While making "green" decisions may very well arrest climate change and will certainly reduce greenhouse
gases, your efforts can also have a healthy effect on
your financial well-being. In a tough economic
environment there are some simple, everyday
changes you can make in your transportation and
home product choices that could have a personal
savings impact. Why not check out these options?
Hybrid automobiles: While 2008 models of the Toyota Prius – probably the best-known gas/electric hybrid automobile on the market – no longer provides a tax credit, there are still a number of foreign and domestic hybrid models that do. For those models and their credit amounts, go to the IRS Web site at http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=176409,00.html.
Residential energy credits: A bill is currently before the U.S. Senate to renew or revise many of the tax credits offered to taxpayers in tax year 2007. Be on the lookout for any news of passage on this bill, and use the following tax year 2007 credits as a point of reference:
- Exterior windows (regular and storm) and skylights: Up to 10 percent of cost or $200.
- Exterior doors (including storm doors): Up to 10 percent of cost up to $500.
- Metal roofs: Up to 10 percent of cost up to $500.
- Home insulation that meets current International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) requirements: Up to 10 percent of cost up to $500.
- Qualified heating and air conditioning systems as well as heat pumps: Up to $200.
- Qualified gas, oil, propane furnaces or hot water boilers: Up to $150.
- Qualified circulating fans: Up to $50.
- Qualified gas, oil or propane water heaters as well as heat pump water heaters: Up to $300.
- Qualified Solar Energy Water Heaters as well as photovoltaic systems that provide electricity for the residence: Up to 30 percent of the cost or $2,000.
- Qualified fuel cells (natural gas-propelled generators): 30 percent of the cost up to $1,000 per kilowatt of power that can be produced.
Try compact fluorescent bulbs: While you may have to do a bit of comparison shopping to find the best bulbs for the light you need, check out compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) which are coming down a bit in price ($2-$3 per bulb in 2007 compared to $9-$25 in 1999) and improving in quality. A typical incandescent bulb lasts 1,000 hours, while a CFL lasts 3,000 hours on average, according to Consumer Reports.
Get a programmable thermostat: During work or other hours in the day when you’re away from home– get a thermostat that you can program to raise and lower the temperature of your home to cut your heating and cooling bills. (Obviously keep temperatures livable for pets while you’re away.)
Adjust your water heater: A simple lowering of the thermostat on your hot water heater from 145 to 120 degrees isn’t going to be very noticeable, and it could save you more than $20 a year on a gas heater and $50 a year on an electric one.
