Green Building Elements

Stimulus Bill Increases Rewards for Energy-efficient Remodeling

Energy-efficient remodeling replaces painting your bedroom walls as the most significant home improvement project of 2009.

We all know that green is the talk of the town these days, but we’re not talking about paint color any more when it comes to home remodeling. The word ‘green’ now holds it’s weight in eco-friendly, money saving home improvements.

To add to the wave, the government has now stepped in and made stimulating your home a great way to stimulate the ecomomy by giving back a 30 percent tax credit for homeowners who install energy-efficient windows, insulation or heating systems in 2009 and 2010.

Homeowners are finally becoming interested in energy efficiency, but it is long over due. Now we’re all just playing catch up. “The economy has gotten people asking some of the more sensible questions that we should have been asking all along,” said Danny Gough of Energy Solutions, a Winston-Salem company that conducts energy audits for homes and businesses.

Energy Efficient Remodeling

So how can we make your homes energy efficient sexy? It is usually the unsexy improvements that have the biggest impact on home energy efficiency and receiving those all important tax credits.

Insulation - Betty Jo and Hugh Motsinger of Wallburg are homeowners trying to cut their energy costs, and like others, stumbled onto a big tax break. The Motsingers, who are retired, have taken on several home-renovation projects in the past year. Last week, they added insulation. One of the coolest new ‘green’ insulations on the market is Bio-based insulationmade from soy, which uses less petroleum than other spray foam insulation and is a renewable resources grown by more than 60,000 American farmers.

High-efficiency Windows- Soon, Hugh Motsinger plans to install 12 high-efficiency windows. Windows are the key to keeping your home the right temperature and for using your energy efficiently. The Energy Star program by the government is a great source of information on high-efficiency windows.

Both of those home improvements will result in a 30 percent tax credit for the Motsinger family. The tax credits apply to installation costs of heating and cooling equipment, but not to the installation costs of windows, insulation and other improvements to the building shell. Because the laws are still new, people interested in taking advantage of the incentives and rebates should first do some research. A good place to start is www.energystar.gov.

Low VOC Paint –  If you just can’t resist not picking up the paint brush for your energy efficient home remodeling project, then make sure your shade of green is from a low VOC paint. VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds, or in simpler terms, bad little gases that come out of your paint when you apply it to your walls. Not good. Low VOC paint reduces toxins and benefit everyone, including those with allergies and chemical sensitivities.

Happy ‘green’ remodeling!

Photo credit: Paul Turner, NREL archives.

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