Energy Tax Credits

HOME ENERGY TAX CREDITS 

It is not to early to start thinking about saving money on next years taxes. If you are building or making home improvements in the next couple of years, don’t miss out on the new energy tax credits. Go green and get paid to do it.  

It really is time to replace many older HVAC products with newer more energy efficient models. Technology has improved, and water heaters, heat pumps, and other home comfort items have been dramatically improved. Replacing older units with newer ones will not only give you a tax break, but it will also save you money on your monthly utility bills as well.  

One customer recently replaced his old attic insulation with spay on foam insulation, and his heating bills went down almost $50 dollars a month, and he is very excited to see how his summer utility bills will fare as well.

Even small changes can make a difference. Installing ceiling fans can help you feel more comfortable in your house, while allowing you to decrease your thermostat settings.

 Saving money is the just beginning of using better more efficient home comfort products. You will also be doing your part to help save our planet, by using less energy. Call around before you haul your old AC to the dump, and see if a salvage yard may want it, and save some space in the landfills too.

  What do the new energy tax credits mean?  

by Lisa Zapalac

The recent stimulus package included an expanded bill for a wide range of tax credits to homeowners and businesses who made home improvement or commercial developments with energy efficiencies.

You can qualify for up to $1,500.00 in tax credits for those projects. Just to recap: Type: Home improvements Time Frame: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010 Must be: your primary residence Maximum tax credit: $1,500.00 The only exceptions to the cap are solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and solar panels. Documentation you need: Manufactures Certification Statement

If you are building a new home, you can qualify for the tax credit for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, fuel cells, etc., but not the tax credits for windows, doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, or non-solar water heaters.

Insulation, Windows, Sealing: Homeowners can get credits for energy improvements to their homes, such as windows, insulation, and envelope and duct sealing.

Home Heating & Cooling Equipment: Homeowners can get credits for installing efficient air conditioners and heat pumps; gas or oil furnaces and furnace fans; and gas, oil, or electric heat pump water heaters in new or existing homes.

On-Site Renewables: Credits are available for qualified solar water heating and photovoltaic systems, small wind and geothermal heat pump systems.

Home Heating & Cooling Equipment: Purchasers of highly efficient heating, cooling, and water heating equipment can take tax credits of 30% of installed cost for purchasing qualifying equipment. There is a $1,500 cap on the credit per home, including the amount received for insulation, windows, air and duct sealing.

Qualifying Equipment includes: high efficiency gas, oil and propane furnaces, AFUE 95 or higher; high efficiency central air conditioning units (SEER of 16 or greater), geothermal heat pumps, high efficiency fans for heating and cooling systems (using no more than 2% of system energy use), high efficiency water heaters (Energy Factor of at least 0.82 or thermal efficiency of at least 90%), including heat pump water heaters (energy factor of at least 2.0).

Talk with the manufacturer, installer or retailer before purchasing to ensure your product meets the qualifications.

Find additional information at these locations:

U.S. Department of Energy Energy Savers

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

U.S. Department of Energy (heat pumps)

U.S. Department of Energy (cooling systems)

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

U.S. Department of Energy

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HVAC Tips On Preparing Your Home For Summer

 HVAC Tips On Preparing Your Home For Summer

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The season seem to change quickly, and soon as we prepare for winter, summer is here, and we have switch our thinking from heating to cooling our home. 

Changing filters is the first must do, and it is simple enough to do it yourself. Updating your air conditioners, replacing older models with newer more efficient models can make a large impact on your utility bills. If you are not going to install a simple A/C window unit, and a central air conditioning is what is needed in our home, it is best to hire a local contractor who can size and install your air conditioner properly.

Tips:

Don’t try and fluctuate the temperature between different rooms in your home by closing channel outlets or you will unbalance the system and reduce its efficiency, and may cause your unit to work harder, and increasing your costs. When you’re away for many hours, turn the unit off. Keep the thermostat at 78 degrees in the summertime, a cushty temperature for most of us. Each degree of temperature ends up in a 4 p.c increase or decrease in your application bill.

 Air leaks are a major source of energy inefficiency. If a $1 bill slips easily  thru the opening around your doorway, you are losing valuable cool air and letting heat in.

Check with your local power company to see if they off rebate programs for updating, and replacing old air conditioners, furnaces, heat pumps, water heaters. and so forth with new energy efficient models. 

Energy saving tips from Progress Energy 

Summer

With temperatures rising and cooling systems running for longer periods of time, it’s the ideal time to take control of your electric bills.

• Set your thermostat on the highest comfortable setting. If you’re leaving for the day, turn it up a couple of degrees. Do not turn your cooling system off unless you’ll be gone for an extended period of time.  
   
• Clean or change your filters monthly. Dirty filters can increase operating costs by 20 percent. Don’t block registers and return vents with furniture or drapes.    
• Use a ceiling fan or portable fan to supplement your air conditioning. A fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler (and only costs a half-cent per hour to operate) so you can set your thermostat a few degrees higher and save on cooling costs. Use in occupied rooms since fans cool people, not rooms. As a safety precaution, turn off ceiling fans when you leave your home.
• For central air conditioning systems, keep the fan switch on your thermostat in the "auto" position when cooling. This gives you better cooling and humidity control. Having the fan switch "on" continuously could cost $25 extra a month on your electric bill.  
• Close blinds, drapes and shades during the hottest part of the day. This keeps the sun’s rays from heating your house.  
• If you suspect your air conditioning system is not cooling properly, have it checked promptly. A unit that is having operational problems can cause extremely high bills.
• If your air conditioning equipment is older and less efficient, compensate by being extra careful about temperature settings, hours of operation and filter condition.   
    
• Use your microwave or countertop appliances for cooking instead of the oven or stove.    

• Make sure your home is properly insulated. In existing homes, wall insulation may be too expensive to install, so concentrate on attic and floor insulation.

  • In Carolina:

    • Ceiling: R-30

    • Wall: R-11 to R-19 in frame wall

    • Floor: R-19 in floors

What Is R-30 it a reference numer on the insulation value given to insulationg material.

Insulation is rated by thermal resistance, called R-value, which indicates the resistance to warm flow. The bigger the R-value, the bigger the insulating effectiveness. The R-value of thermal insulation relies on the kind of material, its thickness, and density. In working out the R-value of a multi-layered installation, the R-values of the individual layers are added. Installing more insulation in your house increases R-value and the resistance to heat flow.

The usefulness of an insulated wall or ceiling also relies on where the insulation is installed. As an example, insulation which is compressed won’t give you its full rated R-value. Also, the R-value of a wall or ceiling will be rather different from the R-value of the insulation itself because some heat flows round the insulation thru the studs and rafters. With careful design, this short-circuiting can be reduced.

 Preparing your home for summer can help make your home more comfortable, and can save you money that will stay in your pocket, and not the utility companies coffers.

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HVAC Best Thermostat Settings to Save Energy In the Winter

HAVC Best Thermostat Settings to Save Energy In the Winter

 Thermostat Settings to Save Energy In the Winter

What are the best settings to save energy and cut your heating costs? Well, According to

Progress energy here are some tips that will help you do just that…..

Winter

With winter temperatures falling and heating systems running for longer periods of time, it’s the ideal time to take control of your electric bills.

• Keep your thermostat at the lowest comfortable setting. If you have a heat pump, adjust your thermostat in small increments to avoid the operation of the supplemental heat strip in your system. Energy consumption is much higher when the heat strip is in use. A steady setting on your heat pump thermostat produces constant comfort and minimizes the use of the less efficient resistance heat strip.

• Keep the fan on your central heating unit on "auto" position. Leaving the fan on "on" can add $25 a month to your heating costs.  

• Install the heating thermostat on an inside wall and away from windows and doors.   

• Clean or replace filters every month. Dirty filters can increase operating costs by 20 percent.   

• By setting your thermostat back 10 degrees at night (8-10 hours), you’ll save 10 percent to 20 percent in heating costs. The lowered thermostat setting saves energy dollars by reducing the length of time the heating system operates throughout the night.

• Use ceiling fans in winter to distribute heat around a room.   

• Close your fireplace damper when not in use. Consider glass doors to help prevent heat loss when your heating system is on.   

• Make sure registers are not blocked by furniture or draperies.     

• Use insulated or heavy curtains on windows facing the north side of the house. Keep curtains and shades closed at night or on cloudy days.   

When entertaining, lower the thermostat a degree or two before the guests arrive. That way, you won’t overheat.

 Original content can be found at: 

Progress Energy

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