The Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency – Wood Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts expired in 2011. The President chose not too extend this tax credit. Local energy utility companies like PG&E have their own energy efficiency rebates. To find out if rebates or other incentives are available in your area, visit the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder.

What other rebates are available?

Delta County, Colorado has a rebate. Other areas have change-out programs.

Be sure to place carbon monoxide and smoke detectors near the stoves to ensure safety.

Wood Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts Rebates

A chill is in the air and temperatures are dropping fast. Wood stoves, Pellet Stoves, and Fireplace Inserts that heat specific rooms are popular and are aggressively marketed. Everybody want to save money, so here is a tax credit that helps make a new wood stove or pellet stove more affordable.

For 2011, the Federal Tax Credit for energy efficiency drops to 10%, up to a $500 maximum. (2011 Federal Tax Credit information for Biomass Stoves)

• Oil and gas furnace and boiler incentives are capped at $150
• Additional $50 for efficient furnace fans
• Wood heating system, biomass stove incentive capped at $300
• Oil furnaces, boilers, and gas boilers must be 95% efficient. (It was 90% in 2010)
• Existing home and principal residence.   New construction and rentals do not qualify.
• Expires December 31, 2011 – Consult the What other rebates are available? below for other possible rebates.

The 2011 tax credit reverted to  2005-2008 levels. Anyone who previously took advantage of the program can not apply for incentives that exceed $500.  IE If you claimed $500 between 2005 – 2008 on a previous energy efficiency project, or at least $500 tax credit from 2009 – 2010, you are ineligible for the 2011 energy efficiency tax credit.

If you used say $200 of the $500 energy efficiency tax credit from 2005 – 2008, and did not utilize the 2009 – 2010 energy efficiency tax credit, you would still have a $300 credit available.

What are Pellet Stoves?

Pellet stoves burn compressed sawdust and typically hold 24 hours worth of pellets. Look for easy to load and clean openings in Pellet stoves. These stoves are more efficient than wood burning models, but need power to run circulation fans.

In 2009, burning pellets costs about 15% less than oil, and 40% less than electrical heat, but 25% more than natural gas. Prices change yearly though.

The Government has a powerful renewable energy incentive designed to reduce our reliance on foreign oil and increase clean, efficient home heating with wood logs and pellet fuels. The stoves must have a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75% as measured using a lower heating value.  Vendors have labeled which of their products qualify. Regency Fireplace products has a list of products that qualify.

This credit reduces the amount of tax you owe. The credit is a reduction of total income tax at the bottom of your return. This tax credit is a non-refundable tax credit. Consult your tax adviser for details. Use it or lose it!

The US Government’s Energy Information Administration has a Heat Calculator Spreadsheet to help you compare alternative heating source like wood and pellet stoves.

The Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency – Windows, Doors, Skylights expired in 2011. The President chose not too extend this tax credit. Local energy utility companies like PG&E have their own energy efficiency rebates. To find out if rebates or other incentives are available in your area, visit the ENERGY STAR Rebate Finder.

Be sure to read our article: Weatherize your home – Fix Leaky Ducts – Reducing Air Leaks

A reminder that there is a  Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency on Qualifying Windows, Doors, Storm Windows, Storm Doors, and Skylights. If you have been thinking about replacing these items, you might as well upgrade now and save some money.

For 2011, the Federal Tax Credit for energy efficiency drops to 10%, up to a $500 maximum. (2010 Federal Tax Credit information)

• Windows capped at $200
• Qualification now ENERGY STAR
• Existing home and principal residence.   New construction and rentals do not qualify.
• Expires December 31, 2011 – Consult the What other rebates are available? below for other possible rebates.

Pella even makes doors utilizing eco friendly, green, FSC Certified Rustic Walnut.

Consumer Reports.org has tips on selecting a door.

Storm Doors and Windows must meet International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) guidelines. Look for double glazed windows with an low emissivity (low-e) and a R-value of about two or three.

A few cities across the United States have significantly reduced the amount of garbage, towards the goal of reaching zero waste. Seattle recycles and composts more than half of its refuse, while even Los Angeles does the same to about two-thirds of its trash. Sending away 77% of its waste from landfills, San Francisco tops all other cities. The rest of the nation greatly lags behind by recycling and composting only about a third of their waste.

Achieving “zero waste” is the target, but it does not really means no waste. Achieving 90% of waste redirected from landfills away from incinerators is very effective, and close enough to zero, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance, an environmental group. Some products in the market can’t be recycled, and consumers keep purchasing them. According to the EPA, in 2009, nearly 234 million tons of garbage, about 4.34 pounds per person, was thrown out by Americans. Roughly 134 millions tons of waste went to landfills, after recycling, composting and incinerating.

San Francisco became the first city in America to require its residents and businesses to compost food starting 2009. With recycling and compost collection being free, less waste into landfills enables citizens to pay less for their garbage curbside collection. At least 65% of the materials in construction sites are mandated for reuse and recycle by construction and demolition crews. Having the nation’s highest waste-diversion rate of 77%, San Francisco by 2020 aims higher to reach the 90% waste goal.

Other municipalities are not optimistic about zero waste as being achievable. They are more likely to implement the typical recycling plans, but are looking at technologies as incineration to eliminate the rest of their waste, and generate energy at the same time.

But in the end, we believe that many cities have done plenty with recycling. It’s the people that need to work harder on reducing the amount of unrecyclable things they buy and reusing what they already have.

Everyone is on the lookout for H1N1 – Swine flu this season.  What are some of the germiest places to avoid? A recent article helped remind us that many common access public areas are germ hot spots.  You can use hand sanitizers every couple minutes or wear gloves all day. A antibacterial wipe handy to clean the following areas:

Areas of concern:

• Door knobs
• escalator rails
• keyboards, mice
• telephones
• phones
• kiosks
• food kept in drawers
• communal showers
• swimming pools
• ATM keypads
• Gas station pump handles and payment keypads
• shopping carts
• mailbox handle
• parking meters
• crosswalk buttons
• vending machine buttons

In the home:

• Remote controls
• Sponges
• Cleaning cloths
• toothbrush holders
• make up cases
• remove your shoes – recent studies have found people can bring in lead particles and other contaminants by wearing their shoes inside the home.

Airplane:

Airplanes are a major source of germs and have made us sick on many occasions. When the air circulation is turned off, infections can spread like wild fire. Here are some tips on surviving in this battleground:

• Use hand sanitizer after clearing security checkpoints
• The infection hot zone is 2 seats in front, behind, and on either side of you
• Change seats if you are near a sick person
• Direct the air vent to blow right in front of your face to deflect germs
• Disinfect tray tables before using
• Don’t use seat back pockets
• Use hand sanitizer after touching seats or latches to the overhead storage bin
• Don’t fill water bottles in the bathroom sink
• Stay hydrated
• Keep your nasal passages moist with saline spray
• Complain if the plane’s air circulation is shut off
• Avoid airline pillows and blankets
• Use hand sanitizer before touching your face
• All surfaces in the bathroom

Not all is lost, per the article… Every day, we encounter a large amount of live organisms and become covered with fecal matter from them. No amount of hand sanitizer can keep you completely protected.  The human body is very good at defending against this, otherwise we would be sick all the time.

Thorough and frequent hand washing will help keep these germs at bay. The CDC has a guide on how to wash your hands correctly.

Organic Hand Sanitizer

The swine flu has generated a run on hand sanitizer. I saw some Organic EO Hand Sanitizer at Whole Foods and decided to look into it. They use Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Organic Alcohol (non-GMO), and Aloe Vera. It is not tested on animals. The small Corte Madera, California company that makes it is struggling to keep up with demand. Remember to wash hands the correct way.

Coming out over the past year, electronic monitoring devices show a computerized display of home power consumption. The only way to really know how to save electricity is by understanding how much power products actually use.  Being able to see how much you are spending at any moment is a powerful motivational tool to save energy!

We have covered the inexpensive Kill a watt power meter in the past. Here are some more advanced energy monitoring solutions.

EnergyHub Home Base

Home Base is an energy-monitoring control panel that lets you monitor your home’s energy use and allows you to control heating and cooling systems, as well as other appliances. This unit features a touch screen interface that directly communicates with smart meters. It can give you an estimate of how much your electricity usage is costing and help you reduce it. This system costs about $400.

General Electric Nucleus System

This advanced energy monitoring system is designed to work with smart meters to report energy usage, estimated cost, and to allow remote control of heating and cooling systems. This system also works with smartphones. A future version will not require a smart meter.

Wiser Energy Management System

The Wiser Energy Management System is one example from France that informs the homeowner to make power adjustments by shutting down unused appliances. With installation, the Wiser system costs about $600 and will take away $60, or 20% off a $300 monthly power bill. In less than a year, the device is paid back from the energy savings.

Energy Detective

The Energy Detective is a more powerful unit that can display energy use in a whole house or on a circuit by circuit basis. Datalogging software is available. It installs in your circuit breaker panel and has a remote LCD panel. Amazon sells it.

Black & Decker

Black & Decker also makes a energy monitor but it connects at the power meter. You need to make sure it is compatible with your meter. It costs about $100.

Measuring how much electricity you use is a great way to help you start saving energy. Being able to see the exact savings helps motivate you to perform additional energy-saving changes.