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Energy Efficient Homes Made EasyJessop Petroski (6)     http://www.energy-efficient-home-improvement.com Can Energy Efficient Home Improvements Stimulate the US Economy?Posted Wednesday, January 07, 2009 (321 days 19 hours ago.) Viewed 43 times. Energy Efficient Economic Plan It looks like America may be getting a whole lot more energy-efficient as part of a new, ' green ' stimulus package. The energy-saving plan is expected as part of a stimulus package from lawmakers set for early January that could top $800 billion and include everything from tax breaks to road repairs. Conservation is thought to be the first big energy-component of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's long-term energy plan, for a couple of reasons. First of all, it can be done relatively quickly using existing state and regional agencies. Conservation is also essential if the country is to switch to cleaner and more renewable forms of electricity, since it can't currently provide the sheer megawatts that fossil fuel or nuclear power can produce. Under such a plan, the government would commit just over $30 billion towards making the nation energy efficient. The money would be spent as follows:
Sounds like a good plan, but will it work??? With these objectives in place, the program might drop the country's energy consumption by half a percent each year for 20 years. While that doesn't sound like much, with the U.S. spending over $1 trillion on energy each year, the savings could top $5 billion a year, or over $100 billion in the 20 year span. Not to mention the impact that individuals can make themselves from do-it-yourself home energy improvements. Just imagine if people started taking action in a such a way as the government is about to. The impact would be HUGE! "An economic recovery bill that includes significant investments in energy efficiency will not only create jobs immediately, but also and more importantly will bring American ingenuity and its "can-do" spirit to a new, clean and sustainable energy future," Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan said in a statement announcing the program last week. The Alliance estimates its plan will directly create 190,000 jobs in short order. The Associated General Contractors of America backs the plan, saying every $1 billion dollars spent on infrastructure - energy efficiency included - nearly 30,000 jobs are created. "Clearly, it will put construction workers back to work and put money in the economy," said Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the contractors' association. "This is a tremendous opportunity." Whether a 'green' economic stimulus plan gets approved or not, one thing is for certain; energy efficiency and green living has come to the forefront of our social fabric in America now and that's a good thing. Understanding home energy efficiency can be one way homeowners can be smarter about their home energy consumption and finding ways to use it more effectively. 
Permalink Comments (3) How Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credits Can Save You More MoneyPosted Thursday, December 11, 2008 (348 days 18 hours ago.) Viewed 37 times. If you can go green at home, then you can receive a tax break.
Thanks to the ever-increasing efficiency and continuing competence of technology today, households can now be seen equipped with highly-modernized appliances, gadgets and similar equipment. To the delight of many consumers, these appliances provide them a great way to make life a little easier. But as the same with many things, in every privilege you enjoy there are certain sacrifices you have to pay for, literally and figuratively.
Most highly-modernized technologies and equipment calls for a sacrifice in the energy that they consume, which means higher energy bills as the consumption gets higher. Though there are some appliances that have energy-efficiency features built into them, other technologies consume far too much energy at home. If energy consumed is not regulated, this could be more frustrating and could result to even higher bills.
On the other hand, if you'd rather not spend alot on energy bills you must cut down your excess energy consumption. So how are you going to enjoy these appliances fully without headaches of piled-up bills? Now, if there are no other ways to minimize your energy bills, why not lower income taxes that you likewise have been suffering from or get value for that energy bill?
Seek the benefits of "Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credits" and discover how you could be saving a lot with home energy tax credits.
What is this Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credits all about?
Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit is the privilege given to consumers who need to cut down on their costs. If you cannot do something about the piled up costs of energy bills, you can avail this specific tax credit by installing specific energy-efficient home improvement products to your home. If your home is already equipped with these devices you are eligible, provided the home is your principal residence.
If you apply for the tax credits, you could be cutting down your total income tax by getting a certain amount of dollars to each of the qualified energy efficiency home improvement product/s that you have installed or are going to install.
What are the energy-efficient home improvements products eligible for the tax credits and tax credit values? * Exterior windows – you could get credit by installing these products by 10 percent but not to exceed 200 dollars.
* Central air conditioner, water heater, and heat pump products – can credit you of as much as 300 dollars.
* Insulation equipment, pigmented metal roofs and exterior doors – will bring up to total credits of 500 dollars.
Furnace and boiler products – maximum of 150 dollars. In addition, you could get federal tax credits of up to 2000 dollars for purchases made for some solar water heating property and photovoltaic property equipment.These products will be qualified provided that they are utilized for purposes other than heating your swimming pools or hot tubs.
What are the benefits of installing home energy efficiency improvement products on your home other than tax credits?
Aside from saving you more value for energy dollar you earn from the use of these products, you could also increase your home resale value. This means, that by adding these products, your home would will be higher than it was originally priced for. And of course, this is not to mention that these products are a way to maintain a quiet, convenient, comfortable household.
By applying for this program, which would only require you to file for the right application form together with your taxes, you would be reaping its benefits in the end while providing you with a comfortable lifestyle.
Permalink Comments (0) How Feng Shui Influences Home EnergyPosted Thursday, December 11, 2008 (348 days 18 hours ago.) Viewed 31 times. While many people are looking to make their homes more energy efficient, the ancient Chinese tradition of Feng Shhui should not be overlooked. Many people know about the ancient tradition of Feng shui. In a nutshell, Feng Shui is the Chinese tradition of manipulating energy in order to produce harmony within a certain place. So how does Feng Shui affect home energy? Well, the principle of Feng Shui operates on the basic principle of Yin and Yang: harmony between the dark and the light. In order to have true harmony, practitioners of Feng Shui try to arrange things around them in such a way that they can manipulate the energy to a balance. The most recognizable symbol of Feng Shui is the octagon. The octagon or Ba Gua represents the eight directions of chi that must be balanced in order for you to have good fortune. Recently, it has been discovered that octagonal houses are actually more energy efficient than traditional square shaped homes. Feng Shui influences home energy because of the theory that placing the different parts of a house such as the stairs, the furniture and the door can influence the flow of chi energy through your home. This would lead to different effects. As mentioned before, Feng Shui has a lot to do with the placement of objects within the area. When designing a place, you not only consider the time factor but the Feng Shui as well. In many cases, these two are often conflicted. Have you ever walked into a place and right away get a bad feeling? Some practitioners say that it is one manifestation of a place having bad Feng Shui. Placement of objects is not the only a factor that influences Feng Shui. The colors and materials used for certain objects also influences the way chi energy moves around the house. For example, wood furniture can enhance chi in the south, while ceramic or clay calms it. Chi energy flows everywhere. However, you can actually make certain modifications in order to gather more chi and promote good fortune. Water promotes chi, that's why you'll see that in every Chinese restaurant they always have an aquarium. Certain types of fish, like a koi, actually helps promote good fortune. The concept of Feng shui affecting home energy may seem to be pretty far-fetched to the Here's a final word: many things happen without any explanations. Feng Shui is one of those things that have neither been proven nor disproved. Thus, a person must properly respect another's beliefs in order for them to maintain a harmonious relationship. Practicing Feng Shui at home for better home energy efficiency is a fun and creative way to improve your home's energy consumption.
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