Home Energy Tax credits, do they work?

Are you planning on taking measures to make your home more energy efficient? If so, according to the latest reports, it appears you are a member of a slight minority of Americans who are utilizing the opportunity to save money on your electric bills and get money back from the government backed Energy Tax Credit program.

Why haven’t more people jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of the tax credits and to save energy when electricity rates are at such high levels? My belief is that there are two major reasons why people refrain from making the energy saving changes to their homes.

The first is that I feel that most Americans just aren't fully educated on the benefits that an efficient home provides (personal health, economical, ecological). Most people don't see that making minor changes such as new windows or upated caulking would make much of enough a change personally or globally to entice them to make the changes.

The second probably most critical is cost. At time when unemployment is in double digits and a family's discretionary spending budget is minimal, I don't think that refunding 30% up to $1500 is a large enough incentive to entice people to make the changes that otherwise would not. I think the people that are making energy efficient changes to their homes are a large majority of people that had already had plans to make the changes and are excited to know that they will get money back.

So hopefully the government will do more to educate the American public and provide greater incentives to get more people on board with the program before we find ourselves at a major energy crisis point years down the road. Hopefully it won't be too late!

Brian Heltzel
Putting On The Fix Remodeling
Burleson, TX
www.puttingonthefix.com