GE is working hard to avoid getting a lump of coal in its stocking this year. So to show off a year’s worth of “nice” tech innovations at the world’s biggest corporation, GE re-imagined Santa’s sleigh, this time with some notable green and high-tech upgrades.
The uber-sleigh is sprayed with a nanocoating to prevent snow build-up [...]
In the Netherlands, green building is the law. Certain energy efficiency requirements are in force for all new buildings. And in the world’s 28th most densely populated country, with over 16,000 people per square mile, housing projects are vital to conserving green space. In 2007, Netherlands enacted its Energy Efficiency Action Plan in an effort [...]
If you want to claim federal tax credits in order to make your home more energy efficient, you still have some time.
By incorporating some energy efficient appliances in your home, you can receive up to $1,500 in federal tax credits. Moreover, if you opt for multiple upgrades, you could get more than $10,000, although you’ll also be spending quite a bundle.
However, do read the fine print and find out all the details before you decide about any credit option. There are many federal tax credits that apply only to your primary residence and to existing homes. Furthermore, not all Energy Star appliances qualify, so you will have to do some research, as all the chosen products have to meet specific criteria.
In order to claim 30%, or up to $1,500, for qualified improvements this year and next year , the improvement has to be specific to these areas:
Do keep in mind that you can only include the installation costs for biomass stoves, HVAC and water heaters.
Also, by installing residential fuel cells or microturbine systems in an existing or new home, you can get a deduction of 30% of the total cost, up to $500 per 0.5 kilowatt of power capacity, through 2016.
You can get the biggest tax breaks by installing geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines or solar energy systems. This way, you will be able to claim 30% of the costs (including installation) through 2016. This credit will be available for existing homes, second home and new construction.
Secretary for Energy and climate change, Ed Miliband, has recently disclosed the government’s national smart meter program.
The program has been designed to make the citizens more energy conscious, enabling them to save as much as they can, by installing meters in their homes.
The meters will help the residents to keep track of their energy consumption, motivating them to minimize any unnecessary wastage.
Initially, the devices will be installed in 26 million homes by 2020, in order to help people become more energy efficient.
The recent climate change has increased the need for new meters, that have will help us to save more energy.
These smart meters will enable all consumers to monitor their own energy use and make reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions as a result.
This also means that there won’t be any inaccurate bills and estimated meter readings.
According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the scheme will help to save up to £3.6 billion on energy bills over the next 20 years.
A legislation was passed last week by the New York state to provide loans for households and businesses that wish to improve their energy efficiency.
The funds come under the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) act and will be used to cover the costs for installing solar energy systems or making energy efficiency improvements to properties.
This voluntary system operates by formulating ‘clean energy finance districts’ in cities or counties that can issue low-interest bonds.
The users can then cover the costs of renewable energy and efficiency improvements on a property by making use of the bonds.
The loan is to be repaid over a 20-year period through a property tax, which is typically less than the energy bill savings generated by the improvements.
According to congressman Steve Israel, by passing the municipal sustainable energy loan program bill, New York municipalities have been put in a position to compete for $454 million in federal stimulus funds.
The legislation has also successfully resolved one of the biggest hurdles in adopting solar power, the cost.
Our most solarized state may soon be our greenest. The California Public Utilities Commission just made U.S. energy history by approving a new $3.1 billion energy efficiency program. And this funding won’t be slowly meted out over 20 years as you might expect. The Golden State is getting down to brass tax, allocating the entire [...]
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives sanctioned a new energy research program that projects investing 1 billion USD over the coming five years to increase production of energy from wind.
By voice voting, the House sanctioned the legislation passing 200 million USD annually from 2010-2014. The U.S. Energy Department would manage this program.
Representative Paul Tonko, a New York Democrat who put that bill, stated it would render the required investment to support private industry improve wind energy generation. It will also introduce advances in technology and cost savings to market.
In the beginning this year, as part of a major economic stimulus step taken by President Barack Obama, Congress sanctioned millions of dollars to invest on different renewable energy power generation and transmission projects.
The Senate hasn’t yet debated this particular bill. Few months ago, an energy panel authorized a wide-ranging bill involving utilities to give 15 pct of their electrical energy from renewable resources within the next decade around.
The campaign to expand alternative energy sources, like wind and solar energy, is bonded with a wider effort by Democrats to reduce fossil fuel usage as it is major contributor to global warming.
The House-passed bill to enhance energy efficiency and capability of wind turbines and cut down the cost of construction, generation and maintenance. This will turn the wind power more competitor with coal, natural gas and other conventional sources.
For instance, the program would offer finances for research into more new materials and innovations to make larger, less expensive and more reliable motor blades utilized in wind power generation.
Wind energy presently manufactures just about two pct of total energy generation in the U.S. A few experts advocating consider it could rise to 20 pct if improved technologically.
The innovative solar financing program ushered into Berkeley, California has been wildly popular. Other cities in and out of California adopted similar programs, generating interest from all corners of the globe. Last year, the California State Legislature passed a bill ensuring that all cities and counties in the state would have the authority to adopt [...]
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