House: Green Home Tax Breaks

A Forbes.com article, "Groundbreaking Green Home Tax Breaks" (March 3, 2007), lays out some of the tax benefits to making a house more energy efficient.

Here are some excerpts from the article by Matt Woolsey:

• "If materials are Energy Star-certified and fall under the scope of the Energy Policy Act, you can recoup some costs." Visit this link to learn more about the tax breaks put forth by the Energy Policy Act. According to the site, the tax benefits will remain in effect through 2007.
• The Environmental Protection Agency "estimates that efficient materials can reduce energy costs by 30 percent."
• Request an energy efficiency inventory. We're definitely going to do this at the new house. A representative from your local utility company — in our case, WE Energies — will come to your house and, as the article states, "highlight your home's trouble spots where the most energy is being wasted."
  A quick visit to WE Energies' web site brings up this list of "101 money-saving tips".
  Also, the WE Energies Residential page links to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Home Energy Audit site, which boasts being "the first web-based do-it-yourself energy audit tool." Cool! We'll check this out after we move in and before we request the audit from WE Energies. We added this link to our "For the house" list.
• According to Woolsey, "Exterior windows and doors, including skylights, that meet Energy Star requirements have a 10 percent tax credit up to $200. This also goes for storm windowns and doors. Roofing and insulation or sealing that meet efficiency requirements earns a 10 percent credit up to $500."
• And finally, "if you're looking for the most consistent long-term green solution, the answer lies at your local nursery — trees."

House: Green idea #1

So we figured it'd be fun if we shared some of the things we came up with to "go green."

We're trying to come up with ways to green-ify our life. So, for instance, to cut down on paper-towel use at work, Matt now brings a hand towel. Let's take a quick look at how much paper this saves:

• 1 foot of paper toweling per bathroom trip
• 5 bathroom trips per day
• 25 bathroom trips per week
• 50 work-weeks a year
• All that adds up to about 1,750 feet of paper toweling saved just by bringing a hand towel to work.

So that's our first green idea. Be sure to post in the comments the creative ways you "go green" in your daily lives.

House: Lower your phone bill

Looking to save some cash on your phone bill? These sites let you compare local, long-distance, and wireless services:

• MyRatePlan.com — easy to use, best for comparing just rate plans
• WhiteFence.com — "Connect your utilities online." We'll definitely revisit this in the coming weeks as we prepare for the big move.
• SaveOnPhone.com — "Cheap long distance phone rates discount comparison service." Another simple site that helps you compare rates for residential plans, calling cards, cell phones, and Internet service.
• PhoneRateFinder.com — Really, the URL says it all.