The Federal Tax Credits Blog

Posts Tagged ‘energy’

Say bye bye to any electric bill and say welcome to renewable energy. As far as renewable energies go, solar power is one of the most reliable and available to you.

What a lot of beginner environment lovers have a problem with is that they need to invest a lot of money in hiring a professional. It can take more than 10 years to recover the money you invest in a solar panel installation. However, there are always alternatives, which are more cost effective. Those alternatives are mainly making your own solar panels.

You might think at this point that it sounds like a lot of hard work. It’s not that hard to be honest. If they come with good instructions, making the solar panels can be easy. So easy that even kids or teens can assemble them. Their parts are not that complicated. Almost all the supplies that one might need to make a solar panel can be found a hardware store.

Another option would be to buy a solar panel kit, that comes with the parts needed to make your own solar energy. Making a few solar panels should allow you to provide power to a few small tools and appliances around the workshop. If you want more energy than that, you can make solar panels that can support bigger electric loads.

You can find a lot of guides and resources that will tell you how to make your own solar panels. First of all, you should find something with detailed instructions, of great quality. Next, visit a hardware store and find the supplies that the instructions say you need. Whenever you have some extra free time, get those instructions and the parts and try to put them together.

Besides saving a lot of money if you build them on your own, you also get a sense of pride, as you are really doing something to help the environment. You get to be independent of any fossil fuels and create an impact on the environment and the world.

You can easily spend thousands of dollars if you call a professional to install your solar panels and in a weak economy like this one, you can’t afford to throw money out the window. Go solar instead, save the money and learn how to make solar panels.

New Loan-Guarantee Bailout for New Nuclear Reactors Puts U.S. Taxpayers at Risk as Department of Energy Hands Over …

Nuclear Power Industry is Perfect Illustration of Why Taxpayers Are Saying “No More Bailouts!” – Billions for Plant Vogtle Reactors Impossible to Justify in Terms of Rising Financial Risks, Reduced Demand for Power, Cheaper Renewables and Huge Potential of Energy Efficiency

Ron Paul Texas Straight Talk Environmental Boondoggle June 29, 2009

Question: Can your paycheck be garnished for a nine year old credit card bill that is identity theft?

I got a notice this was going to be done. I thought this was illegal, that your pay could only be garnished for child support, taxes, alimony and student loans.
I’m a victim of identity theft and a police report and a report with the Federal Trade Commission has been filed with all 3 credit reporting agencies. Also, isn’t the statute of limitations 7 years?
I need help desperately, should I contact a lawyer? I’m in Tampa FL.

Answer: In FL, the statute of limitations on credit card debt is 4 years. However, that is 4 continuous years of living in florida. If after 3 years, you moved out for a year, and are now back, the 4 years started over.

The SOL is a defense against a court judgment. The court judgment is a necessary step for the creditor to get a wage garnishment against you. And, yes, cc debt is eligible for garnishment – it isn’t just taxes and student loans.

If your debt is 9 years old, and you have not moved around, then the only way the cc company can get a judgment against you is for you to not show up in court. If this is a notice of court hearing, make sure you show up, dispute the debt, and show evidence of identity theft.

If you missed the court hearing, you probably should have a lawyer file a motion to have the judgment vacated (=set aside or voided).

Good luck.

End of tax credit adds to biofuel-makers’ woes

An alternative fuel for diesel engines is off to a shaky start this year, though it emits fewer pollutants and cuts down on petroleum use because it’s made from environmentally friendly waste and vegetable oil. A federal tax credit that provided makers of… Petroleum – Vegetable fats and oils – Alternative fuel – Diesel engine – Business

Solar Companies in San Diego California Solar Panels Tax Credit

Question: House much draftier after having blown-in insulation professionally put in. Is this really happening?

I’ve tried to convince myself that I’m imagining it. We bought our house in the summer, and in the fall we were redoing lighting and noticed that all our walls were hallow. Even the electrician said something like, I don’t think these walls are supposed to be empty. The house was built in the 50’s, btw. So as it got colder, and we were frequently turning up the heat we decided to save on oil and get a 2009 tax credit. We paid the insulator $1,500 to blow into the walls of our whole house, and into the unfinished side of the attic and over the finished side (which we don’t heat or use for anything but storage). Before the insulation were impressed by our double-paned windows, relieved that while all our heat is escaping into the walls and roof, the windows had NO draft. Well, we’re all insulated now, and in debt, and the walls are fine but the windows are VERY drafty! What did we do?!!?! And what now?! I’m so cold!

Answer: this is one i really couldn’t answer without actually coming out to look, but, i’ll try to point you in the right direction.

first, you need to check your heating bills to see if the house is using more heat (power, gas, whatever) than it did same period last year. i know, you bought the house this summer, but the utility company can give you this info. if it’s using less heat, the insulation did you some good.

if it is using more to heat, ask the utility company if they can send out an energy auditor to take a look-see. it may be that you got bit by a contractor who is a “certified incompetent”, my way of saying that he has the certifications, but doesn’t know what he’s doing.

i’d use some “fake smoke” that comes in an aerosol can, you can get it from most hardware stores, to trace where the drafts are coming from. if it is from the windows themselves, like, where they slide and such, gah you need new windows now too. however, if the drafts are coming from the edges (framing) of the windows, you’re in luck, a tube of caulk or 2 should seal it right up. use a latex enamel caulk, lasts 20-40 years, and has a water cleanup, rather than silicone that sticks to everything and needs mineral spirits to clean.

Another option is find someone with (or rent) an infrared camera (many camcorders have this feature) and see where the hot and cold spots are.

Stories of the decade

The following are The Chronicle’s picks for stories of the decade:

2009-12-6 LBNH Grabers Insealators & Naville Homes.flv

Question: Can you use the first time tax credit to buy a duplex?

My fiancee and I are thinking about building a duplex, but since we are not married yet and she has never purchased a home before can she buy it as a first time home (we’ll live in it of course) and get the $8000 tax credit. Also, if I co-sign for her (not the same as a married arrangement), would she still be eligible and also allow her to build her creidt history (she has 0 credit history, none.).

Thank you!

Answer: See a tax CPA for that question, which is a very good one by the way!
Don’t take advice from yahoo’s on Yahoo with stuff like that.

U.S. home prices are flat, but Tampa has deepest price drops

Fallout of overbuilding and an economy reliant on the building industry San Francisco and Tampa sit at opposite corners of the country and at opposite ends of the housing recovery.

Tax Credit Causes Home Building Boomlet

Everyone has to think about putting aside some amount of money for their pension. One very good option is SIPP or Self-Invested Personal Pension. This scheme was brought out by the UK government in 1989 and the intention behind initiating it was to get more people to save for pension. 

Normally pension investment schemes allow people to invest into only a couple of funds, which are operated by the company’s own fund managers. This means that investment options for such investors are limited. On the other hand, Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) investors can choose from a large number of funds from various investment categories and this gives them more flexibility in their investment options. Investors can decide to put their money into lucrative investments and enjoy greater benefits by investing in this way.

Flexibility to draw on investment is something that investors always seek out.  If you have invested into Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and your age fall between 55 and 75 and you require money from it, you can take out up to 25% of your investment money as cash and in one go. The remaining will be provided to you in the forms of a regular income, for which you would have to pay taxes.

Tax is one thing that all investors have to look into and this is where investing into SIPP can be a real advantage as it offers considerable tax rebates. For example, a $1500 investment is going to cost just $1200. Those who come under the higher tax rate bracket, which actually benefit even more and this is something that’s quite unique about SIPP and it is a feature that makes it all the more attractive for every kind of investor.

With so many advantages, don’t you think you should move to a SIPP pension sooner? Join now and reap greater benefits in the future.

Simple cost-effective tips on winterizing your home

(ARA) – Winter weather can cause many private homeowners to wonder how they can pay their utility bill with tighter budgets. What many people do not realize is there are cost-effective ways of upgrading a home for the winter, which can save money in the long run.

Think Safety with Heating Season ABC27 News – SECCO Home Services