Green Building Incentives
September 29, 2008 by boygreen · Leave a Comment
Have you been wanting to go green but are afraid of the costs? Many states offer rebates or tax breaks for installing solar panels or wind turbines, along with other renewable energy incentives. In addition, some municipalities have reduced building permit fees and even priority plan review for green buildings, which can save you hundreds or thousands in interest costs on your lot while waiting for a building permit.
Just one of many examples, homeowners building a LEED Certified home in New Mexico may quality for a tax credit of up to $9.00 per square foot. The state of Arizona offers taxpayers a credit of 25% of the cost of installing solar technology, including solar pool and water heaters, up to $1000.
The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (www.dsireusa.org) provides information on local incentives, rebates and tax breaks for solar and other renewable energy installations by state.
Green Your Yard: Solar Landscape Lighting
September 29, 2008 by boygreen · Leave a Comment
Solar landscape lighting has come a long way in the last few years. I recently installed a string of solar LED plant up-lights in my front yard and I’ve been really happy with them. I had installed regular low-volt landscape lights years ago, and when I went to replace the bulbs recently, I noticed that the bulbs had somehow melted into the fixtures. Just guessing that this could be a potential fire hazard, I decided to remove them.
I pulled out the old fixtures and replaced them with high efficiency solar LEDs that don’t require hard wiring. They simply plug into a small solar panel that easily hides behind a plant. The lights stay lit well into the evening - they were still glowing at 2am the other day. My only complaint is that the color of the light is more of a blue-tone vs. the old halogens that were more of a warm yellow tone. If you don’t see them side-by-side, it’s hard to tell the difference though. This is a great project for do-it-yourselfers since you don’t have to worry about messing with the electricity, and my yard looks great without draining energy.