It's Easy Being Green

Home renovations might look more green in due time thanks in part to the latest economic stimulus plan put in motion by President Obama.  The economic rescue package passed by the Bush administration last Fall renewed the IRS Section 25C tax credit, which credited homeowners 10% of the purchase costs of green renovations with a $500 lifetime cap.  Contractors claimed it wasn’t enough to motivate homeowners to sign contracts and pursue green renovations.

Obama’s latest economic stimulus plan sweetened the tax credit though so homeowners will now have more incentive to make their house more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.  The credit has essentially been trippled to 30% of the purchase cost with a lifetime cap of $1,500.  Some renovations that would qualify for the credits include beefing up your insulation, buying new and more efficient furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps, installing new roofing and energy efficient windows and doors.  Reportedly the list of qualified items is also about to expand so more green renovations may qualify for a credit.  You have until 2010 to apply for the credits.

For more information on the 25C tax credit check out this link.

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A $31 Million package of incentives and tax credits for alternative and green energy sources has passed the U.S. Senate’s Finance Committee.  The package is expected to be ready for President Obama to sign by mid-February.

The packages would give homeowners tax credits for investing in alternative energy sources like wind or solar and for making their homes more energy efficient.  Alternative energy companies can also carry their current tax credits for an additional five years.

I think this is fantastic and a good way to encourage people to start making the move to alternative energy and maximum efficiency.  Unfortunately I feel like unless these packages were to be extended for several years, it’s not going to do much right now.  The economy is in such poor shape that who, aside from the wealthy (once again), have the money to invest in solar panels and wind turbines right now?

I don’t think the answer will reveal very many people willing to make the investment in these rocky times even with as much as it will pay off in the long run.  I hope our government realizes that this is a vital move to keep alive for several years and not just one tax season.  Do green tax breaks like this one do enough to encourage you to make the move to alternative energy sources?  Share your thoughts and opinions by posting a comment below!

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It seems like most portions of the midwest and northeast are gripped by Old Man Winter this week.  I know here in Indiana our temeperatures are down to 18 degrees with wind chill right now and we’re supposed to be down to -10 tonight.  That’s cold but not near as cold as our neighbors to the north of us dealing with -40’s in some places.

While it’s cold outside, it can also be cold inside.  You might feel a winter chill moving through the windows of your house or even the walls so what can you do to stay warm yet be energy efficient?  Here are some simple ideas to help out.

For maximum energy efficiency and lower heating costs, it’s recommended that you set your thermostat around 68 degrees and wear extra layers of clothing.  We keep our heater right between 68 and 70 and it feels alright.  For extra warm, we use a heated blanket or a small space heater in the room we’re currently sitting in.

There are some extra steps you can take to maximize the heating efficiency of your house too.  First, as soon as the sun starts hitting some of your windows, open the curtains or blinds to begin reaping the benefits of solar heat gain.  Keep north-facing windows or shaded windows closed though because you’ll just be letting the warm air out.  As soon as the sun starts setting, crank the blinds and curtains closed to keep the warm air in and the cold air out.  If your home has older, single-pane windows you should think about replacing them with newer double-pane and highly insulated windows.  Also, keep the doors shut and the air registers closed in rooms that you don’t typically use throughout the day.

We used to live in a house that had a programmable, electronic thermostat and it was great.  Setting it to turn down the heat at your bed time and then turn it back up again just before your alarm clock goes off is a great way to slash up to 20% of your heating costs.  It’s also helpful if you have a warm, feather down comforter on your bed to retain your warmth and keep the chill out.

Lastly, double check all your entry doors and make sure they have sweeps installed on the bottom of them and that the weatherstripping is in good shape all the way around the door.  If not, head to the hardware store and buy some replacement stripping to keep the cold out.  Also, make sure you furnace is running as efficiently as possible by checking the filter.  Clean it once a month or as needed to keep air moving efficiently.

Are there any steps you’ve taken to make your home warmer this winter and more energy efficient?  Share your experiences, tips or ideas by writing a comment below!

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Engineers at Toyota are apparently working to build a completely solar powered car.  It will be a few years before the solar powered vehicle will be ready for sale but it’s a move the auto manufacturer hopes will help turn it’s business aound.  Toyota, just like most other auto manufacturers, have been hit hard by a slumping globabl economy and reduced demand for their products.

Sources say the car will be equipped with solar panels on the roof and will also be able to be recharged by conventional solar panels you might have on your house or business.  Toyota also hopes to eventually build and market a car that can be solely powered and recharged by it’s own installed solar panels.  The move has surprised many since Toyota is reporting its first sales loss in 70 years of business.  But the auto giant says it won’t halt it’s research in green technology despite the current bad business environment.

Toyota already has a history with solar power and other green technology.  The company’s plant in Tsutsumi has solar panels spread across it’s roof that would cover 60 tennis courts.  The panels produce enough electricity to supply 500 homes with power.  The company says the panels are reducing 740 tons a year of carbon emissions…the equivalent of 1,500 barrels of oil in reductions.

Toyota will also apparently get some help through one of it’s battery research partners, Panasonic.  Panasonic just recently took over Sanyo Electric Corp., a leader in solar energy.

I hope these researchers are able to get this done sooner rather than later and are able to make the technology affordable to the normal car buyer.  Can you imagine in sunny locales like Arizona and California, these cars would work like a dream…quietly whisking you from one errand to another powered by the cosmic giant above.

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As it gets closer to New Year’s Day, more and more people will begin to take down their holiday light displays.  I know I usually like to have it put away by then because I’m done looking at it, at least for another year.  This year I put up very few lights because the house we’re renting has extensive gutters and aluminum siding.  On top of that, I don’t have a ladder that will allow me to get too crazy with the decorations.  I also noticed that several strings of my lights don’t work.

Mini-LED Lights

I’ve been wanting to switch over to LED light strings but am waiting for the cost to come down a little and for my strings to quit working.  If you’re in the same conundrum, wanting to switch over but not sure what to do with the old lights, you should check out this Christmas Light Recycling Program.  Holiday LED’s will recycle the old strands you mail them and give you a 15% off coupon for new strings of LED lights.  That’s a pretty cool deal and a great way to properly dispose of your old lights.

Have you made the switch to holiday LED light sets yet?  If so, what do you think?  If not, what’s keeping you from doing it?

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During the last post, I talked about my neighbors, furiously dealing with the falling leaves here in Indiana.  Again just the other day, the full force of leaf blowers were out moving around piles of dead leaves.  They move them into the street and into their neighbors yards.  Anything to get them out of their way!  But what if they understood the environmental impact of doing all that yard work?

The Environmental Protection Agency broke it down for us and the results are a tad startling.  They estimate 54 million Americans mow their lawns every weekend.  We use 800 million gallons of gasoline to power all those lawn mowers and garden equipment every year.  The EPA estimates mowers are the cause of about 5% of our pollution, spewing Greenhouse Gasses and other emissions into the atmosphere unchecked.  One lawn mower is said to produce the equivalent emissions of driving 43 brand new cars for 12,000 miles.  Just one hour of mowing will produce the same amount of emissions equivalent to a 350 mile drive in your car.  And as we fuel up all our lawn equipment, Americans spill some 17 million gallons of gas each year.  That’s more fuel spilled than the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil tanker!

Those numbers show why we need to change our thinking, especially when it comes to trimming the lawn and cleaning up all the dead leaves around our house.  Convenience changed a lot of people’s thinking for the worse.  Sure it’s relatively easy to walk out to the garage, fire up the gas lawnmower and be done in 15 minutes.  Instead, everyone should be getting some essential exercise by dragging out a new push-reel lawn mower.  That’s right, a push-reel just like this one:

A new push-reel lawn mower

Technology has helped to make some advances with push-reel mowers believe it or not.  They’re much lighter than what your Grandpa might have had sitting around in his shed.  They only need their blades sharpened once every 7 to 10 years and can now cut most varieties of grass to a variety of differnt heights.  They’re quiet, don’t use any gas and give you the benefit of a little added workout.  If you want to reduce the strain even more, some of them even come in electric versions with rechargeable batteries.  It gives you up to an hour and a half of mowing time before having to recharge!  I think it’s great and plan to put one on my list instead of a gas-powered mower which is just as expensive before you even add in the cost of gas.

And for everyone using leaf blowers, I suggest putting on a pair of gloves and using a good old fashioned rake and broom for your cleanup chores.  It willl get your heart rate up, give you some fresh air and reduce the emissions required just to keep your yard looking pretty.

If you’re interested in some clean garden and lawn equipment, check out these two websites:

People Powered Machines or the Clean Air Gardening Supply

If you have ways to maintain your lawn or garden while keeping an eye on your environmental impact, please share your story!

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This weekend I watched oodles of neighbors wrestling with the falling leaves.  Whole lawns have disappeared beneath carpets of red, orange and gold leaves as they tumble from the trees lining our streets.  I think it’s beautiful and shows the changing seasons but it seems most think of it as an annoyance.  This weekend neighbors up and down the block dug out their noisy leaf blowers and moved all the leaves either into the street or onto the lawn for mowing.  Not only is it noisy but it’s also kicking a lot of emissions into the air and for what?  This morning most of the lawns have disappeared again.

I’m taking the wait until the tree is bare approach to leaf raking.  I’ve gone out a couple of times in the last month and created a couple of big piles to compost.  I like that idea instead of piling them into lawn and garden trash bags to be hauled off to the dump.  Then I can use the compost around the garden beds and in the lawn to add beneficial nutrients into the soil.  If you don’t have the room to compost in your own yard, you might want to think about giving the material to a local yard waste recycler.  Usually your local dump or transfer station will know of someone in the area who can help.

Composting isn’t that difficult though.  Even if you’ve got a little corner of your property you can dedicate the process, you can do a lot.  I’ve simply created a large pile of dead leaves in one corner of my yard by the garage.  It originally was well over 4 feet tall but as they have started breaking down, the pile has shrunk down to about 2 feet tall and half as wide.  Once a week, I head out with my pitchfork and turn the inside of the pile outward.  That mixes the dry, whole leaves into the middle where they can begin to break down.  I also keep the pile moist, like a rung out sponge.  So, if it hasn’t rained during the week spray your pile down with the hose.  Over a few weeks you’ll begin to notice the leaves breaking down and turning into black gold, compost!

For tomorrow:  How you can continue your fall cleanup while reducing the environmental impact

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