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Green Grilling for Memorial Day

It's hard to say what the best part of Memorial Day Weekend is: the opening of the pool, the extra day of weekend, or firing up the grill for some burgers and veggies. Certainly, millions of Americans will be preparing the perfect burger this weekend, using gas, charcoal or electricity. But which type of grill has the smallest impact?

First, let's talk about why it matters. Memorial Day is the second-biggest grilling day of the year, after the Fourth of July - according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, 56 percent of Americans will be firing up the grill this weekend. The barbecues held on the Fourth of July consume enough energy to power 20,000 households for a year, says the Sierra Club. "Emissions from barbecuing are certainly dwarfed by those from transportation and industrial burning of fuels," noted Tristram West, a research scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy. "But this information should get people thinking about all the things they do on a regular basis."

So how do the various grills add up?

Wood and Charcoal - The dirtiest kind of grill - but also, to some, the grill that produces the best-tasting barbecue. Says the Daily Green: "Burning charcoal or wood produces clouds of sooty particles that can lodge in lungs, irritating asthma and other respiratory problems. Carcinogenic volatile organic compounds like benzene are released. The whole mess can contribute to smog." But if you love that smoky flavor, use lump charcoal instead of briquettes - it burns cleaner.

Gas - Your best choice. Gas burns cleaner and more efficiently than electric or charcoal grills, and isn't as bad for air quality as wood and charcoal grills.

Electric - Little-used electric grills emit no on-site carbon dioxide, but they have the highest emissions per hour of all the grills. According to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory: "A liquefied petroleum gas grill operated for an hour would emit 5.6 pounds of carbon dioxide while a charcoal grill would emit about 11 pounds. An electric grill would account for about 15 pounds of carbon dioxide."

Source: http://www.usnews.com/money/blogs/fresh-greens/2009/5/22/green-grilling-for-memorial-day.html

Spring forward - How Daylight Savings Time Saved Energy.

One of the biggest reasons we change our clocks to Daylight Saving Time (DST) is that it saves energy. Energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. When we go to bed, we turn off the lights and TV.

In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home. By moving the clock ahead one hour, we can cut the amount of electricity we consume each day.

Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we trim the entire country's electricity usage by about one percent EACH DAY with Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time "makes" the sun "set" one hour later and therefore reduces the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. This means that less electricity would be used for lighting and appliances late in the day.

We also use less electricity because we are home fewer hours during the "longer" days of spring and summer. Most people plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours. When we are not at home, we don't turn on the appliances and lights. A poll done by the U.S. Department of Transportation indicated that Americans liked Daylight Saving Time because "there is more light in the evenings / can do more in the evenings."

While the amounts of energy saved per household are small...added up they can be very large.

In the winter, the afternoon Daylight Saving Time advantage is offset by the morning's need for more lighting. In spring and fall, the advantage is less than one hour. So, Daylight Saving Time saves energy for lighting in all seasons of the year except for the four darkest months of the year (November, December, January and February) when the afternoon advantage is offset by the need for lighting because of late sunrise..

Tax Time

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Green Tax Guide: Make Your Home Energy Efficient and Save Taxes Too

If you paid for home improvements to make your home more energy efficient in 2007, you may be eligible for tax breaks as well. Federal Tax Credits are available for home improvements that include installing energy efficient windows and doors, roofing, insulation, central air conditioning, water heaters, solar energy systems and fuel cells.

Tax credits are subtracted from the amount of tax due, which can be a lot more valuable than a tax deduction. A tax deduction is subtracted from the amount of income earned and then you must pay whatever taxes are due on that income at your current tax rate.

Tax credits can total up to $500 for home improvements, but if you add a solar energy system or fuel cells the tax credit can be a lot higher. For solar energy systems you can write off up to 30% of the cost up to $2,000. For fuel cells the tax credit can be as high as 30% of costs paid up to $1,000. To get these credits you'll need to file Form 5695 with your tax return.

You may find that your state also offers additional tax incentives. Go to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency at www.dsireusa.org and click on your state to find the incentives available to you.

(Source: www.greendaily.com/2008/01/22green-tax-guide-make-your-home-energy-efficient-and-save-taxes/)

Introduction to Tax Credits

The consumer tax credits for energy-efficiency home improvements have been revived with a few tweaks for the calendar year 2009. To be eligible, most qualifying products must be purchased and installed between January 1 and December 31, 2009. There also are some new eligible products. Please see below for additional details. Efforts to have Congress further extend the consumer tax credits continue!

A recent law expands and extends valuable federal tax credits for consumers who purchase fuel-efficient hybrid-electric or diesel vehicles and who make certain, specified energy-efficiency upgrades to their homes.

Consumers who employ energy-efficient products in their homes or drive fuel-efficient vehicles enjoy multiple benefits. At home, these benefits include lower home energy bills, increased indoor comfort, and reduced air pollution. On the road, consumers will increase their gas mileage so they lower their gasoline costs, and they will dramatically reduce the amount of air pollution from their vehicles.

In addition to helping savvy consumers lower their energy bills at home and on the road, the energy-efficient products eligible for the new federal tax credits actually lower the amount of federal income taxes that these taxpayers must pay Uncle Sam.

What is a tax credit?
You don’t receive an income tax credit when you buy the product, like an instant rebate. You claim the credit on your federal income tax form at the end of the year. The credit then increases the tax refund you receive or decreases the amount you have to pay.

Tax credits vs. tax deductions:
In general, a tax credit is more valuable than a similar tax deduction. A tax credit reduces the tax you pay, dollar-for-dollar. Tax deductions – such as those for home mortgages and charitable giving – lower your taxable income. If you are in the highest 35-percent tax bracket, the income tax you pay is reduced by 35 percent of the value of a tax deduction. But a tax credit reduces your federal income tax by 100 percent of the amount of the credit.

Please note: you should consult a tax professional regarding your individual tax situation.

Consumer Tax Credit Information
Details on the tax credits for hybrid vehicles and for home improvements are located below. In addition, there is a consumer tax credit for solar energy and fuel cells.

The tax credits took effect in January 2006. The credit for home improvements expired in December 2007 but now is reinstated for all of 2009. The hybrid vehicle tax credit phases out at a different time for each manufacturer.

Here is how much you could save on your taxes if you took advantage of some of these tax credits. But remember that your energy savings each year may be greater than the one-time tax savings.

Selected Tax Credits

* Maximum of $500 total for home improvements.

(Source: Alliance To Save Energy, www.ase.org/content/article/detail/2654 )