesy of the United States Congress, energy-saving systems for the attic, basement, and everything else for the home, have effectively gone on sale.

But will anyone take advantage – or even become aware of the available discounts ? This remains an open question.

To encourage investments in energy efficiency, president Barack Obama signed a $787 billion economic stimulus bill. This means then, that homeowners with drafty windows, older heating systems, or other causes of high energy bills can find financial help to defray these costs in tax season, if they make improvements in 2009 or 2010.

“This is by far the most the federal government has done in the past several decades” to help further along the energy-efficiency investments, says Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. “In many cases, this will make the high-efficiency product cheaper than the low-efficiency product. [For consumers of course], this is pretty lucrative, and I’d be surprised if it gets extended into 2011.”

The new incentives have increased the size of tax credits for homeowners that buy qualifying products. Like those who invest in highly-rated insulation, replacement windows, duct seals, or high-efficiency heating and cooling systems can now receive a tax credit worth 30 percent of the upgrade cost (maximum credit value: $1,500).

Previously, homeowners could get a tax credit worth just 10 percent of an upgrade cost, up to a maximum of $500. Now, taxpayers who spend $800 on an efficient water heater, $1,000 on insulation, and $2,000 on windows could lop $1,140 off their federal tax bill.

Further, if one determines to install a home solar power system, whether you buy one from a supplier or choose one from a DIY home solar kit, that are available on line, one could also take advantage of Tax incentives as well as grants and low interest loans to defray the costs.

So, we’ll take more about the awards of your efforts tomorrow…..

By greening your garage you can help green the rest of your lifestyle.

The garage is the place in your home where environmentally questionable practices like over consumption, chemical use and driving pile up in a way that is hurtfully visible. Cleaning up the garage can lead to cleaning up your other lifestyle habits, too! Here’s how to go about it.

1. Just save the things you need. If you already own something, it’s more environmentally friendly to use it than to buy a new one. Save things that you might have to buy again if you got rid of them. Also, run them into the ground before you discard them for newer, shinier models.

2. Recycle and reuse the things you think you don’t need. Just don’t toss your garage discards into the trash, hold a garage sale or donate them to the Salvation Army. When you come across things that are too run-down to be reused, recycle whatever parts of them you can. Think of your garage as a recycling bin, not a junk-pile!

3. Do away with the dangerous chemicals from your gardening section. If you can possibly avoid using toxin-laden pesticides, do so. They don’t affect just your garden: rainwater carries them into the gutters, down the storm drains and all over the rest of the ecosystem you call home. There, they pollute soil and water and harm other creatures. If you must use pesticides, carefully research which ones are the least harmful.

4. Place the bikes near the front of the garage. Don’t be too hasty in swapping your old minivan for the latest flashy hybrid lest you waste the resources used to build the minivan. Wait until the van totally breaks down, and in the meantime, do more walking and biking. This shrinks your carbon footprint as little else can. It’s also great boost for you in terms of physical fitness!

5. Use your toolbox. Keeping cars, faucets and appliances in good repair makes them more resource efficient. Fixing a broken item and extending its life rather than replacing it makes your lifestyle more resource efficient. A little basic maintenance makes a big difference in the life of a product, so keep your toolbox handy.

6. Replace the outdoor lights around the house with a home solar system of lights, if they get any amount of sun during the day, they should charge enough to light the area you need when you need it.

7. Now keep it clean! Next time you’re tempted to buy something you don’t really you need, visualize your garage. Is the new item likely to end up in a box, never to be used again? Or does a box in your garage already contain a similar item that you can use? If either of these is the case, don’t buy the item! You’ll keep your garage and your planet clean and functional.

There has been a strong movement and it has been gaining ground

over the last decade for a greener more sustainable environment. It has begun to influence how we build our home, how we travel and how we live. The term ” Green Building” evokes many varying concepts of extreme tactics, such as harnessing the wind power or lining our roofs with solar panels. But there is far more to it than that. It’s really about building with the future in mind.

For those how own their own homes, it means being careful of future energy use, keeping an eye on the energy bills as well as the health and comfort of the family within. During the efforts in re-grouping, after this economic downturn, I believe there will be a concentrated effort to create a home that will help preserve the future of the environment, have an improved energy profile and establish an all around healthier home that conserves resources and lowers greenhouse gases emissions.

I have talked about this in earlier articles, but again there are 3 different ways to make your home ” greener”. The first step is improving the energy efficiency. Look for those areas where your heat or cooling is escaping. ( see the previous articles on ” Should I Audit my Home?” Also, be sure you are using more efficient lighting, updated appliances and simple changes to your heating and cooling systems.

Another way to ” go Green” wold be to add features that are environmentally friendly, such as water-efficient fixtures, native landscaping and using ecologically friendly materials that has a lesser impact on our earth.

And finally, make your home healthy! Homes that have fewer pollutants, cleaner air and release fewer chemicals to the outside, such as off-gassing, make for a healthier , happier, more energetic home life. Increase your ventilation and choose materials, while remodeling or building that are made in a more eco friendly manner., such a certain types of furnishing, flooring and wall coverings.

Even though a lot of people like the idea of a greener earth, many do not know how are even where to begin, they are concerned about financial stress in their lives, in this economy and worry about the costs involved in setting up these methods and how all of this would effect the value of their homes.

Surprisingly enough ‘greening your home” would have a very significant impact on the value of your home. A lot of these “Green” ideas and techniques have proven to increase the selling price and also help the real estate agent market your home quicker,such as installing renewable energy systems, because it is more efficient and has lower energy bills than the competition. Another plus are the many Tax incentives and credits you can get for going green!

I have a site with great resources on more sustainable living and developing a greener lifestyle. Many of these books are fun to read and are filled with helpfull suggestions, tips and ideas on energy efficiency , renewable energy systems, they talk about the new ” green economy” that is fueling green construction for a more sustainable living environment that reduces the global impact on our carbon footprint. Check out the resource library at the link above.

Renewable Energy

Part 7 the last of a continuing effort to explain the many ways one can use the ” Go Green” principal in their lives, whether they live in an apartment or even in their own home. Today, we bring you tips 13 through 16 of the 23 principals of green style living and saving money while doing so. All of these ideas are very simple to implement and easy to accomplish. You don’t need anything fancy or to be a professional in any sense of the word but just a little handy and some effort and common sense

The Final 4 tips, 17 to 23

17. Maintain your energy efficient appliances like your refrigerator. Have a repairman come out once a year, if you need to, you’ll find it’s worth it as the appliances get older, they more expensive to run.

18. Clean the toxins in the air by adding some plants to your home or apartment. Two plants per one hundred square feet and they will spread out over time and give a fresh smell to the air.

19. Recycle your paper. A lot of paper is used on one side only. Turn it over and re use the other side as scrap or note taking, grocery lists, etc.

20. Soaking a citrus rind in water for a couple days and applying it to plants or around the apartment will help eliminate bugs. Pour the water into a pump bottle and spray on plants both inside and out.

21. The air conditioning filter requires checking and changing at least 4 times a year. AC and other appliances with a filter run better and cost less to operate when the filter is changed regularly.

22. To lower prices we must increase demand. Buy as much organic products and food as you can from suppliers.

23. Finally, Quit Smoking. I know, I need not say more.

Did you know there are lawn mowers and other yard tools that are completely green? There are Many ways of going “GOING GREEN” check it out at the link above for renewable energy systems and help reduce the carbon footprint.

Many ways one can use the ” Go Green” principal

Part 6 of a continuing effort to explain the many ways one can use the ” Go Green” principal in their lives, whether they live in an apartment or even in their own home. Today, we bring you tips 13 through 16 of the 23 principals of green style living and saving money while doing so. All of these ideas are very simple to implement and easy to accomplish. You don’t need anything fancy or to be a professional in any sense of the word but just a little handy and some effort and common sense.

Yesterday you read tips 9 thru 12

today we bring you tips 13 thru 16

13. Re use your newspapers. They make great fillers for mailing or stuffing gift boxes. Using old newspapers with a little watered down vinegar in a spray bottle will give you a streak-free shine on your windows and mirrors.

14. Instead of always using your central heat or Air conditioning open your windows and doors when the the weather permits. Last I heard fresh air was good for you and you can save yourself some money too.

15. A lot of furniture contain varnishes and resins that would add more chemicals into your home so look for minimal processing in different kinds of furniture . Also look for organic drapes, clothing, and bedding, it can be time consuming but worth it.

16. Carpets, paints, cleaning agents, and furnishings can contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. and well worth staying away from

Other ways to promote ” Going Green” and reduce the carbon footprint are installing home solar energy or even solar items for around your yard and gardens and lighting for the exterior of your house, check out the link above for more information.

Tomorrow I’ll bring you tips 17 to 20

There is a whole lot of ways one can use the ” Go Green” principal in their lives.

Whether they live in an apartment or even in their own home, they can save while doing so. A lot of the ideas are very simple to implement and easy to accomplish, whether they rent or live in their own home, You don’t need any fancy gadgets or new technology just a little effort and common sense.

Yesterday you read tips 5 & 6

today we bring you tips 7 & 8

7. Saving water will save energy and is one of the easiest and best ways to go green in your place of residence. Replace your regular toilets with low-flush toilets, but if for some reason you can’t do that use a milk jug filled with stones and place it in your toilet tank to displace water and use less to fill the tank. While brushing your teeth,turn the water off and take shorter showers, instead of hot water use warm or even cold water for your laundry. Wait to run your dishwasher and washing machine when you can do so with a full load.

8. Make sure your detergents and cleaners are non-toxic. Only about 5% of the 75,000 chemicals introduced to the market place since WWII have been properly tested for environmental and health side effects. Cleaning your toilet bowl and windows with vinegar or use baking soda on your counter tops can slow down the process of using these harmfull chemicals that endanger the environment. There are several alternatives to harmful cleaning chemicals.

Home solar power systems and home wind power are other ways to save money while cleaning up the environment. You may want to explore those ideas by going to the link above.

Tomorrow Tips 9 & 10