In today’s world, it’s not just cut up coupons throughout the year or Labor Day sales that help reduce our spending.  With rising technology and competitive markets, there must be another way to bring down our costs while still living within the comfortable parameters of modern day society.   There is: energy reduction rebates and tax credits worth thousands of dollars.

            Modern day society causes us to take for granted a couple of things—for one, electricity—something far too beneficial to give up, as it cools and heats our homes, lights up our rooms, and cleans our clothes.  We can thank electricity for facilitating home cooked meals with a hot stove, and a cool refrigerator to keep the food fresh. 

            Before we knew it, this miraculous convenience brought everyone’s monthly bills up.  The extra refrigerator in the back – you cleverly kept after having to upgrade to a newer one - soaked up energy even though it was empty. The central air conditioner had to compete with the summer heat seeping in through the various spaces around the windows and doors; even the insulated rooms on the first floor seemed to be competing with the cool draft of winter coming from the garage.  Unbeknownst to most homeowners, these are some of the highest energy drainers, dramatically increasing our energy bill by hundreds of dollars.

            Not only is the old, vacant refrigerator a waste of space, but it also does not contain as much insulation as newer refrigerators.  So while your thermostat is set at a pleasant temperature, the draft from the fridge is playing with your air and the appliance itself is eating energy by making your thermostat work harder.  The smart thing to do would be to sell the appliance to get immediate cash and simultaneously bring down the energy in your home.  Even if you cannot sell the fridge, you are better off simply sending it to the recycler or dump.

Single pane windows are guilty of letting outside air into homes, also tampering with the air balance.  The thin layer separating the circulating air from the outside temperature is not enough to keep our homes at a satisfying temperature. Because we can’t change the outside temperature, we change the thermostat, a reflexive gesture we want to avoid.

Garages attached to the house are guilty of the same crime.  Even though the garage is a barely occupied room, the air draft seeps continually throughout the house.  Even the insulated rooms are not spared. While it may seem useless to insulate our garages, it helps us keep the thermostat at an even temperature by blocking further air drafts and avoiding that same old habitual gesture that costs us money every time we do it.  Homeowners know that the government is not offering to pay their heating bills.  What most homeowners DO NOT know is that the government will subsidize some of their insulation costs, as it avoids wasting energy and electricity each and every day from the moment that you take action.  This saves you money, so you might as well look at insulating your attic while you’re at it.

Insulation is not the only thing that the government will subsidize. They will contribute to electric heat pumps, natural biomass stoves, exterior doors and windows, etc. Well aware of the effects of the biggest energy drainers, the government is working to “achieve the maximum improvement in energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and economically justified.”   It is important that we, as paying homeowners and citizens of the world, take advantage of the fact that the government is facilitating this transformation.  Please check out www.dsireusa.org to find what your state policies and procedures are for tax rebates and deductibles. By understanding and acting upon the government’s incentive to improve energy efficiency, you will decrease your monthly bills and help society that much more.

So you will not find it in the Sunday circular.  The government credits and rebates contributing to the comfort of your own home is not exactly a coupon cut out or a holiday sale, but it sure is worth it.