Taking Advantage of Expiring Fed Tax Incentives

This is the year. If you've been sitting on home fixes, waiting for the right time, it's 2010. Lucrative federal tax incentives are set to expire at the end of 2010, meaning these projects will never be more affordable. The government will cover 30% of the costs, in most cases, and investments in energy efficiency generally pay for themselves over time, since you'll be paying for less wasted energy year after year. (Except where noted, taxpayers can qualify for no more than $1,500, regardless of the total cost of multiple qualifying projects were performed in 2009 and 2010.)

Measure twice, cut once. A professional home energy audit can help you target the most critical fixes first, or do your own energy audit to identify the most cost-effective fixes. Before you do the work, check this database of state incentives, so you're sure to take advantage of the full range of credits, which in some states require energy audits or installation by accredited professionals.

One of the most cost-effective home improvements, good insulation can save up to 30% on heating and cooling costs, since you won't be paying for heating or cooling air that slips out through poorly insulated walls, floors and ceilings. If you choose approved insulation (meeting International Energy Conservation Code standards), you can have 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, taken off your 2010 income tax bill. If you have the wherewithal, install the insulation yourself, because the cost of labor does not qualify for the tax credit.

If your home has old windows and doors, you're paying a premium for them as hot air in the winter, and cool air in the summer, escapes to the outdoors. But replacing doors and, especially, windows, is an expensive fix that won't pay itself off in energy savings for years. If you do the work in 2010, though, you can get 30% of the cost reimbursed at tax time, up to $1,500. You just have to choose energy efficient equipment that meets standards. Be aware that the federal government will not reimburse for any of the cost of labor.

Whether it's a refrigerator, a furnace or an A/C unit, chances are good that 2010 will be the best year to replace an old clunker with a new efficient model. Efficient furnaces, central air conditioners, water heaters and other HVAC standbys qualify for a tax credit equal to 30% of the cost, up to $1,500.
A home "cash for clunkers" program is also gearing up at the state level, so look for local incentives to defray the cost of buying certain Energy Star appliances like clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators and small A/C units). Furnaces and water heaters are the biggest energy users overall, while refrigerators are typically the biggest electricity hogs.

Both Energy Star-rated metal roofs with "pigmented coatings" and asphalt roofs with "cooling granules" will cut down on cooling costs in the summer by reflecting more of the sun's heat. It's also a dark horse solution to global warming, since cities absorb so much heat through dark roofing materials. If your roof is ready for a replacement, then go with one of these materials, and the government will reimburse 30% of your material costs, up to $1,500. Sorry, labor not included.

Unlike the energy efficiency projects, home solar tax credits extend beyond 2010, to 2016. So plan now to take advantage of generous tax credits that will pay 30% of the cost of home solar projects, including solar water heaters. Unlike other credits, these credits are not capped at $1,500. Additionally, communities in at least 15 states are beginning to offer so-called PACE loans that are paid off incrementally at tax time by whomever owns the house. The annual cost -- typically less than the energy savings provided by the investment -- is shared by successive owners of the home.

A smart meter makes realtime energy usage data available so you can easily cut out waste. Before long, the meters will automatically cut waste by flipping on appliances to run only when the cost of electricity is low. Ask your local utility if it's offering smart meters, and look for government incentives soon. The Obama Administration has set a goal of increasing the use of smart meters five-fold to 40 million American homes by 2015.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/resolutions-new-years-2010?click=getstarted#ixzz11QrhtcIR

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Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com

What Will It Take to Achieve a US Renewable Portfolio Standard?

What Will It Take to Achieve a US Renewable Portfolio Standard?

I was keeping a tally sheet at last week's Renewable Energy Finance Forum, so I could let readers know the issue that was brought up most often and granted the most overall prominence. The clear winner: China is eating our lunch in the migration to renewables. Inexplicably and tragically, the US is content to drop further and further behind in the development of energy technology with each passing week. While China is hiring, researching, developing, importing, exporting — and dominating the world of 21^st Century energy, we seem to be content to argue and point fingers at each other.

As Winston Churchhill observed, "America will always do the right thing — after it has exhausted all other options."   But can anyone see this moving anytime soon — for any reason — least of all because it's "the right thing?"   None of the promises of renewable energy: jobs, national security, addressing concerns about peak oil and the climate issue — seem to motivate action on our part.

Perhaps the most visible proof of our nation's abdication of technology leadership is the absence of a federal renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS). What are we to make of the fact that we seem to be a million miles from such a piece of legislation? Clearly, it's the result of leaders' pandering for votes, while scrupulously avoiding areas of controversy that might be used against them.

And now, with the recent Supreme Court decision enabling corporations to provide unlimited funding to anonymous entities that can, in turn, spend millions of campaign advertising dollars to defeat perceived enemies, our leaders need to be even more careful than they were when their enemies had to identify themselves and use their own money to slander opponents.  This, of course, is another true disaster for those of us who care about free and fair elections and continue (foolishly?) to hold out hope for the effectiveness of the democratic process.

But enough about that. What about the federal RPS? Is there any hope that we can re-establish ourselves as the leader in energy technology? Here's another tidbit from the conference: Adding nuclear power into the mix of renewables might provide the political muscle to pass a federal RPS.  After all, it IS carbon-free.  Proponents claim, "Nuclear energy presents a safe, clean, and inexpensive alternative to other methods of producing electricity. Nuclear waste can either be reprocessed or disposed of safely."

But is any of this true? No. Do most renewable energy supporters believe that nuclear should be included in the list of clean energy technologies? Of course not.  

But who cares?  In the 10-or-so years it takes to plan and permit the next nuclear reactor, the cost/benefit of photovoltaics, wind, concentrating solar power, geothermal, and biomass will have improved to such a point that nuclear will be completely irrelevant.

Go on; invite them to the party. Give them all the political support they've worked so long and hard to purchase.  In the end, it won't matter. Despite the rhetoric, you'll never see another nuke deployed in the US.

Scotty: I hope the Authors correct in his thinking that: "...you'll never see another nuke deployed in the US"  I worry about the:

1. Waste of Nuclear Plants and the supposed: reprocessing or disposed of safely.
2. Nuclear Silos being Targets for Terrorism
3. The Overall Costs of a Nuclear system. 
   

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Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com

# RENEWABLE SOURCES NOW PROVIDE 11.14% OF U.S. ENERGY PRODUCTION AND 10.91% OF NET GRID-CONNECTED

U.S. Energy Information Administration most recent review.

• RENEWABLE  SOURCES  NOW PROVIDE 11.14% OF  U.S.  ENERGY  PRODUCTION AND  10.91%  OF  NET  GRID-CONNECTED  ELECTRICAL GENERATION 
• RENEWABLES NOW NECK-IN-NECK WITH NUCLEAR POWER

Washington DC -- According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources (i.e., biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind) provided 11.14% of domestic U.S. energy production during the first six months of 2010 – the latest time-frame for which data has been published.  

 

This continues the steady growth trend for renewable energy.  Renewables accounted for 10.71% of domestic energy production during the first six months of 2009 and 10.35% during the first six months of 2008.   

 

Renewable energy sources provided 4.106 quadrillion Btus between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010 - an increase of 4.91% over the first half of 2009 and an increase of 8.37% over the first half of 2008.  The largest single renewable energy source was biomass (including biofuels) which accounted for 50.66% of renewable energy production, followed by hydropower at 32.56%. Wind, geothermal, and solar sources provided 10.91%, 4.53%, and 1.32% of the total renewable energy output respectively.     

 

Moreover, renewable energy's contribution to the nation's domestic energy production is now almost equal to that provided by nuclear power. Nuclear power accounted for 11.19% of domestic energy production during the first half of 2010 - compared to 11.14% from renewables. But while renewable sources continue to expand, nuclear output in 2010 dropped - declining by 1.3% from its comparable 2009 level.

 

"When Congress resumes its debate on pending energy and climate legislation in the post-election lame-duck session, it would do well to take note of the clear trends in the nation's changing energy mix," said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign.  "Renewable energy has proven itself to be a solid investment - growing rapidly and nipping at the heels of the stagnant nuclear power industry."

 

And according to EIA's latest "Electric Power Monthly," renewable energy sources provided 10.91% of net U.S. electrical generation for the same time period. Non-hydro renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) provided nearly 4.07% of domestic U.S. electrical generation during the first half of 2010. Hydropower provided an additional 6.84% of net U.S. electrical generation for the same time period.

 

Moreover, electrical generation from non-hydro renewable sources continues to grow rapidly. According to EIA data, electricity from biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind during the first six months of 2010 increased by 13.0% over the amount generated during the first half of 2009. Wind-generated electricity increased by 21.4%; electricity from solar thermal and photovoltaics rose by 16.4%; wood & other forms of biomass rose by 4.5%; and geothermal output increased by 0.8%.

 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its most recent "Monthly Energy Review" on September 30, 2010.  It can be found at:  http://www.eia.gov/emeu/mer/contents.html .  The relevant charts from which the data above are extrapolated are Tables 1.2 and 10.1.  EIA released its most recent "Electric Power Monthly" on September 15, 2010; see:  http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html. The relevant charts are Tables ES1.A, ES1.B and 1.1.A.

Source: Sun Day Campaign

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Scott's Contracting
scottscontracting@gmail.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com
http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com
scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com

News from Congress-We have met the enemy. And it is us

News from Congress-"We have met the enemy. And it is us"-- [These are my thoughts exactly Scotty]

Ex-lawmakers scold Congress

Some former members of Congress have this to say to this season's crop of congressional candidates: "We have met the enemy. And it is us."

In an unprecedented letter to all congressional candidates in both parties, more than 130 former members of Congress said it's time to halt "this sorry state of affairs" and start to "focus on problem solving."

Congress "appears gripped by zero-sum game partisanship," in which the goal often seems to be more to devastate the other side ... than to find common ground to solve problems," they wrote.

It is a pointed message from some experts who know the territory and want everybody to get along better.

They urge current members to show "decency and respect toward opponents" and engage in truthfulness and good-faith debate and end personal attacks — in both campaigns and their legislative work.

The cry of "enough" was organized by the new group Former Members of Congress for Common Ground, led by former Reps. John Porter (R-Ill.) and David Skaggs (D-Colo.). Each served on the House Appropriations Committee and was known for his bipartisan approach. And each remains professionally active on Capitol Hill as a lawyer with a large firm.

The letter resulted from more than three months of discussions among the former members who signed the letter. The public is "hugely perplexed and dismayed" about the problems facing the nation, Skaggs said. And he hopes the initiative will be a catalyst for current and would-be lawmakers to know and respect one another.

"People are fed up," including members of Congress, at a time when the nation faces huge challenges and needs more consensus building, added Skaggs, who recently has gained attention as chairman of the House's Office of Congressional Ethics. The two activities are not related.

"We can't continue the way we have gone in the past. People want to cut the childish political posturing," Porter said. "With the problems facing the country, our campaigns have become an embarrassment to democracy."

Those problems have resulted, in part, he said, from a political nominating process that favors more extreme views and from political consultants "who encourage negative campaigns because it, unfortunately, works."

The former members also cited larger cultural factors. "Members who far exceed the bounds of normal and respectful discourse," they said in their letter, "are not viewed with shame but are lionized, treated as celebrities, rewarded with cable television appearances and enlisted as magnets for campaign fundraisers."

Skaggs and Porter gave POLITICO an advance copy of the letter, which they plan to discuss in a conference call with reporters Monday. They said that their group may pursue other activities, including bipartisan contacts with candidates in their home states.

Although the letter does not cite specifics, there are plenty of recent examples in which members of Congress have used over-the-top rhetoric in references to other lawmakers or to their campaign opponents.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), for example, recently called his opponent, Daniel Webster, "Taliban Dan," saying his social views are those of a "religious fanatic." He earlier said that blood often "drips" from former Vice President Dick Cheney's teeth when he speaks.

On the other side of the aisle, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said this summer that President Barack Obama was turning the United States into a "nation of slaves" and that Democratic control of the White House and Congress had become "tyranny."

Despite the pervasive harsh rhetoric, the 111th Congress has been among the most productive in recent history, albeit on a mostly partisan basis. But the letter from the former lawmakers listed a litany of problems that are "as great as any this country has faced in our lifetimes."

Occasionally, political leaders have called for an end to hostilities. President Barack Obama, for instance, initially styled himself as a "post-partisan president." And next month's midterm elections could increase the need for him to work across the aisle. But Republicans complain that they have had little contact with him over the past two years.

In a speech last week, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that Congress was "broken" and called for repairing the "fragile bonds of trust" with the public.

"The institution does not function, does not deliberate and seems incapable of acting on the will of the people," he told a Washington audience, blaming both parties for the "dysfunction."

The letter was spurred by a daylong conference at the National Archives in June, sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center, in which former members assembled to discuss "breaking the stalemate." Porter and Skaggs said they received technical assistance from the Association of Former Members of Congress, which was founded in 1970 but has not worked on current legislative issues.

The association lists 557 members on its website, many still active as lobbyists or in other work. The total number of ex-members is much larger, however, given the 535 seats in Congress.

Among the more than 130 former members who signed the letter are past House leaders of both parties — including Democrats Vic Fazio and Martin Frost and Republicans Bob Michel and Mickey Edwards. Other recent leaders, though, were notable by their absence, such as Republicans Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay and Democrats Tom Foley and Dick Gephardt.

A few ex-senators also joined the letter, including James Abourezk, Bill Brock, Gary Hart, Bob Packwood and Tim Wirth.

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