In August of 2005 the federal government passed the Energy Policy Act, and the resulting tax credits went into effect January 1 of 2006. Not only are energy-efficient products rewarded, but certain building techniques and materials are too.
So you save money on energy bills and pay less to Uncle Sam too. Sounds like a win-win.
"By reducing overall energy demand one family or business at a time," said U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, "we are also increasing America's energy security." The program has the additional bonus of being environmentally conscious.
So how exactly does the program work? It provides tax credits for your federal return. Say you bought a new hybrid car or had your windows replaced with insulated ones. When April 15 rolls around, you note the purchase on your taxes, take the credit and it reduces the amount of tax you pay.
Remember that tax credits are different from tax deductions. A tax deduction is subtracted from your income before your tax is calculated. A tax credit is whacked off the tax you have been calculated to pay.
Credits usually account for better savings than deductions. Tax credits allow you to pay less taxes than the person with the same amount of taxable income who did not buy the car.
Tax credits are also available for energy-efficient home improvements like installing insulation, certain types of windows and roofing, and solar energy equipment. Needless to say, since it's a government program they're lots of rules and regulations. For a more detailed list, visit the program's website at www.ase.org/taxcredits.
If you need even more information, details for saving money on taxes is available at www.energytaxincentives.com.
Currently, these incentives are only available through the years 2006 and 2007 unless Congress extends them. Write to your Congressman today and tell him or her to vote to extend the act and then start taking advantage of it!
Save Energy At School
Sunlight is out while I'm driving on the road, but the car directly behind has headlights on which are blinding me. I argue that turning them on during the daytime are illogical. Who honestly can't see a moving car when nighttime hasn't settled? If you can't, you shouldn't be allowed to drive in the first place because of how dependent drivers are on their eyesight. It's understandable that emergency vehicles have blue flashing lights, but those serve a purpose to alert drivers that they need to drive quickly.
One popular bus corporation conducted a study. They recorded the number of accidents occurring over 3 months with one control; number of accidents towards buses with headlights on versus buses with them off. Guess what? Apparently the quantity of accidents is lessened when the headlights are on. But at the same time, the 3 month period took place in a period when traffic accidents are statistically proven to be low. It honestly feels like the entire study was manipulated to yield desired results.
You may think that turning them on during the day is harmless. That is definitely not the case. Headlights do have a noticeable impact on global warming.
Approximately 130 watts of light and heat is consumed every time a car has its headlights on. There are almost 30 million cars just in New York and New Jersey alone. If 10% of those cars, 3 million cars, turned on their lights during daylight hours, which means 390 megawatts of energy are being utilized. That's a lot of energy spent, wouldn't you agree? Worse off is that a lot of these cars also keep the fog lights on which uses up another 110 watts.
All the energy required to fuel a car's headlights is a significant contribution to the quantity of greenhouse gases. With all the ways people are misusing energy resources, global warming is continually being exacerbated. The way to combat the ever-increasing greenhouse effects our world is suffering, we must correct our wasteful behaviors. Limiting the use of headlights and installing more efficient ones would be a simple, yet effective way to go green. It also saves car owners money because they would not have to devote as much gas to power the headlights.
One of the best ways to conserve some of that energy is to install some new innovative headlights. Even the newer and stylish ones like Euro lights operate at high efficiency and are not too expensive. Check out your online auto parts dealer or ask your local mechanic for tips.
Both Dave Larsen & Kenneth Kwan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dave Larsen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gas Prices, Architecture and Gas Prices. . Dave Larsen's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.
Kenneth Kwan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cars, Sports Car and Online Business. Andy's Auto Sport has the hottest and most stylish selections of Headlights. Click here for all of the latest styles:
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