PROVIDENCE – Stephen and Jeanne Raymond can call their Providence home a little more energy efficient today thanks to the work of about 30 volunteers last weekend.
A small army of energy efficiency experts, backed by companies specializing in saving energy, swooped into the home on Holden Street on Saturday. Organized by the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, the volunteers sealed interior and exterior air leaks, insulated the home’s attic, switched out incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents and installed programmable thermostats. The league also said it wanted the volunteers to bring the skills they learned Saturday back to their own homes.
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The league said the event – a community “barn-raising” – was part of an initiative to call attention to ways individuals can reduce energy use. The program is modeled after the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) in Cambridge, Mass.
Saturday’s event came as the Internal Revenue Service sought to remind people that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expanded two tax credits aimed at making homes more energy efficient.
The non-business Energy Property Credit equals 30 percent of what a homeowner spends on eligible energy-saving improvements, up to a maximum tax credit of $1,500 for the combined 2009 and 2010 tax years. The cost of certain high-efficiency heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters and stoves that burn biomass all qualify, along with labor costs for installing these items. In addition, the cost of energy-efficient windows and skylights, energy-efficient doors, qualifying insulation and certain roofs also qualify for the credit, though the cost of installing these items does not count.
The Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit equals 30 percent of what a homeowner spends on qualifying property such as solar electric systems, solar hot water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, wind turbines and fuel cell property. Generally, labor costs are included when calculating this credit. Also, no cap exists on the amount of credit available except in the case of fuel cell property.
Visit www.irs.gov for more information.
