Great idea. Go to Greece and you'll see a solar panel on every other home. Every little bit of power we can get on our own will help ease the growing burden on the grid and the coal industry. It should actually be mandated that all new homes install solar panels or some other means to provide atleast 20 percent of the power used.

Yes! Grants. Low-interest loans. Tax breaks. Tonight's forecast low here is -12. That means a lot of natural gas going through the furnace.

And, yes, mandate green construction.

I rent an apartment...my winter electric bill is my biggest bill, other than my rent.

just saying....

Hi Marti,

Don't know if you will see this, but I hear you about being a renter.  I would also advocate for apartment owners to be required to install solar, wind and other green energy to help relieve the burden on renters.  This could be done with tax incentives or even an slight and I mean really slight increase in rents but not so high as to just replace the cost of energy and prvide no relief to the renter.

I agree, solar (and wind) is the way to go.  If there were a mandate that starting Jan 1 2010 (or some other date) every new house/building built had to have solar panels that would help use less power from the grid.  Also, if companies and entrepreneurs knew this mandate was coming they would pour tons of money into solar technology because they would know there would very soon be a huge demand for solar panels.  This would help lower cost overall. 

I also like T Boone Pickens' plan of a wind farm in Texas.  Along with solar and wind the power distribution infrastructure of the US needs to be upgraded.

Please take a look at Architecture 2030's concepts to do this. On Change.Gov with Stimulate the Economy Through Energy-Efficient Buildings.

Look to your local building codes first.  Most have updated the requirements to build more efficient homes and buildings.  Old homes are not worth updating, they need to be torn down and built to code at some point, and they will be.  

A federal mandate is a blanket - it does not have the power to address the individual building needs in earthquake-prone, mild-weather California, the desert of Nevada, and tundra-cold winters of Minnesota.  It is up to the states to do as such.  If your state doesn't, then start lobbying your local representative.  

Solar incentives don't benefit someone that lives in 50% cloud cover or permanent shade from trees on their property.  If the federal government does it, all taxpayers contribute, so most if not all should benefit.  Keep it on the state level and you'll see results much faster.  

We are getting there already.  Throwing money at it doesn't fix the problem, it just makes the people doing the work rich, and the ones paying for it poor. 

Research the internet!!!!
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago115.html

Your state or local electric provider may have incentives for you. There is already a 30% Federal income tax credit for the purchase of a solar system. The October 2008 banking bailout bill lifts the $2,000 credit limit cap that was in the older 2005 Energy Bill. The tax credit is calculated on the total installed cost of the solar system including installation charges. This means any solar system placed into operation after December 31, 2008 will have no Federal tax credit limit. For example, a high-end solar photovoltaic power system costing $50,000 would generate a $15,000 credit towards a homeowner’s Federal income tax liability.

This 2008 legislation also included a tax credit for wind-driven electric generators. However, the 30% Federal income tax credit for a wind system is limited to $1,000 per kW of installed wind generating capacity up to maximum of $4,000.  

If you do not owe enough Federal income tax in a given year to make use of the full credit amount, this bill allows carrying your solar tax credit forward for up to 20 years. Both tax credits will remain in effect for eight years and will end on December 31, 2016.

This 2008 legislation allows small businesses and corporations to also take advantage of this Federal income tax credit, plus it allows a five-year accelerated depreciation expense on the cost of the solar system (actually the depreciation is based on 85% of the equipment cost). Being allowed to take both the accelerated depreciation and a Federal income tax credit for a solar system that is being installed to reduce monthly utility costs may cause many businesses to decide it’s time to go solar. Although this could change in the future, this legislation currently does not reduce the allowed Federal tax credit if you will also receive a separate solar tax credit from your state, or as a utility rebate for installing a wind or solar system.

There will soon be many solar dealers with no prior experience entering this new market. I suggest that you be very careful in choosing a reliable solar dealer who has verifiable installation experience and customer references. The North American Board of Certified Energy Professionals (NABCEP) tests all solar installers at the National level and this certification requires proof of experience and recurring educational courses. Some states also have their own solar installer requirements and licensing, and you should contact your state’s Energy Office to locate a certified solar installer for your area.

Unfortunately, the renewable energy initiatives do nothing for renters or those that have no money to invest!!!!!!!

Hi Denise_C,

While there are incentives for solar and other sources of green energy, the cost still are beyound the average homeowner.  While localities can address issues specific to their region, the federal government can institute programs to make this affordable.

there is new solar material in the works im not sure if it is close to being widely available or not but a few times more efficent and supposedly 10x cheaper then current solar panels. it would be well worth it to bring production of this material to full steam completely cut our dependance on non-renewable resources to power our buildings and even our vehicles. helping the people and the planet all in one shot.