Energy Savers

New Appliance Tax Credits, Rebates, and Incentives for Consumers

A couple of weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced a new appliance rebate program. Starting later this year and in early 2010, consumers will be able to receive rebates to purchase new ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances when they replace their used appliances.

More than 70% of the energy used in our homes is for appliances, refrigeration, space heating, cooling, and water heating. Replacing old appliances and equipment with those that are ENERGY STAR® labeled can help American families save significantly on their utility bills.

What Will You be Buying for an Energy Tax Credit?

On Tuesday, Allison talked about her experience shopping for a patio door that met the requirements for a federal tax credit for energy efficiency. She found that it's important to make sure the manufacturer can provide a certification statement verifying that the product meets all requirements for a federal tax credit.

What will you be buying for an energy tax credit?

Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

Give Me My Tax Credit! (Or, How I Almost Bought the Wrong Patio Door)

Over the past few weeks, my husband and I have been shopping for a new patio door. We currently have a sliding glass door that we have always hated—full exposure to winds from the west and to open fields behind our house mean that we always have dirt and dust getting in through that door, not to mention cold air in the winter and heat in the summer. The final straw was a warped and squeaky track, no doubt aggravated by our dog's constant indecision over whether he wants to be inside or outside (oh, the dilemma!).

Since sliding glass doors are known to be inefficient (and ours was already driving us crazy), we decided that a door that swings, rather than slides, is our best bet. Here are the other features we want in a door:

Tax Credits for Your Energy-Efficient Purchases

As April 15th draws nearer, no doubt taxes are on your mind. You may be wondering whether the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the "Recovery Act") will affect your taxes for 2008. While the IRS says that the tax provisions in the Recovery Act won't affect most people's 2008 tax returns, you may already be planning an energy-efficient purchase in 2009 that will be eligible for a tax credit.

Back in October, I wrote about energy tax incentives available in 2009. The Recovery Act amended the energy tax credits, and the good news is that those tax credits are still available. The even better news?

Do You Plan to Take Advantage of the Energy Tax Credits?

Yesterday, we wrote about the energy tax credits that were included in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Do you plan to take advantage of the energy tax credits?

Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

Energy Tax Credits: Stay Warm and Save MORE Money!

With all of the news this month about the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, you may have heard about the energy tax incentives that were included for both consumers and for business, utilities, and governments.

If you are already preparing for winter and working to make your home more efficient, this is good news. The federal tax credits can help you save energy, stay warm, and save money this winter and beyond. Combined with other sources of financial help that we've already discussed on this blog, you may be able to save significantly on your improvements.