On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.” This bill extended tax credits for energy efficient home improvements (windows, doors, roofs, insulation, HVAC, and non-solar water heaters). Tax credits for these residential products, which had expired at the end of 2007, will now be available for improvements made during 2009. However, improvements made during 2008 are not eligible for a tax credit.

The bill also extended tax credits for solar energy systems and fuel cells to 2016. New tax credits were established for small wind energy systems and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Tax credits for builders of new energy efficient homes and tax deductions for owners and designers of energy efficient commercial buildings were also extended.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits

Electric cars output one fifth the carbon dioxide and cost about one twentieth in energy compared to their gas counterparts. I was interested in discovering whether or not electric cars offered any cut in CO2 output in our current-day infrastructure. According to their site, the Tesla Roadster uses 110 watt hours of electricity per mile. For the purpose of a theoretical comparison, let us assume that the gas powered counterpart of the Tesla would get 20 miles per gallon. Now lets zoom out.

One kilogram of coal has 24 mega joules of energy and outputs 1.83 kilograms of CO2 when burned. America is 54% coal-powered, the average plant is 31% efficient, and transmission losses of electricity are about 10%. Moving over to gas, one gallon of gas becomes about twenty pounds of CO2 when burned. A gallon of gas costs around $4.00, and a kilowatt hour of electricity is around 9.86 cents. After all of the calculations, this results in 1¢ per mile electric versus 20¢ per mile gas, 3.2 ounces of CO2 per mile versus one pound per mile.

Considering that the legacy left behind by American car companies has little to do with being clean, there seems to be an increased sense of urgency by some U.S. states to replace the older fleet of vehicles with newer, and therefore cleaner, vehicles. The states with the two largest vehicle fleets, Texas and California, have both implemented new programs which offer cash-based incentives to owners of older vehicles which fail current emissions testing. In Texas, up to $3,500 is offered towards a vehicle three-years old or newer, though income restrictions do apply. In California, there is no maximum income number, though the far-left state is a bit less generous, offering $1,500 towards the purchase of a replacement vehicle.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/06/30/states-pay-drivers-to-replace-their-older-cars/

There is a growing realisation that climate change is a reality and not a myth. Air travel is now the fastest-growing contributor to global warming, and avoiding a flight when there are easy alternatives is probably the biggest single thing that any individual can do to cut their carbon footprint and limit their own impact on the environment. No wonder many people are now looking for less environmentally-hostile ways to travel.

It’s not an exact science, and I’m certainly no expert, but Eurostar has done its homework and commissioned independent research to assess the CO2 per passenger produced by a London-Paris Eurostar journey versus that emitted by a passenger on a London-Paris flight. The research looked at actual Eurostar passenger loadings, actual Eurostar power consumption, the way Eurostar’s electricity is generated, actual aircraft loadings, actual aircraft fuel consumption, and so on. The conclusion was remarkable: Taking the train to Paris instead of flying cuts CO2 emissions per passenger not just by 10% or 20% or even 50%, but by a staggering 90%…

http://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm

In the wake of the Department of Energy’s announcement today that creates ENERGY STAR® criteria for residential water heaters, GE® is proud to introduce two innovative products that will meet the new requirements. The GE Hybrid Electric Water Heater and GE Tankless Gas Water Heater, both currently in development, represent the latest in a series of GE appliances designed to help energy efficiency in the home.

The DOE’s new ENERGY STAR program, for heat pump water heaters and tankless water heaters, is the result of many months of analysis of technologies, market opportunities and consumer interest.

To see complete article:

http://www.geconsumerproducts.com/pressroom/press_releases/appliances/energy_efficient_products/doetanklesshybrid.htm