| Tax Credits for energy efficient home improvements |
| When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 passed it included tax credits for energy efficient home improvements. Homeowners will enjoy the long-term energy savings benefit and a tax credit. The credit applies to 2009 and 2010 returns with a lifetime cap of $1,500. Fill out IRS form 5695 to claim the credits when you file your federal tax return. |
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| Green Mortgages |
| With an Energy Efficient Mortgage, lenders will take into account lower monthly utility costs and qualify a buyer for a higher monthly mortgage payment and may also be willing to finance energy efficient home improvements into the mortgage. Source: CNN Money |
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| Database of State incentives for renewable and efficiency |
| DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the NC Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Incentives offered in PA |
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| ConsumerEnergyCenter.org |
| Find the latest information about energy resources and how to use them wisely in our home, work and vehicles. |
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| What is a HERS Rating? |
| A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans and on-site inspections. Based on the home’s plans, the Home Energy Rater uses an energy efficiency software package to perform an energy analysis of the home’s design. This analysis yields a projected, pre-construction HERS Index. Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the builder to identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. The rater then conducts on-site inspections, typically including a blower door test (to test the leakiness of the house) and a duct test (to test the leakiness of the ducts). Results of these tests, along with inputs derived from the plan review, are used to generate the HERS Index score for the home. |
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| State and Local Programs |
| • DSIRE: Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency |
| • EPA: Green Building |
| • Special Offers and Rebates from ENERGY STAR Partners |
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| Carbon Footprint Calculators: |
| • Earthlab.com |
| • Conservation.org |
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| Water Calculator |
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| REGreenProgram.org |
| Best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects. |
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| RESNET Residential Energy Services Network |
| In April 1995, the National Association of State Energy Officials and Energy Rated Homes of America founded the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to develop a national market for home energy rating systems and energy efficient mortgages. RESNET's activities are guided by a mortgage industry steering committee composed of the leading national mortgage executives. |
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| Pennsylvania Loan Programs for Renewable Energy |
| One source of information about various loan programs available in PA. |
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| Financial Incentives for Using Renewable and Energy Efficient Products |
| Grant, rebate and loan programs available in PA. |
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| GreenBuildingAdvisor.com |
| A good site for basics about going green, a blog on green issues, green homes, product guide of green products and strategies for applying green principals in a home. |
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| Governor's Green Government Council |
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| Energy Audit |
| This program is administered for PPL Electric Utilities by Lockheed Martin (LM). If you are interested in obtaining a home energy audit, call 1-866-941-7313 and LM will supply a list of auditors from which to choose. You can also obtain the list of auditors directly from the website. The audit cost is approximately $400 to $600. For the first 5,000 residential customers PPL will offer a rebate of $250 for electric heated customers or $100 for non-electric heating customers who obtain a home energy audit. |
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| Green Remodeling, will it pay off? |
| From GreenandSave.com a Return on Investment table for home remodeling projects: |
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For the complete ROI tables and topic page with details on over 50 ways to SAVE Money and the Environment visit: Home Remodeling ROI. |
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For the complete ROI tables and topic page with details on over 50 ways to SAVE Money and the Environment visit: Home Remodeling ROI. |
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For the complete ROI tables and topic page with details on over 50 ways to SAVE Money and the Environment visit: Home Remodeling ROI. |
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