Originally Appeared in Green Building News
If threats of global warming and dangerous greenhouse gases aren't enough reason to seek alternative sources for energy, federal business and residential solar tax incentives can encourage homeowners and corporations to purchase solar energy systems.
(12/19/2007)
By Michelle M. Murphy
If threats of global warming and dangerous greenhouse gases aren't enough reason to seek alternative sources for energy, federal business and residential solar tax incentives can encourage homeowners and corporations to purchase solar energy systems.
A tax credit can provide significant savings because it reduces the amount of income tax a person has to pay. Unlike a deduction, which reduces the amount of income subjected to tax, a tax credit reduces the tax itself. Credits similar to the consumer credits are also available to businesses that install qualifying solar equipment.
Solar business energy tax credits for commercial and industrial purchasers are applicable to the following technologies: solar water heat, solar space heat, solar thermal electric, solar thermal process heat, photovoltaic, geothermal electric, fuel cells, solar hybrid lighting with fiber optics, direct-use geothermal and microturbines.
The federal business tax credit amount for solar, solar hybrid lighting and fuel cell systems is 30 percent of the cost, and 10 percent of the cost for microturbines and geothermal systems. There are no maximum specified incentives for most technologies, but there is a cap of $500 per 0.5 kW for fuel cells and $200 per kW for microturbines.
Corporate depreciation is applicable to commercial and industrial purchases of solar energy. Under the Modified Accelerated Cost-Recovery System, businesses can recover investments in certain property through depreciation deductions. The MACRS establishes a set of class lives for various types of property, ranging from three to 50 years, over which the property may be depreciated.
For solar, wind and geothermal systems installed after 1986, the MACRS is five years. With the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, fuel cells, microturbines and solar hybrid lighting technologies are in the five-year class as well.
For federal residential solar and fuel cell tax credit, eligible sources include solar water heat, photovoltaic systems, fuel cells and other solar electric technologies, which are credited up to 30 percent of the cost. Maximum incentives are $2,000 for solar electric and solar water heating and $500 per 0.5 kW for fuel cells. Excess credit may be used the succeeding tax year.
Installation and equipment requirements specify that solar water heating systems must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or by a comparable entity endorsed by the state. At least half of the energy used to heat the residence's water must be solar in order for the solar water heating property expenditures to be eligible.
Green ROI
For the complete ROI tables and topic page with details on over 50 ways to SAVE Money and the Environment visit: Home Remodeling ROI.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
LED bulbs: Outperforming CFLs
Building Green Group Member Michael Allen Howard sent me the following write up on LED bulbs manufactured by Green Torch, I figured it may be an interesting read for the group.
"If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR (such as LED bulbs), we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we would prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. The energy used in the average home can be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car. When you use less energy at home, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and help protect our environment from the risks of global climate change."
Source - http://www.energystar.gov/
There are many companies selling LED bulbs and not all LED bulbs are of the same quality. Some will only last 2/3 or 3/4 as long as Green Torch LED bulbs. Our bulbs are fully dimmable. Other companies may or may not offer bulbs that are fully dimmable. All of our bulbs are UL-924 listed and are LEED compliant.
Here are the top 5 benefits of purchasing LED bulbs from Green Torch:
1. Lasts 50,000 hours - Green Torch LED bulbs will last for over 10 years at 12 hours of usage per day. An LED bulb lasts nearly 50x longer than an incandescent bulb and 12x longer than a halogen bulb. Using LED bulbs will result in a significant reduction of bulbs dumped in landfills in addition to less pollution associated with manufacturing, purchasing and disposing of bulbs.
2. Uses 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Green Torch MR-16 LED bulbs use only 3W compared to a 50W incandescent bulb.
3. No Mercury - Unlike CFL's that contain mercury (a neuro-toxin) and require a complicated clean-up process (http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/), LED bulbs are mercury free.
4. Totally Cool - LED bulbs are safe to touch and they also reduce your air conditioning costs. For every Watt of energy you save in electricity by using LED lighting, you also reduce your A/C costs by 0.2W. E.g. In other words, saving 100kWh in lighting lets you reduce your A/C usage by an additional 20kWh since your space gets less hot with LED bulbs than with incandescent bulbs.
5. LEED Compliant - All of our LED bulbs are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliant and will help you to achieve LEED certification for your building.
If you'd like to determine how much money you will save by purchasing Green Torch LED EXIT signs for your building, go to http://www.energystar.gov/ and simply plug in the number of EXIT signs that need to be replaced and your savings will be automatically calculated for you.
For more information, a free catalog or to purchase LED bulbs or EXIT signs, please contact:
Michael Allen Howard
Account Executive
Green Torch, Inc.
michael.howard@greentorch.com
877-305-0898 ext 815
"If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR (such as LED bulbs), we would save close to $8 billion each year in energy costs, and together we would prevent the greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. The energy used in the average home can be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car. When you use less energy at home, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and help protect our environment from the risks of global climate change."
Source - http://www.energystar.gov/
There are many companies selling LED bulbs and not all LED bulbs are of the same quality. Some will only last 2/3 or 3/4 as long as Green Torch LED bulbs. Our bulbs are fully dimmable. Other companies may or may not offer bulbs that are fully dimmable. All of our bulbs are UL-924 listed and are LEED compliant.
Here are the top 5 benefits of purchasing LED bulbs from Green Torch:
1. Lasts 50,000 hours - Green Torch LED bulbs will last for over 10 years at 12 hours of usage per day. An LED bulb lasts nearly 50x longer than an incandescent bulb and 12x longer than a halogen bulb. Using LED bulbs will result in a significant reduction of bulbs dumped in landfills in addition to less pollution associated with manufacturing, purchasing and disposing of bulbs.
2. Uses 90% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. Green Torch MR-16 LED bulbs use only 3W compared to a 50W incandescent bulb.
3. No Mercury - Unlike CFL's that contain mercury (a neuro-toxin) and require a complicated clean-up process (http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/), LED bulbs are mercury free.
4. Totally Cool - LED bulbs are safe to touch and they also reduce your air conditioning costs. For every Watt of energy you save in electricity by using LED lighting, you also reduce your A/C costs by 0.2W. E.g. In other words, saving 100kWh in lighting lets you reduce your A/C usage by an additional 20kWh since your space gets less hot with LED bulbs than with incandescent bulbs.
5. LEED Compliant - All of our LED bulbs are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) compliant and will help you to achieve LEED certification for your building.
If you'd like to determine how much money you will save by purchasing Green Torch LED EXIT signs for your building, go to http://www.energystar.gov/ and simply plug in the number of EXIT signs that need to be replaced and your savings will be automatically calculated for you.
For more information, a free catalog or to purchase LED bulbs or EXIT signs, please contact:
Michael Allen Howard
Account Executive
Green Torch, Inc.
michael.howard@greentorch.com
877-305-0898 ext 815
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Profiting From Going Green: The Complete Handbook for Every Business
In light of new revelations about the extent of global warming, consumersare putting new pressure on companies to provide environmentally friendlyproducts and services. And while the shift to becoming a "green" businessis time-consuming and potentially costly, there are many advantages to reap.
This free 30 page handbook details how and why your companyshould go green. Articles include:
The ROI of Going Green: A CEO’s Rationale for Adopting Sustainability
How to Green Your Business
You're Green. Now Market It.
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategyto Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
Click here to visit Vistage.
This free 30 page handbook details how and why your companyshould go green. Articles include:
The ROI of Going Green: A CEO’s Rationale for Adopting Sustainability
How to Green Your Business
You're Green. Now Market It.
Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategyto Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
Click here to visit Vistage.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Liberty Mutual Unearths 'Green' Commercial Property Coverages
With green building construction starts expected to increase 400 percent in the next two years according to construction experts, Liberty Mutual Property, part of Liberty Mutual Group, has introduced a collection of "green" commercial property coverages. Green Select is a property policy endorsement that gives customers the coverage flexibility necessary to best protect their green investments.
In the event of a covered loss to a LEED or Green Globe certified building, Green Select provides insurance for building recommissioning and/or recertification fees, vegetative roofing systems, debris recycling and the use of green-certified products. The endorsement also covers the costs to recertify a building one level higher than its previous certification in the LEED Certification Program or Green Globe Certification Program. Green Select's flexibility extends to non-green properties by giving owners the extra money necessary to upgrade certain aspects of their property to green.
According to Tim Rose, president of Liberty Mutual Property, Green Select addresses issues such as the longer restoration times required for green-certified buildings and allows customers to decide how best to allocate their resources if they choose to upgrade to green building materials.
Clients have access to LEED-certified engineering, an account stewardship process and coverage for mandatory fees for temporary HVAC systems used during reconstruction; lost business income from alternative energy production; extra expenditures necessary to get a business open sooner; service interruption of phone, electricity, gas, and water; and foundations and underground property up to 1,000 feet from a covered location.
Source: Liberty Mutual Property
http://www.libertymutual.com/
This article was forwarded to me by Tim Hutton, a member of the Building Green Group, and Vice President of Sales at USI DC Metro. It originally appeared in http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/04/23/89363.htm
In the event of a covered loss to a LEED or Green Globe certified building, Green Select provides insurance for building recommissioning and/or recertification fees, vegetative roofing systems, debris recycling and the use of green-certified products. The endorsement also covers the costs to recertify a building one level higher than its previous certification in the LEED Certification Program or Green Globe Certification Program. Green Select's flexibility extends to non-green properties by giving owners the extra money necessary to upgrade certain aspects of their property to green.
According to Tim Rose, president of Liberty Mutual Property, Green Select addresses issues such as the longer restoration times required for green-certified buildings and allows customers to decide how best to allocate their resources if they choose to upgrade to green building materials.
Clients have access to LEED-certified engineering, an account stewardship process and coverage for mandatory fees for temporary HVAC systems used during reconstruction; lost business income from alternative energy production; extra expenditures necessary to get a business open sooner; service interruption of phone, electricity, gas, and water; and foundations and underground property up to 1,000 feet from a covered location.
Source: Liberty Mutual Property
http://www.libertymutual.com/
This article was forwarded to me by Tim Hutton, a member of the Building Green Group, and Vice President of Sales at USI DC Metro. It originally appeared in http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/04/23/89363.htm
Free 2 Hour Green Building Consultation
In order to do our part to help promote Green Design and Construction, we are offering for a limited time, a free 2 hour consult. If you or anyone you know is planning on Renovating an existing or building a new home, office, or apartment complex. Please get in contact with me for your free consult. We will show you what you can do to save some green by going green! EMAIL for an appointment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
