With Spring in full swing, its time to start home improvement projects.  When you’re out buying new paint and lawn supplies, why not also tap into energy incentives that are offered by your state and the federal government?  Its probably a lot less expensive for you to install solar panels or a wind turbine than you might think.

With the passage of the Stimulus plan in February, homeowners can obtain generous tax credits for making their homes more energy efficient.

There is a broad range of improvements that can qualify for the energy incentives.  First, up to $1500 in tax credits can be used to offset costs of additional insulation or new windows and weatherstripping.  You can get 30% of your upgrade investments back.  Put in a new A/C and/or heating system in your home, and you’ll also qualify.  Don’t delay… the credits are only good for installations made before December 31, 2010.

The biggest bang for your clean energy buck is when you install renewable energy technology including, geothermal heat pumps, PV solar panels, solar water heating, and/or small wind turbines.  You can qualify for an additional $2,000 under the Stimulus Plan by putting in renewable energy systems.  Credits for these type of improvements are good through December 31, 2016.

Three important things to note before you tap into energy incentives.  First, the products have to be qualifying, which can be confirmed by the retailer or on manufacturers’ websites.  Its a good idea to double-check at www.energytaxincentives.org and www.energystar.gov.  Second, you will not get the money back from the credits until you file your taxes next year.  Keep this in mind!  The good news is that you also may be eligible for rebates, which can be obtained relatively soon after purchase of qualifying products.  Again, check the Energy Star website to see if there are aditional offers or rebates in your area.

Finally, many states offer additional tax credits and incentives, which can save you even more.  Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy.  Click on your state and find out how much green you can save by going green!

Have you recently installed solar, wind or geothermal heat pumps on your property?  Tell us about it, and be sure to visit our Build Baby Build interactive residential maps where you can see renewable energy projects going up all over the country.

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