Spring 2011
How to Stay Affordably Cool this Summer
The first thing you should do every spring, before it gets too warm is make sure your air conditioner is working as efficiently as possible. The best way to do this is to have a professional come out and take a look at it once a year or so. The spring is a great time for this because it gives you the opportunity to have any problems repaired before the heat really sets in.
During a regular maintenance visit, a technician will go through your entire air conditioning system to make sure everything is working properly. They’ll clean your coils and remove any sediment that has built up over time. They’ll also check for and replace any worn out parts that could cause a problem in the near future.
Regular maintenance also helps sustain your air conditioner’s energy efficiency, which saves you plenty in energy costs all summer long. It will also help to prolong the life of your system, generating even more savings.
Things You Can Do Around the House
But in addition to making sure your air conditioner is running as efficiently as possible, there are also some things you can do to make its job easier as the temperature outside rises. For one thing, it’s a good idea to make sure your house is well insulated and that the spaces around your doors and windows are well-sealed.
This keeps warm outside air from getting in and expensive air conditioned air from escaping into the world outside. That means your air conditioner won’t have to work so hard or use so much energy to keep your home at a comfortable temperature.
Keep the Attic Cool
Another way heat can seep into your home in the summer is through the attic. Especially if your attic isn’t a living space, you probably have very little reason to go up there, so you may not realize how hot it can get in the summer. But as the sun beats down on your roof all day long, a lot of that heat finds its way into the attic and from there into the rest of your home.
There are a couple of ways to protect yourself from this heat infiltration. One is to have some sort of attic fan installed. These devices fit right into your roof and automatically switch on when the temperature in your attic reaches a certain point. When it’s running, an attic fan can efficiently transfer hot air out of your attic, keeping it cool and stopping the spread of heat throughout the rest of your home.
In addition to an attic fan, proper insulation is important when you’re trying to stay cool indoors. In particular, insulating the floor of your attic will keep the cool air down in the rest of the house and keep the heat in the attic from warming your living spaces. This means lower energy bills for you because your air conditioner won’t have to work so hard to keep your house cool.
Tapping into the New Government HVAC Tax Credits for 2011
So you probably already know that installing an energy efficient HVAC system or upgrading your old one to a newer model will save you a great deal on your home heating and cooling costs. But did you also know that you can get a break on your taxes?
Believe it. There are quite a few systems and types of equipment that will qualify you for this tax credit. So if you were on the fence about whether to upgrade your HVAC system now or wait, this may be just the kind of incentive you were waiting for.
What Qualifies for a Tax Credit?
Of course, you have to make sure that the system you put in qualifies for the 2011 tax credit. It’s probably a good idea to discuss your options with a professional so that you can be sure you get the right type of product.
For instance, if you’re interested in a new gas or propane furnace, you need to select one with an Annual Fuel Use Efficiency (AFUE) of 95% or better to qualify for the credit. The same goes for gas, oil or propane boilers. So if you’re in the market for any of these types of equipment, make sure the one you buy meets the criteria to qualify you for the tax credit.
Many air conditioning units also meet the requirements for the new government 2011 tax credits for HVAC systems. These include any central air conditioning systems with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of at least 16. Many air source heat pumps also fall into this category and the same SEER specifications apply to them.
Simpler Ways to Get the Tax Credit
But even if you don’t need a whole new furnace or air conditioning system at the moment, you can still take advantage of these HVAC system tax credits by adding or replacing some part of your HVAC system. For instance, having a new fan installed on your furnace or AC unit that uses 2% or less of the total energy the furnace or AC unit consumes will qualify you for a tax break.
And you can even benefit by upgrading your water heater to a more energy efficient model. To qualify for the tax credit, a heat pump water heater must have an energy factor of 2.0 or more, while propane and gas water heaters need to have a thermal efficiency rating of no less than 90% an energy factor of at least 0.82.
The manufacturer of the equipment you purchase will have specific information on what models qualify. They should also provide certification documents to support this. Make sure you select products that fit the requirements and obtain all of the necessary documents so that you can take full advantage of these incentives.
Also, you can only claim equipment that is installed in your primary place of residence, so equipment purchased for your vacation home or other building won’t qualify. Because there are so many specific requirements, it’s important to make sure you’re meeting all of them before you make a purchasing decision based on these tax credits. If you’re still not sure, talk to your accountant, who should be able to guide you through both the process of qualifying for the credit and claiming it on your next return.
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