5 Home Improvements To Do In 2010

Guest Post by Dan Shapely from The Daily Green

This is the year. If you've been sitting on home fixes, waiting for the right time, it's 2010. Lucrative federal tax incentives are set to expire at the end of 2010, meaning these projects will never be more affordable. The government will cover 30% of the costs, in most cases, and investments in energy efficiency generally pay for themselves over time, since you'll be paying for less wasted energy year after year. (Except where noted, taxpayers can qualify for no more than $1,500, regardless of the total cost of multiple qualifying projects were performed in 2009 and 2010.)

Photo: Jupiterimages / Getty Images

First, Get an Energy Audit

Measure twice, cut once. A professional home energy audit can help you target the most critical fixes first, or do your own energy audit to identify the most cost-effective fixes. Before you do the work, check this database of state incentives, so you're sure to take advantage of the full range of credits, which in some states require energy audits or installation by accredited professionals.

Photo: Istock

1. Re-Insulate

One of the most cost-effective home improvements, good insulation can save up to 30% on heating and cooling costs, since you won't be paying for heating or cooling air that slips out through poorly insulated walls, floors and ceilings. If you choose approved insulation (meeting International Energy Conservation Code standards), you can have 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, taken off your 2010 income tax bill. If you have the wherewithal, install the insulation yourself, because the cost of labor does not qualify for the tax credit.

Photo: Alena Brozova / Istock

2. Replace an Old Appliance

Whether it's a refrigerator, a furnace or an A/C unit, chances are good that 2010 will be the best year to replace an old clunker with a new efficient model. Efficient furnaces, central air conditioners, water heaters and other HVAC standbys qualify for a tax credit equal to 30% of the cost, up to $1,500.
A home "cash for clunkers" program is also gearing up at the state level, so look for local incentives to defray the cost of buying certain Energy Star appliances like clothes washers, dishwashers, freezers, refrigerators and small A/C units). Furnaces and water heaters are the biggest energy users overall, while refrigerators are typically the biggest electricity hogs.

Photo: Digital Vision / Getty Images

3. Replace Old Windows

If your home has old windows and doors, you're paying a premium for them as hot air in the winter, and cool air in the summer, escapes to the outdoors. But replacing doors and, especially, windows, is an expensive fix that won't pay itself off in energy savings for years. If you do the work in 2010, though, you can get 30% of the cost reimbursed at tax time, up to $1,500. You just have to choose energy efficient equipment that meets standards. Be aware that the federal government will not reimburse for any of the cost of labor.

Photo: Sue Colvil / Istock

4. Re-Roof

Both Energy Star-rated metal roofs with "pigmented coatings" and asphalt roofs with "cooling granules" will cut down on cooling costs in the summer by reflecting more of the sun's heat. It's also a dark horse solution to global warming, since cities absorb so much heat through dark roofing materials. If your roof is ready for a replacement, then go with one of these materials, and the government will reimburse 30% of your material costs, up to $1,500. Sorry, labor not included.

Photo: Dave Pilibosian / Istock

5. Plan to Install a Solar Water Heater

Unlike the energy efficiency projects, home solar tax credits extend beyond 2010, to 2016. So plan now to take advantage of generous tax credits that will pay 30% of the cost of home solar projects, including solar water heaters. Unlike other credits, these credits are not capped at $1,500. Additionally, communities in at least 15 states are beginning to offer so-called PACE loans that are paid off incrementally at tax time by whomever owns the house. The annual cost -- typically less than the energy savings provided by the investment -- is shared by successive owners of the home.

Photo: Lisa F. Young / Istock

Bonus: Install a Smart Meter

A smart meter makes realtime energy usage data available so you can easily cut out waste. Before long, the meters will automatically cut waste by flipping on appliances to run only when the cost of electricity is low. Ask your local utility if it's offering smart meters, and look for government incentives soon. The Obama Administration has set a goal of increasing the use of smart meters five-fold to 40 million American homes by 2015.

Photo: Istock / Photo Illustration

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Comments

[sc300nc]

10:34 AM on 01/28/2010

I thought we were all going to paint our roofs white?

[Euranya]

12:06 PM on 01/28/2010

sc300nc,
...It's not white, it's a reflective silver color. I should know....I live in a 4th floor apartment next to a 3-story building with the reflective "energy saving" coating, and ever since they applied the stuff, my apartment's been about 12-15 degrees HOTTER than usual. Why? Because the reflective, silvery coating is bouncing all the magnified sunlight back up through all my windows. In the summer, we might have to resort to air conditioning the WHOLE apartment (something we've NEVER done before). If not, we'll have to use room darkeners and live like vampires. I can't believe no one anticipated this, either--save one person energy, make their neighbor use a hundred times MORE electricity. Ugh!

[research]

03:16 PM on 01/28/2010

Publish video and photos, with measurements, this important.

Now, they could install solar panels and bring the glare back to something reasonable.

[Dan DHRT]

05:45 AM on 01/28/2010

With all due respect, those are execllect energy conservation suggestions .... if one has the money; many don't.

This is the issue many have with major media outlets like the Huffington Post, whether it be on the internet, television, printed newspapers, etc. They cover topics which are not new (seriously, are these 5 tips really new?) or on new technologies which most cannot afford (solar panels?) or on energy efficient renovations which are so complex that they require professional contractors (re-roof and solar water heaters).

What I do applaud is first up was to have a home energy audit.

Our home energy audit also made us more interested in what others were doing in their own homes to reduce the amount of electricity, natural gas, heating oil and clean water which was consumed.

We began to collect these energy savings and water savings suggestions from now hundreds of people all over North America.

http://dailyhomerenotips.com/energy-conservation/

Currently our collection exceeds 500 of their tips, of which the majority are so simple that any home can do them. After two years, this freely available collection includes:

400+ suggestions which are simple and easy
275+ which cost absolutely nothing to do
115+ which cost just a little
120+ clean water conservation ideas
115+ electriicity reduction suggestions
110+ home heating savings tips

I hope this collection helps others as it has helped us reduce our utility bills.
Dan

[KIVPossum]

04:38 AM on 01/28/2010

All of those are good ideas but some might not always be cost efficient. You have to calculate what you save on energy to judge if new windows are a good idea - there are environmental costs of production and installation. Does it pay to buy a new appliance if you have 5 years life left on your old, less efficient model?

We put in new windows last year, but it will be a looong time before the cost is offset by energy savings - 2000 Euro for windows with a 100$ a month heating bill 4 months of the year.

[mlaiuppa]

10:16 PM on 01/27/2010

Already done everything, including installing photovoltaic panels and a tankless water heater instead of a solar water heater, except for the windows. I also have a programmable thermostat and timers on my drip irrigation. I have a clothesline to use in lieu of the dryer, weather permitting.

I won't be replacing my windows. My windows are 80 years old and original to the house. Replacement windows would last about 20 years before I'd have to replace them. New windows don't last. Neither do doors. I replaced my garage door and kitchen door when I bought my house. 20 years later I had to replace them again. The original front door is still there and just fine.

[CrzyRussell]

09:24 PM on 01/27/2010

We just painted and installed wood flooring. I'm doing the kitchen cabinets now and hopefully this spring install a new tile floor and counter top.

[perelmanfan]

03:11 PM on 01/27/2010

"Replace the stuff you have with 'green' stuff" is usually an awful idea. Unless you do the whole-cycle calculation - i.e., what does it cost in energy and materials to make the 'green' thing from scratch, and how long will it last - you have absolutely no clue as to whether the choice is good for the environment or not. Generally, it's wise to use what you have until it irrevocably dies, THEN go green with the replacement. Or better yet, if you can, don't replace the thing at all.

[research]

01:10 PM on 01/27/2010

If you live in a sunny area with expensive electricity:Hawaii, CA, etc...

See if you can get rooftop pv solar free or with large subsides.

Solar panels have dropped BELOW 1$ per Wp for new panels.
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/solar_panels.htm

Inverters below 50 cents.

But with Subsides or installer financed system, you might pay ZERO for you system. Check it out.

[sheila]

12:45 PM on 01/27/2010

Warning - it is nearly impossible to figure out what asphalt roofing products qualify. Energy Star won't give you a list, and 90% of roofers don't know, so you have to blindly research by contacting roofing manufacturing companies (not kidding!) and asking which, if any, of their products qualify. You then have to convince a roofer to run you a comparative bid. If you do it the simplest, most effective way, by using the white rubberized reflective liquid sealant, you get NOTHING. As is usually the case, the government is sooooo helpful and saving people money in press releases, but when it comes down to the actual process, it's an expensive, confusing nightmare.

What we need are LOANS (and just because states say they "have a program," that doesn't mean the program is "funded" or "available," because it usually isn't) and generous payments for feeding more power into the grid than we consume (called FITs) - this is the ONLY proven way to get people to conserve the maximum amount of energy, and it's so obvious - reward people for ACTUALLY getting a result, instead of for going through the motions.

Finally, smart meters are NOT a good idea because rather than having them designed so the ratepayer can control their usage (and the personal data that is collected), these are Big Brother, and will vastly decrease privacy while vastly decreasing personal control, while vastly INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD AND HARM OF CYBERATTACKS on our grid. Refuse to install one until

[JScott]

11:09 AM on 01/27/2010

So how do they insulate exterior walls-is the siding/stucco pulled off? And about how much does that cost.


And for that matter how much does undegrounding the utilities cost and how is that done-I mean that is green, you are getting the ugly wires and poles outta sight.

[TedB]

11:53 AM on 01/27/2010

Holes are drilled in the wall and each cavity is filled with blown-in cellulose insulation. It is kind of a tough DIY project, but it is possible to do yourself.

[Euranya]

11:07 AM on 01/27/2010

I have to disagree about the greenhouse gas reducing potential of asphalt roofs with cooling granules. The author says they "will cut down on cooling costs in the summer by reflecting more of the sun's heat." I live in NYC where the 3-story building next to us has a reflective roof, and it is reflecting magnified sunlight directly into my 4th floor apartment so strongly that the thermometer in my living room reached 90 degrees the other day....And it's WINTER! I cannot imagine how much hotter my apartment will be because of this reflected sunlight in summer with its longer days and stronger sun! Energy-saving, you say? We might be forced to air-condition our ENTIRE apartment as a result of our neighbor's "energy-saving" roof! Or maybe we can buy room-darkening blinds for EVERY room and live in total darkness as an alternative??

[Madiis]

09:58 AM on 01/27/2010

for all of those that still have homes and jobs... Please make theses necessary improvements so "Home Depot" can stay in business lol

[JScott]

11:07 AM on 01/27/2010

And just for that only
Don't go for the crown moldings, granite countertops, stainless appliances
and faux columns. I have seen many a perfectly fine modern home f**cked up by all that CRAP

[Rastuhss]

09:54 AM on 01/27/2010

The best home improvement is to get a smaller refrigerator and don't put so much food in it.

Two thirds of Americans are fat or obese.

If you aren't lean - then you aren't green

[KIVPossum]

04:44 AM on 01/28/2010

Make all of your appliances smaller.

We recently bought a new 'fridge and got a small one. Storing less food means the food you have is fresher.

Last year we got a washer/dryer. Even with the low water volume it gets clothing clean. We only use the dryer function when it's freezing; rest of the time we go the balcony route like everyone else in town.