(This is a guest post from my good friend, David Quilty, owner and publisher of The Good Human, one of the most comprehensive sites on sustainable living and progressive politics. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.)

Looking to increase the energy-efficiency of your home this year? Well, you are in luck – if you purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system for your home, you will probably be be eligible for a decent-sized Federal tax credit. Not bad, considering that whatever you do is also going to save you money on your utility bills! While most people would think that if they just buy Energy Star rated products then they would be eligible for the credits, not all Energy Star items can qualify, so be sure to do your homework before running out and buying the first thing you come across. In addition to Federal tax credits, there are also state-level incentives to going green at home, which will be discussed after the Fed ones. There are different dollar amounts, percentages, and dates for different products and jobs, so be sure to check out the details for what you plan to do very carefully. Let’s take a look at what tax credits are available, dependent which efficiency upgrades you make at your home.

Until December 31, 2010, you can get a tax credit of up to 30% of cost up to $1,500 on the following items.

The work must be done on an existing home and this home must be your principal residence. Rentals and new construction do not qualify.

> Biomass stoves – Biomass includes wood, wood waste and residues (including wood pellets), plants , grasses, residues, and fibers.
> Advanced Main Air Circulating Fan – A fan which blows the air that your furnace heats up through the duct system.
> Air Source Heat Pumps – During the heating season, heat pumps move heat from the cool outdoors into your warm house; during the cooling season, heat pumps move heat from your cool house into the warm outdoors.
> Central Air Conditioning – I think we all know what these are!
> Gas, Propane, or Oil Hot Water Boiler – Heating units that use water circulated throughout the home in a system of baseboard heating units, radiators, and/or in-floor radiant tubing.
> Natural Gas or Propane Furnace – Uses the combustion of fuel and air to create heat.
> Insulation – Just what you think it is. The credit applies to weather stripping, spray foam, and house wrap.
> New Roofs – Metal roofs and asphalt roofs that reflect some of the sun’s rays.
> Gas, Oil, Propane Water Heater – Heats up the water for your home.
> Electric Heat Pump Water Heater – Heats up the water for your home.
> Storm Windows & Doors – These can enhance efficiency by creating another barrier from the weather outside.

Until December 31, 2016, you can get a tax credit of up to 30% of cost with no upper limit on the following items.

Existing homes & new construction qualify, as do both principal residences and second homes. Rentals do not qualify.

> Geothermal Heat Pumps – Similar to ordinary heat pumps but they use the ground instead of outside air to provide heating, air conditioning and, in most cases, hot water. VERY efficient.
> Residential Wind Turbines – Yep, turning the wind into energy to power your home.
> Solar Energy Systems – This includes both solar panels and/or solar water heaters.

Until December 31, 2016, you can get a tax credit of up to 30% of the cost, up to $500 per .5 kW of power capacity on the following item.

Existing homes & new construction qualify, and the home must be your principal residence. Rentals and second homes do not qualify.

> Fuel Cells – Not too common, especially in the U.S., a fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts a source fuel (usually hydrogen) into an electrical current.

So, how would you go about applying for these Federal tax credits and rebates? Well, after you have done your homework and purchased the appropriate products/had correct items installed, head on over to the Energy Star website, which provides information on the necessary tax forms and other information.

However, don’t stop there – there may be State credits and rebates available as well!

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, or DSIRE, provides a full list of state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Created by the U.S. Department of Energy, it is an amazing reference to all things related to your home state, so be sure to remember to use it in addition to any Federal information you may find. You don’t want to leave any tax credits or rebates on the table while they are still available!

A major key to our communal survival on this planet is by using energy in a much more efficient manner. We cannot continue to destroy the planet in order to continue living the exact same way we did 25 years ago, so we have to make changes in the way we both harvest energy and use energy at home. Upgrading your home to be more energy efficient is a huge component of this, so please – when remodeling, building, or when just wanting to “go green” at home, take advantage of these tax rebates and credits whenever possible. They will save you some money and save us all some energy.

It’s time for a short break for me! Company has come to town – seven women I have not seen since high school graduation in 1972! The last thing I want to worry about these next few days while we have an amazing reunion (and recovery days afterward!) is posting to this blog, Twitter and Facebook. I’ll be back next week with a couple guest posts and hopefully some writing of my own.

I have gone back to school to be a Residential Planner. It will expand my real estate business, but it’s very time-consuming. And I miss getting up and writing in the morning! I have a few weeks off from school, so I hope to get caught up with desert verde, too, and bring you some original writing.

Meanwhile, go through the drop-downs in the navigation menu at the top of the page, and read Eco-living Tips, the Solar Building Series, and facts and news about Eco Building. Check out the Nature Quotes and Book selections, and visit the ads on the right side of the page to help keep this blog alive! There is lots to see while I’m gone a few days!

(This is a guest post from Roy Gayhart, originally posted on his blog at Whole Solar, a Women Owned Small Business, which is part of an affiliated group of wholesale distributors and manufacturer’s representatives who share a passion for solar energy.)

I just got through listening to President Obama’s speech about the BP Oil Spill. When I wrote the blog What the BP Gulf Oil Spill Means to BP Solar in May, who could have imagined we’d be where we are now? Around that time government officials were estimating that oil was leaking at a rate of 5,000 barrels a day (a five-fold increase from initial estimates). A few days after that blog was written, NPR began reporting that the spill rate could be closer to 70,000 barrels per day. That set off a controversy, with BP’s COO disputing the NPR oilspill estimates. A month later, a US scientific team has fixed the estimates of the oil spill rate at between 35,000 to 60,000 barrels a day.

We are in day 57, with no end in sight. We’ve gone from “the largest oil spill in American history” to the “worst environmental disaster in American history.” We continue to hear about the chaotic manner in which BP has handled the crisis. We’ve gone from what was described in that earlier blog to the realization that the BP spill was turning the gulf into a dead zone.

In the earlier post that I’m updating here, I explored the branding repercussions affecting BP Solar. Since then, I as able to access a talk given by a BP Group Vice President of Marketing on April 26, 2001 at The CNN Fortune Time Global Marketing Forum in Rome, Italy. Her talk was titled “Branding in the 21st Century; A BP Perspective.” She points out BP at that time was “a company made up of 100,000 people thrown together as a result of a series of mergers and acquisitions. Almost overnight the new BP became:

> One of the biggest companies in the world with over 100,000 employees worldwide
> The largest oil and natural gas producer in the US and UK
> The largest non-OPEC oil producer in the world
> The world’s largest solar company
> And a company with more than 28,000 service stations world-wide.”

In somewhat of a sad foretelling manner she stated: “I believe at the end of the day, the strongest brands still result from powerful emotional connections that companies are able to make with the general population.” She went on to identify three themes that identify “what people expect, and demand, from great brands:

> Great brands deliver not what a company makes, but what customers need.
> Great brands make a positive impact in people’s lives.
> Great brands demonstrate alignment between external words and internal actions.”

Fast-forward from 2001 to 2010 – I’m reading articles titled You Don’t Trust BP? It’s Too Late, BP and Big Oil: Shut Down America’s Greenwashing Machine and Americans Don’t Care if BP Goes Bankrupt Paying for Oil Spill, Poll Shows. Somehow I doubt this was the branding goal BP had in mind.

So, again I ask, where does this put BP Solar? There hasn’t been a lot of press on BP Solar since the the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Distaster. Renewable Energy World tells us:

BP Solar With over 35 years of experience and installations in over 160 countries, BP Solar is one of the world’s largest solar companies and has manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Spain, India, and China.

As I wrote in the earlier blog, Home Depot has exclusively carried the BP Solar brand. Since I wrote that last blog, Home Depot in California has thrown out all of its long-time loyal solar installers and replaced them with Solar City. Perhaps this is a play to replace a tarnished brand with the Solar City brand. In any event, anyone buying solar panels at a California Home Depot will get BP Solar AND Solar City. This might apply in Home Depot Warehouses outside of California as well. Will it work for Home Depot, Solar City and BP Solar? I guess we continue to wait and see.

(This is a guest post from Roy Gayhart, originally posted on his blog at Whole Solar, a Women Owned Small Business, which is part of an affiliated group of wholesale distributors and manufacturer’s representatives who share a passion for solar energy.)

At the Solar Power International Show, Rhone Resch, President and CEO of SEIA, presented The Solar Bill of Rights, which I’d like to share. In a message of industry unity that was later complemented by calls for exerting political by New Mexico Governor Richardson, Rhone laid out eight amendments of the Solar Bill of Rights and then stated, “We declare these rights not on behalf of our companies, but on behalf of our customers and our country. We seek no more than the freedom to compete on equal terms and no more than the liberty for consumers to choose the energy source they think best. These rights, like those on which country was founded, are a simple matter of common-sense. In fact, you might even call them ’self-evident.’ But that doesn’t mean they’re self-evident in the halls of power, especially when our opponents are pumping as much haze into the energy debate as they are into the environment.”

So here it is, in Rhone’s own words:

Solar Bill of Rights.

First Amendment: Americans have the right to put solar on their homes or businesses. Today’s systems beautify and add value to communities and homes, and yet antiquated rules prevent many homes and businesses from going solar. From restrictive covenants to onerous connection, permitting and inspection fees these rules create fundamental barriers to solar. Utilities should not be allowed to restrict green power with red tape.

Second Amendment: Americans have the right to connect their solar system to the grid with uniform national standards. This is as simple as creating a standard jack for telephones. Can you imagine buying a phone in Nevada and bringing it home to California and finding out it doesn’t fit into the wall jack? Other industries don’t stand for this and neither should we.

Third Amendment: Consumers have the right to Net Meter and be compensated at the very least with full retail electricity rates. Call this solar’s eminent domain—utilities use the power we make, and we expect to be compensated at its actual value. This is not just the cost, but the true value of solar including our security benefits, peak power benefits and environmental benefits – as well as the true price for carbon.

Fourth Amendment: The Solar Power Industry has the right to a fair competitive environment. It’s the most basic right there is—equality under the law. Today, solar has anything but. And that’s not just an opinion, that’s a fact. From 2002 to 2008, federal subsidies for fossil fuels were $72 billion while solar received less than $1 billion. This is completely disconnected with the desires of the American people. Recent independent polling shows that 92% of the public supports greater use of solar. And yet taxpayers are forced to subsidize companies like ExxonMobil, companies that are the richest in the history of the world. It’s that simple—and that wrong. Subsidies aren’t the only issue of fairness, which leads me to number 5.

Fifth Amendment: We also have the right to equal access to public lands. Oil and natural gas companies are operating on 45 million acres of public lands. Today, solar companies have access to ZERO. America has the best solar resources in the world and we can’t harness the full potential of the sun without accessing our sun-baked lands of the West. Of course, there’s little point in collecting energy unless there’s a means of distributing it.

Sixth Amendment: We have the right to interconnect and build new transmission lines. Here, too, we seek no more than what other industries already have. The next great build out of our transmission lines must connect the vast solar resources in the southwest to the population centers across the United States.

Seventh Amendment: Americans must have the right to buy solar electricity from our utilities. Consumers have no choice but to buy power from utilities. Although recently some utilities have started to listen to the 92 percent of Americans who want them to prioritize a kilowatt of power drawn from the sun over any other energy source. We have a long way to go. Therefore, for any renewable portfolio standard to be effective, at either the federal or state level, it must contain a large carve out for all solar energy technologies.

Eighth Amendment: Consumers have the right, and should expect, the highest ethical treatment from the solar industry. From minimizing our impact on the environment to providing systems that work better than advertised to ensuring that we accurately communicate how incentives work for consumers, our industry must operate at a higher ethical standard than any other. We will not stand for those who cheat, lie and take advantage of the good name of solar energy.

We declare these rights not on behalf of our companies, but on behalf of our customers and our country. We seek no more than the freedom to compete on equal terms and no more than the liberty for consumers to choose the energy source they think best. These rights, like those on which country was founded, are a simple matter of common-sense. In fact, you might even call them “self-evident.”

But that doesn’t mean they’re self-evident in the halls of power, especially when our opponents are pumping as much haze into the energy debate as they are into the environment.

(This is a guest post by Mark Turzcynski, developer of the POWERSHED.)

Solar energy is abundant, renewable and becoming increasingly accessible across the country. Yet there are some serious concerns about rooftop solar installations when it comes to fire safety. In addition to the actual heat generated by the panels, the ability for fire fighters and other emergency responders to disconnect the electrical current to the panels and/or to gain access to attic fires remains a very real problem for homeowners.

What’s more, in cases like a home fire that happened earlier this spring in San Diego, CA, homeowners can’t find an electrician soon enough who is willing or able to sever the current (Source: North County Times). Granted, electricity is a pretty powerful force, and should be treated with respect. However, trying to locate a professional who can help save your house from burning to the ground can be very frustrating, to say the least.

Building codes across the country in states like California, New Mexico, Florida, Nevada and Florida haven’t kept pace with the advances in clean-tech and alternative energy. The wheels of bureaucracy churn slowly, and in the meantime, lots of people may be hurt or suffer property loss until it catches up.

One solution is portable solar options. Ordinary arrays or plug and play may work for some, but POWERSHED is a self-contained solar product geared toward homeowners. The photovoltaic solar panels are connected to a sturdy shed designed to withstand 90 mph winds. The shed is usable for storage and can also be situated anywhere on the property to maximize solar harvest.

The array is completely separate from the house, and the installation is specifically designed to be stress free: pour the concrete pad upon which the shed sits; anchor the shed; unfold the panels and lock them in place; plug the unit into the household current. A regular contractor can be used to coordinate assembly and connections, but a licensed solar installer is not necessary.

If desired, the POWERSHED can go with you when you move, or in some cases, may stay with the property as a value-add to the sale of your home.

POWERSHED was invented by the author, Mark Turczynski, an engineer in the Midwest who saw a need to transition folks to renewables and off fossil fuels as much as possible. For more information about how POWERSHED works or its technical specifications, please visit www.powershed.com.

The Carson National Forest just announced in The Taos News that fire danger is high. Temperatures are in the 90s, and humidity is low. Even after all that snow in March and April, there is a high risk of fire. It doesn’t take long for things to dry out in the desert!

Fire season officially starts on May 15. Fires can be started by lightning and fireworks, but, more frequently, humans. People burning trash, out-of-town campers, and people throwing cigarettes out of their car windows are all responsible. Once in a while, it is arson. Please be careful!

Whether you live in the beautiful Pinon and Ponderosa forests in New Mexico, or in the mountains of southern California, you can protect your home with firescaping – landscaping for fire resistance.

Create defensible space.

Defensible space is your home and all outbuildings and 30′ of adjacent yard around each. It should be as clear of flammables as possible. If you are on a slope, your defensible space is 100′.

> Use fire-resistant roofing materials – tile and metal instead of wood shakes and shingles.

> Plants with the highest water needs should be closest to the house – groundcovers, lawn, flowers and other herbaceous plants. Do not plant volatile vegetation, such as evergreens, in this area.

> Plant fire-resistant plants.

> Plant in loose clusters, instead of densely.

> Mulch to retain moisture, but do not use pine bark.

> Keep plantings of shrubs and trees to a minimum. Prune them, and keep them in good health. Dead and dry vegetation is wildfire fuel.

> Trees should be pruned at least 10′ off the ground, and branches should not hang over the house.

> Do not plant vines to climb up trees. Ground fires will quickly climb them to the canopy.

> Lawns should be well-watered and cut low.

> Hardscaping – walkways, patios, stone walls, driveways and parking areas- is an effective firebreak.

> Your driveway should be wide enough for fire equipment to come in and turn around.

> Remove flammable vegetation at least 10′ on either side of the driveway.

> Keep leaves and debris out of your gutters.

> Keep your defensible space free of flammable materials, such as wood piles and scrap lumber.

> Keep hoses and tools handy in the event of a fire.

Consult your local county extension office or US Forest Service for information specific to your area.

Photos courtesy Firewise. Learn about Firewise Communities.

> As I prep my yard for curb appeal for potential buyers, I see I have a lot of work to do! I have two compost piles in my fenced off vegetable garden. They are just large rings of wire I found in the shed that was here when I bought the place over 11 years ago. I have recycled this wire time and time again for compost piles. To me, my fenced-in kitchen scraps, grasses and weeds are beautiful, practical and earthy! Now I have to think objectively like an outsider, though, and they aren’t so pretty. I wish I had a set-up like this!

> I’ve been traveling quite a bit the last couple of years to visit my daughters away at school, and I noticed the potential waste in hotels. I’ve even written about it. Since I don’t frequent hospitals (thank god!), I never considered how they can be more eco-friendly, but being large buildings with large staff and many patients, the potential for waste is also large. Here is one hospital that has embodied not only my green ideas of an energy efficient building, but also of efficiency for staff and patients. People are important, too!

> My 16 year old daughter has to create a PowerPoint on the economy in a green society for her Environmental Science class. She called me yesterday to ask what future technologies she can include. I told her that buildings are the largest consumers of energy, so more efficient building methods need to be employed. I suggested she talk about net-zero energy homes, since they have not caught on in a big way yet, but they need to!

> I am a small-home advocate, and I have been working on a blog post about it for a couple of months. Information and ideas keep coming, so it is never finished! Here is a great story about a musician living in 600 square feet in New York.

> If you have an electric car and charge it through a conventional electric source in the US, you are most likely powering it with coal. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of having an electric car? Sure, you may be reducing your need for oil, but you have increased the need for coal-fired power plants and put a strain on the grid. I have long advocated for a renewable source, such as solar or wind, to charge plug-in electric vehicles. Well, they are finally getting built!

> The news this week is all about the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. Why do we have to keep drilling? Why can’t we see that renewables won’t cause this kind of environmental damage? I know, I know. It’s all about lobbies and money. But the more we demand oil, the more they will keep trying to bring it to us, no matter the cost, environmental, human and financial. How can you reduce demand?

> I take that back. Washington may have seen the light and is re-thinking renewables.

> I thought my house was pretty damn solar! I have passive solar, a solar greenhouse, and solar hot water. Not bad! And I have reduced my energy bills by about half (I also changed out some old windows and insulated my ceiling, so it’s not all attributed to solar….). These folks in Missouri have me beat – they have all that I have, but they also have solar PV.

> I generally write about energy efficiency in homes. I encourage everyone to get energy audits and do what they can to tighten up their homes to reduce air leakage and lower energy use and utility bills. Right now, though, it may not be economically feasible to replace windows, insulate and add thermal mass. There is plenty you can do within the home to make it and your life greener, though. Find out with this helpful resource, EWG’s Healthy Home Checklist.

> As a Realtor@ in Taos, I have noticed that the popular and affordable price range for homes dropping. Instead of searching for the $350,000-400,000 home, they now want to spend $200,000-250,000. The prices of the more expensive homes have come down some, but not that far. The lower priced home is the new demand, so they are coming on the market with more frequency. Home values are changing around the country.

> I will say this again: Lenders, appraisers and builders have to be on the same page in order to get energy efficient homes and remodels financed and perhaps rewarded. New legislation, the GREEN Act (Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods), HR 2336, supports this and is going to the House for a vote. Please contact your reps in support of HR 2336!

> There is nothing like a competition to get people to do their best, learn new ways and change! The EPA is hosting the National Building Competition, which follows the format of the tv show, The Biggest Loser, a competition to lose weight. Fourteen commercial buildings will strive to reduce waste and energy consumption in 180 days. Energy consumption will be tracked and improvements made. Winners will be announced in October. I am SO looking forward to this! I hope it sets an example and shows others what can be done in their own commercial or residential buildings.

> It wouldn’t be a recap without a link to ONE green home! I love recycling, and I love prefab. This home is both. Actually, it is a studio, and I think it is a piece of art! Recycled materials can be put together in a creative, pleasing, and, of course, functional way. I hope this gives you some ideas for your own home.

> I’ve wanted to be an architect since I was about four years old. I am going back to school to realize that dream, hoping to someday be on a team that designs a house that wins a spot in the The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon.

> What constitutes the perfect home for you? This self-sufficient home is damn near perfect for me! It’s only drawback is… it’s in Australia!

> Camping season is upon us. I go camping to get away from the constant onslaught of info via technology. There is no privacy or quiet time with incoming texts and phone calls, round-the-clock newsfeeds on Twitter and friend updates on Facebook. I’m not even talking about working in real estate, which is another bombardment via email and phone! Camping is big time chill time for me! When I saw the headline of this article, I almost gagged, thinking there were new ways to keep the laptop, cell and/or tv fully charged. But I was pleasantly surprised! Here are some 21st century camping gadgets that will solarize your time in the wilderness.

> When my parents passed away, they were living in a snazzy retirement home in North Carolina. It was far from cookie cutter and had all the upscale finishing touches for which they paid dearly! Although I will probably never retire, my dream retirement home would be energy efficient, passive solar and earthy, like this concept design for Novato, CA.

> My house was built in 1964, long before lead paint was outlawed. I did not do a lead paint inspection when I bought it, but when I remodeled in 2007, I wasn’t sure if we were unearthing lead paint in the untouched-for-decades walls. If I were to remodel today, literally, starting today, April 22, 2010, my contractor would need special training and certification.