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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed into law by President Obama in February of 2009 provides some tremendous opportunities for homeowners. In the short run, it creates jobs; in the long term, homes that use less energy will save consumers money.
But what exactly does weatherization mean? How much will it cost the average family, and what exactly can homeowners do to reap the rewards? Green building efficiency expert Charlie Szoradi and his team spent the past several months reading and deciphering this 400-page piece of legislation to create a free resource for homeowners that decodes the Act. The free Federal Tax Incentive Decoder is now available for all individuals to download.
This Green Decoder will help homeowners uncover information regarding various energy efficiency improvement tactics they want to pursue, including reducing utility costs, producing power, financing options, buying their first home and/or buying a new car.
Charlie Szoradi, a member of the Green Economy Task Force, explains, “Our research team has decoded the Act [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] to find the most cost-effective ways for homeowners to save money on their utility bills. We may have read more of the details than the politicians that voted for it, and given our focus on Green Return on Investment there is some great news but also pitfalls. For example, you may be considering replacing an exterior door. You are eligible for a $1,500 tax credit, but the new door must have both a U-Factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.30 or lower to get the credit.”
