For a short time only….

From the manufacturer:

“I’m sure you are aware of the Energy Star Appliance rebate going into effect in GA, but I wanted to forward this just in case. Energy Star certified Solar Water Heating systems do apply, and our systems are Energy Star  …rebate is in place until the funds are exhausted, which could easily move quickly.

GA:
GA’s is going into effect on Feb. 12, 2010. GA’s pays $199 until the $9.3M runs out (all appliance rebates).
GA Rebate

Contact us today to get a free quote on your house  Fresh World Contact.

Here is a previous post updated with this rebate: more…

One of my associates just told me that GA Power is increasing the amount of their rebate by $200 starting today and this will last for 90 days. This rebate is added to what ever the amount is for the other rebates. To see the full list of rebates for GA Power click here.

200 increase is not available for thermostats and water heater blanket.

I love the day after sales. I just picked up some chocolate for my family that was 75% off retail. The first day after the Valentine’s day was 50% now it is 75%. Pretty soon it will be discounted even more.

Seems like green products are getting the same treatment, however in the form of rebates and tax credits. One of our clients chose geothermal HVAC over regular HVAC because the payback made sense with the tax credits. I have not had the chance to tell them that the federal credit is now 30% with no cap. Before they were getting 2K back from the Feds. With the stimulus package, they will be getting about 9500 back from the feds and 2K from the state of GA. That amounts to over 35% back in tax credits. If they lived a little South of Atlanta they would be getting even more! Some EMC’s have additional rebates available for renewable energy and geothermal HVAC.

You can buy a lot of discounted chocolate with that rebate! (I am not suggesting that- please invest your savings responsibly!)

Just In:

As part of the stimulus package (which should be signed at 2 PM EST today), new geothermal HVAC and solar thermal that is installed will have a 30% cost credit up to $2000 for each house. Now, there is not a cap! This is retro to the beginning of the year and will be good until 2017.

Here is how it works:

Solar Thermal retail (sample):            $8,000
GA tax credit 35% up to 2.5K              $2,500
FED tax credit 30% of total cost:       $2,400

Net cost to consumer:                            $3,100

Note: Solar thermal is 4-5 times as efficient as a gas tankless water heater and the payback is typcially 3-4 times as fast as well.

Geothermal retail (sample)                 $30,000
GA tax credit                                                $2,000
Fed tax credit 30% of cost                      $9,000
Net cost to consumer                              $19,000

Note- geothermal HVAC is more than 2x as efficient as the typical 13SEER HVAC that the energy code requires.  The net cost of the upgrade is less than 2x so you are saving more now than you have to pay for this system.

Here is the draft that I received: more…

Looks like some of the manufactures that we represent are jumping on the stimulus bandwagon.  One of them is the geothermal manufacturer that we work with.

We just got one of our clients over 10K in refunds, rebates and credits.  Looks like we can get them even more now since we are a Waterfurnace dealer.  Just got our geothermal newsletter and it looks like they will get an additional 2K back from the manufacturer in addition to the 2K from the feds and 2K from the state.  Yes- that is 6K total.  Not bad since this this particular system outperforms standard efficiency HVAC by over 200%!  Better efficiency along with the great rebates and you do not have any more excuses for not going green now.

For more information on the rest of the rebates visit our Get Paid to Go Green page.

For more details on the rebates read on.

more…

I have been posting info under the category Energy Tax Credits and Rebates about the different solar, geothermal, and energy efficiency rebates here is GA. To make things easier for you here is a page that has all of the ones that we currently offer on it: Get Paid to Go Green.

If you are considering going green this year, do it sooner than later before the funding runs out.  In GA there are only 2.5 MM in credits available.  First come- first serve.

If you are not from GA here is anther resource to find rebates:  dsireusa.org/

Q: I am interesting in solar hot water. How do the tax credits work for this?

Matt: I am getting lots of questions now that Solar is a hot topic about how the rebates and credits work. Here is a sample of how it works here in Georgia:

Total Hoots Group retail: $8,290.00
Total GA and Federal Tax incentives: $4,500.00
Total after rebates and discount: $3,790.00

The price depends on a lot of conditions, however most good systems start around 8K and go up from there depending on how many people are in the house that are using water. The price after the tax incentives puts solar at the same price point as tankless water heater and it is many times more efficient. With this information, solar hot water is the obvious when it come to water heating. Plus you are polluting less and your water heating bills can come down as much as 80% or more! The savings over the life of the system is over 15K! Not bad for a minimal investment.

For a full list of rebates click here.

I am just guessing that we are close to last place in GA for teeth per capita.  It was something that I heard on an a local radio show.  Hopefully the Atlanta crowd will help bump us up in the rankings.  While we cannot add more teeth, we can make GA greener!

According to the State Energy Efficiency Policy Database, GA is number 36 out of 50 for green policy.  I took a screen shot of the page (listed below) for GA and it does not list our renewable policy which was recently adopted so we may actually be higher in the standings.  Still, as a state we have a long way to go.  We still burn coal and do not have any incentives for making buildings more efficient as state (yet).  Some of the utility companies have incentive for property owners that can add up to good savings.  Hopefully, the state will see that investing in conservation gives us all a savings.  Homeowners can save money, while the rest of us can breath cleaner air and have a more vibrant economy.

more…

 New Year’s Resolution #2

Yesterday I blogged about reducing waste in our households and during the construction process.  Well, the way you occupy your house and the way that it performs can also be wasteful.

First time for housekeeping….

Many of our clients got, or will be getting rebates for their energy efficient upgrades that they did in 2008.  If you were one of our clients that make an energy efficient upgrade and are a GA Power client, you are eligible for up to 1900 in rebates from GA Power.  How’s that for a Happy New Year.  We can help you with the paperwork and get this in for you.

URGENT!!!!!!

If you are one of our clients that did geothermal, solar thermal, or solar power (or a combination of the 3- yes we did have some do all three!), you need to submit your paperwork to the state ASAP before the cut your off for your deductions.  JUST IN….”I spoke with GEFA…they say Dept. of Revenue is only looking at install date, so even late submissions to GEFA for certification will not jeopardize the 2008 credit since there is plenty of money left under the $2.5 million cap.”- Jason Rooks

However do not take your time.  Even though there is money left do not wait too long or you will loose it.  Hoots Group clients will get tens of thousands back.

Back to the Resolution.  #2 that is

Last year our clients saved tens of thousands due to rebates.  This year we are in a position to save our clients hundreds of thousands in rebates.  Wait- these are just rebates that we are discussing.  They will also save on their utility bills as well.  And comfort.  And health.  You get the point- reducing your energy costs pays back in saving and in rebates.  So do it now!

If you install a Solar Water heater with us- the upfront costs starts around 8K.  With the federal and state rebates the costs will be around 3.5K.  This investment is about the same cost as a tankless water heater.  I forgot to mention that it is many times more efficient as well.  The sun is a free heating source and can reduce your water heating costs up to 85%!

Our Resolution #2- Help our clients save on their utility bills and get paid to do so also.

Your Resolution #2- Start talking to your Efficiency experts to start on your sustainability plan to start reducing your energy costs and impact on the environment.

For a full list of rebates click here.

Happy New Year!

In a time where we need something to stimulate the economy, here is one idea that may do just that.  Not only is it promoting sustainable building but will help our economy become independent of foreign energy.  I think that all ideas should be part of a national dialogue to make the US a stronger nation.  Energy independence is part of that package as well as financial independence.  Go green.  Go red, white and blue.  Green is the new red, white and blue.

Here is one idea that is being considered right now as part of the 2030 Challenge:

The 2030 Challenge Stimulus Plan is generating excitement and gathering steam on Capitol Hill.

The “Top 10 Ideas for America” will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day. Change.org will then build a national campaign to advance each idea in Congress.

You can read the full Plan here.

Yes, The Hoots Group has signed up to be part of the 2030 challenge.  We were already doing it, and when I came across this initiative it made sense to support it since there is no downside to saving money and cleaner air.

There has been much talk about what the new administration is going to do for green business and the economy.  Here is an article that I picked up from Qualified Remodeler that gives green contractors a little hope in 2009.  There could be as much as $4 billion allocated for green improvements.

more…

Many of the Hoots Group clients got to take advantage of a tax credit for the work that we did on their house in 2006 and 2007.  Finally, back for 2009, there is a tax credit available for energy efficient improvements on residential houses.

According to the Energy Star website- “On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.” This bill extended tax credits for energy efficient home improvements (windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters). Tax credits for these residential products, which had expired at the end of 2007, will now be available for improvements made during 2009. However, improvements made during 2008 are not eligible for a tax credit.

The bill also extended tax credits for solar energy systems and fuel cells to 2016. New tax credits were established for small wind energy systems and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Tax credits for builders of new energy efficient homes and tax deductions for owners and designers of energy efficient commercial buildings were also extended.”

For a full list of rebates that we can offer click here.

A friend of the Hoots Group, myEnergyLoan.com,  has come up with a loan package for our Home Performance clients.  All of our Home Performance clients agree that the recommendations that we make for them make sense to do, however there is always that upfront cost that they have to deal with.

Lucky for them, we have suggestions based the the faster ROI so when they finance the project for any period that is longer than the anticipated payback they will be cash flow positive for the life of the loan.

If they go with  solar water heater that should pay for itself in 5 years and finance it for 10 years, then they will have a net savings over the life of the loan.  After the loan is paid off they still will be able to benefit from the savings of the energy reducing measures that we offered to them.

Here are some of the basic terms of the loans available per Jeff Cole with myEnergyLoan:

Rates will vary widely from 5% to 8% up to 95% CLTV (based on prime with 720 credit score).

Minimum $15,000 – Maximum is $500,000.

Credit score minimum is 660.

No closing cost scenarios may exist, but clients for these deals should anticipate paying from 1pt to 3pt broker compensation, less standard myEnergyLoan discounts of between .5% and 1%.

To go green with Hoots click here.  To get green financing for your Hoots Green Project click here.

Solar Thermal that is.

On the 2008 Southern Building Show Showcase house the Hoots Group encouraged the owner go with solar thermal as the water heating source for the majority of the house.

Since then, The Hoots Group, Atlanta’s Full Service Green Contractor, has been committed to Solar Technologies for some time now and just recently started installing Water Heater that can be heated by the sun.  To show our company wide commitment to solar thermal, I sent 4 of our project managers to an training last week to a training at the Velux headquarter in SC.

What is Solar thermal?  Click here.

Keep in mind that if you install Solar Thermal before the end of the year, you to can get have free hot water from the sun and get a tax credit up to $4500.  This credit is good for many more years to come also.

Since the tax credits make so much more sense now.  We are the only general contractor in the South that has made Solar Thermal the standard option for both our renovations and new construction clients.

The sun is the most abundant energy source on the Earth.  As we continue to hear about how fossil fuels are running out, we must consider alternative energy sources.

The sun is probably the most fun out of all of the options that we have.  Some people look to burn waste, others want to create fuels out of organic matter.  These are great, but they still pollute the air.  Solar is truly a clean energy.

This diagram show how solar thermal works.  The sun heats the fluid in the collector and exchanges the heat with the water in the tank.

Why is this the gift that keeps on giving?  I thought that this would be an appropriate Holiday title, but it is also very true all year long.

1.  There is a 30% Federal tax credit plus here in GA there is a 35% state tax credit.  With these credits, there are up to $4500 in potential savings on the upfront cost of the system.

2.  With these credits the typical system pays for itself in 2-7 years.

3.  The good news is that over the life of the system you could have $15,000 or more in energy savings.

This truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Hint- if you are looking for a gift for your loved one that can also get you a tax credit.  This is the perfect gift!!