The pursuit of energy efficiency in your home and car and at work has payoffs that now include considerable tax breaks along with lower bills and a feeling of doing the right thing. These sites show the way.
ENERGY SAVERS
"Stay cool, save money," exhorts this site by the U.S. Department of Energy, where consumers can look for seasonal guidance on how to cut utility expenses. There's a list of no-cost and low-cost tips such as using fans strategically, and lowering the thermostat of your water heater. There's also information on how to initiate an "energy audit" by professionals who'll tell you what home upgrades will boost energy efficiency and lower costs in the long term.
ENERGY, ENERGY
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Aside from repeating the word energy in its title -- an inefficient use of language -- the DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site offers a streamlined overview of how the department is spending a $16.8 billion share of the $787 billion stimulus bill. For example, funds are going to wind energy, biofuels research, and for expanded use of "sustainable vehicles" in public transportation.
TAX CREDITS
The nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy provides this easy summary of the new federal tax breaks for consumers who buy hybrid or diesel cars -- with an accompanying list of the vehicles and the applicable tax credit on each model -- or who make home improvements to save energy. Upgrades qualifying for substantial tax credits include solar, wind, and geothermal installations.
ECOPRENEURIST
Green lingo now gives us the ecopreneur, a person fostering business in the cause of sustainability, energy efficiency, and so forth -- including profit, we presume. This blog dedicated to those ideals delves into such subjects as the viability of various electric cars, the greening of grocery stores and Twitter, and "green fatigue," which we are suffering a touch of at this point.
