Archive for the ‘going green’ Category
Is This The Time To Buy A Home?
If you’re currently renting, consider the tax advantages of homeownership. Know what expenses you can deduct, and understand how new laws affect you.
Here are the top 10 tax tips for homeowners:
1. Deduct mortgage interest and real estate taxes-interest paid on home loans is deductible up to $1 million for a principal residence plus a second home. Property taxes on all real estate are fully deductible.
2. You can deduct any money paid toward points or origination fees if you bought a home this year. Closing costs are not deductible. Points paid on a new mortgage loan for the purchase or improvement of a principal residence are deductible for the year in which they were paid.
3. If you refinanced your mortgage this year or took out a loan to buy a second home or investment property, you can deduct any points you paid equally over the life of the loan.
4. Deduct private mortgage insurance (PMI)-taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less can fully deduct premiums for PMI. The deduction is allowable only for insurance on loans that were originated after 12/31/06 and before 01/01/11.
5. Deduct moving expenses if you moved 50 miles or more for a new job. If you relocated for a new full-time job at least 50 miles away from your previous home, you can deduct the cost of packing, transporting or storing your household goods.
6. If you sold your house this year, see if you’re subject to a capital gains tax-if the profit you received from the sale of your house is under $500,000 for married couples or $250,000 for single owners, you are exempt from the capital gains tax.
7. Home improvements and mortgage closing costs are not tax deductible, but when you sell your house, they can be used to offset your capital gains tax burden should you have one.
8. If you did a short sale this year, the debt forgiven by your lender can be excluded from your taxable income. Thanks to a new law, you can exclude debt up to $2 million if it was discharged by the lender in 2007, 2008 or 2009.
9. Take advantage of energy efficiency tax credits-going green is good for the environment and your wallet. You can quality for a tax credit with documentation of energy efficient updates to your home.
10. If your home was damaged from a sudden, unexpected event, such as a natural disaster, fire, vandalism or theft, deduct some of the loss. You may deduct all expenses not covered by your homeowner’s insurance, minus a $100. deductible and 10 percent of your adjusted gross income.
Some of the best perks of owning a home are the tax breaks. This may be the time to buy a home. Remember to consult your tax advisor.
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Clean Green-Chill the Laundry
Here’s an easy tip to save money and conserve energy:
Turn your dial to cold water-with most clothes, you really don’t need hot water to get a good cleaning. Ninety percent of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating the water. The higher the temperature of the water, the more electricity you’re running and the higher the cost in terms of both energy use and money.
Add in one of the earth-friendly laundry detergents available everywhere these days and chill out about any harm to your clothes or the environment.
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How To Grow Greener Grass
Tips for a Lush Lawn:
1. Mow less frequently and cut the grass longer so the top growth protects the roots. To force the roots to go deeper, water less frequently-this keeps them cooler and less susceptible to dry spell damage.
2. Use cornmeal or diatomaceous earth for a good insecticide.
3. Pull weeds before they set seed.
4. Use a soil conditioner with good microorganisms and aerate to encourage soil health. Try LazyMan Liquid Soil Aerator or Soil Conditioner for an easy spray-on solution without backbreaking work, available at outsidepride.com
A lush lawn doesn’t have to break your back, your bank or your planet.
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Why Not Install A Solar Water Heater?
If you don’t think that hot water is a hot topic, think again. The average electric water heater serving a family of four uses 6,400 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, releasing eight tons of CO2, according to the University of Wisconsin’s Solar Energy Laboratory. That’s more than a typical automobile! Gas-fired heaters release about two tons of CO2 a year.
Investing in a solar water heater is a simple and affordable way to save money on your utilities while helping to protect the environment. Solar water heaters are very reliable and can work in any climate. There are several different types, including those with pumps and those that work passively. You will need a storage tank and some type of solar collector. Some homeowners use the devices exclusively or sometimes with a gas or electric tankless water heater as a backup, while others pair them with other systems as pre-heaters.
You don’t have to go off the grid and the good news is that home solar water heating systems cost an affordable $1,500 to $3,500 and pay for themselves in four to eight years. If you are selling your home ” fsbo ” or advertising on the MLS, why not schedule one into your next renovation?
Shop for a solar water heater online at: solarhome.org and solarroofs.com
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Catching the Sun-Solar Power Breakthrough
According to the Rocky Mountain News, a new factory that will make affordable solar panels from ordinary window panes is set to open in Colorado this year.
The AVA Solar Inc. project uses a technological breakthrough by Colorado State University researchers, and promises to produce solar panels at a price that is comparable to other forms of energy…potentially catapulting solar energy into the mainstream once and for all according to energy expert Dan Shapley.
Reaping what the sun gives naturally everyday is smart and efficient. The fewer “conversions” energy goes through the more efficient it is. If the sun drives the growth of a plant, turning that plant into fuel adds a conversion, and energy is lost. Letting that plant cook underground for millions of years until it becomes coal or oil is yet another inefficiency.
Solar power has never been very appealing, that’s the problem with it and it just costs too much. But the AVA Solar plan-should it prove to be as good as it says it is-along with other innovations are transforming solar power into a mainstream commodity. The project is one of 10 Photovoltaic Module Incubator projects funded by the Dept. of Energy’s Solar America Initiative. The program has the goal of driving technological innovations that makes the cost of solar energy competitive with traditional forms of electric production, like burning coal, oil and natural gas, says Shapley.
If every house had affordable solar panels supplying a portion of its electricity, the demand for electricity from heavy-polluting sources like coal-fired power plants would drop, along with emissions driving global warming, causing acid rain and poisoning lakes and streams with toxic mercury.
And the jobs created at the factory–as many as 500–show that dreams of a “green collar economy” that has at its heart technological innovation and high-tech manufacturing are a very real and lucrative path toward the future.
Energy is a necessity and clean renewable energy is an obligation to our earth and our future. Solar energy is currently available, cost effective and clean. It’s time for us to adopt solar energy systems.
For competitive cost estimates and expert advice check out www.energy-guru.com
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Good Things to Know-Before You Move
If you are being moved state-to-state, tipping etiquette is 10% of your total bill according to Tammy Stoner, moving expert. If you are being moved within the state, $10-$20 per mover is adequate. If you are moving yourself, you can often arrange through your truck rental company to have unpackers meet you at your destination.
Here are some great tips to consider before you move:
1. Create a Box Checklist-On each box, write a number and the name of the room where the contents belong, then list them on a checklist. Keep one copy and give one to the movers, oftentimes movers load boxes from several families onto one truck. So, if a box is misdelivered, you might not be the only one laughing at your high school yearbook picture!
2. Pets can get carsick- let Fido ride shotgun with the window down-it reduces his nausea. If you have a fish, keep the fishbowl as still as possible-place it in a box on blankets.
3. Give a trusted neighbor a spare key to your old house-there is always a chance something will need checking or get left behind.
4. Keep computer start-up disks with you-what if the laptop you have with you crashes while your disks are in transit?
5. Hire a cleaner-a move is stressful enough without tackling the two-foot dust bunnies left in its wake.
6. Tape all sundries to their associated electronic devices- Did you know that some DVD players won’t allow you to play the next episode on your DVD unless you use the arrow key on your remote? Place all equipment for each electronic device in a ziplock baggie and tape it to the device before boxing.
7. Pack green- Instead of paper or bubble wrap, use your own towels and scarves to wrap breakables. This is environmentally conscious and efficient, plus your new basement won’t be filled with packing supplies. Note: cockroaches love to play in wads of paper.
Handy thing to know: Wood flooring needs several days to acclimate. Wood flooring can’t be installed the day it arrives-or the next day. It must acclimate, lying in open containers on the floor for several days. Be sure that your floors will go in before your boxes arrive.
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Recycle-Your Patio
If you like to collect old stuff, such as salvage yard finds, you might want to use your imagination and use recycled materials to build a unique, creative custom patio to replace a boring square brick patio. Landscape designer Diane Bloom devised a plan for a curved patio using some recycled materials.
A professional would charge about $6,000. to design and install a recycled patio, but a do-it-yourselfer can design their own patio and install it for about $700, assuming that they already have some recyclable materials on hand. The project can be completed in three weekends, with the help of friends for the concrete work.
Bloom designed a patio that reused some of the existing bricks, incorporated several wrought-iron treasures, and added colorful Three Rivers and Arizona flagstones and river rocks for an electic mix of materials, colors and textures. She curved the patio boundary to soften the landscape and grouped the wrought-iron artifacts for balance and visual impact.
Here are the steps to completion:
1. Preparing the site
2. Building the concrete form
3.Pouring the concrete
4. Placing the recycled objects
Bloom rates this project a 3 on a difficulty scale of 1(easy) to 5 (difficult).
Check out www.hgtv.com to view a video on Landscape Smart: Episode LDS-506
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Bring New Life to Your Style
Why not reupholster your old and worn furniture instead of tossing it out? Bring new life to your style and cut down on waste and further resource use.
Many antiques dealers would kill to get their hands on the bones of much of the furniture that is thrown away or even burned as firewood. Between 1960 and 2001, discarded furniture and furnishings ballooned from 2.2 million tons a year to 8.1 million tons, reports the EPA. Furniture is bulky stuff that takes up a lot of landfill space.
Extend the life of your furniture and save money by getting it reupholstered. Be crafty and do the job yourself or support local artisans who specialize in the time-honored trade. You have an unlimited range of colors, textures and styles. Style is really limitless, from ancient aesthetic to uber-modern.
Get the freshest look to match your changing decor tastes without contributing to the removal of more trees or the mining of more metals. Every day can be Earth Day, when you think about it.
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Cool Your Space, Plant A Tree
The simple act of planting trees can decrease the energy you need to cool your space…as well as provide a place to hang a tire swing!
According to research by the Department of Energy and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, shade trees can reduce the need for air conditioning by 7% to 40%. Shaded walls are 9 to 36 degrees F cooler at peak temperatures.
Trees raise property values and provide many other benefits, according to the U. S. Forest Service. A 1985 study estimated the values of an average 50-year old shade tree as:
1. Air conditioning worth $73.
2. Soil erosion and stormwater management worth $75.
3. Wildlife shelter worth $75.
4. Air pollution control worth $50.
5. This totalled $273.
In 1989, a total value of $57,151 was estimated for the life of a typical tree.
You can get the best results by planting trees to the west and southwest of buildings. Deciduous plants work well in temperate zones, because they block sunlight in summer but let it in during chilly months. Spring and fall are the best times to plant them.
Check with your local garden center to find the best plants and trees for your zone. Shady spaces are some of the best joys of summer and the swing is fun, too!
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DOE Launches Home Energy Conservation Site
The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched an appealing, user-friendly new internet feature that provides tips to consumers on how to make smart energy choices. These days, consumers are looking for ways to save money around the house, and energy conservation is one of the best win-wins around. Unfortunately, so many don’t have as much education on this issue as they could.
Now, the DOE’s interactive web page gives easy info on how to use less energy in such areas as electronics, lighting, appliances and even with vehicles, according to expert Brian Clark Howard.
The DOE’s extensive web presence also highlights some of its ongoing research and support of research on cleaner energy. Hopefully, Congress and a new President will give the department more of a mandate to go further in these vital areas, and lead the country into a greener, more productive future. Make everyday Earth Day by making smart energy choices to save money while protecting the environment.
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