Get More Green

Save $5,000 at home -- and help save the planet.

Living Green Can Save You Money

We all know going green is good for the planet. But ask people to do more to protect the environment and they think: sacrifice. Doing the responsible thing means giving up conveniences while paying for eco-friendlier alternatives, right? Not at all. Living green can actually save you money, and lots of it. In celebration of Earth Day, here are steps you can take that are good for the environment -- and even better for you, because hidden in your home are green savings of $5,000 or even more!

Build Energy-Efficient
In the market to purchase a home? More and more contractors are building energy-efficient houses because they can get a $2,000 government tax credit for enviro-smart construction.

Typically, these homes have state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems, as well as features like windows with insulation coatings and energy-saving lighting and appliances.

What's in It for You?
Owners of these new homes have slashed 50 percent or more off their utility bills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The average American household expenditure of $1,900 per year on energy could potentially drop to around $950 a year. And that doesn't include your water bill, which can bump your annual savings to nearly $1,000.

What's Driving Green Construction?

Among the real innovators in green building is Palo Alto, California-based Clarum Homes, a developer of communities with three- to five-bedroom houses as well as apartments.

In Clarum's Vista Montaña community of Watsonville, California, four-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot homes priced at $500,000 sold out in one year. Neighboring homes of comparable size went for just $8,000 less, and Clarum says the extra expense for its proper-ties pays for itself in about 11 years.

The Department of Energy is a big force behind green construction, with its Building America program, an initiative that's responsible for the construction of more than 33,000 energy-efficient homes.

More Good News
Mortgage lender Fannie Mae estimates the savings from a $2,400 investment on a typical energy-efficient home is $720 a year. And that's nothing to sneeze at, because you'd recoup that premium after just three years. To find one of these homes near you, go to energystar.gov and click on Find Local Homebuilders.

Buy Energy-Smart
Every time you turn on the lights, run the dishwasher, do a load of laundry or microwave popcorn, you're spending money on energy. But that's not even taking into account the appliances you have running all the time, like air conditioning in the summer and your refrigerator throughout the year.

Considering all the stuff you power up, your smartest move is to buy appliances that have earned the Energy Star seal.

What's in It for You?
The government-backed seal is a guarantee that the item is energy-efficient. Take compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. These nifty lights use 75 percent less electricity than a normal bulb, last ten times longer, produce 450 fewer pounds of greenhouse gases and save you almost $30 over the life of each one. Imagine if someone handed you 30 bucks every time you changed a light bulb!

For a list of Energy Star appliances from tons of manufacturers, check out energystar.gov.

Get Credit for Your Wheels -- and More!

Let's face it, your commute would be a lot more fun if you were getting paid or had free access to the HOV lane. Well, now there are more ways than ever to make your commute a little more environmentally friendly and a lot more profitable.

Consider buying a hybrid. Gas prices can affect whether the investment is worth it financially, but it's one of the single best things you can do for the environment right now. Need a bit more incentive? If, for example, you buy a Toyota Prius by September 30, 2007, you're entitled to a $787.50 tax credit. Then there's the sleek 2007 Lexus GS 450h, worth $387.50 in tax credit savings. But you don't have to go the luxury car route. All of the hybrid models below can save you big:

Model		Year		Credit
Ford Escape Hybrid (4WD)		'05-'07		$2,600
Honda Civic Hybrid CVT		'06-'07		$2,100
Mercury Mariner Hybrid		'06-'07		$1,950
Honda Insight CVT		'05-'06		$1,450
Toyota Prius		'05-'07		$788
Toyota Highlander Hybrid		'06-'07		$650
Honda Accord Hybrid		'06		$650
Lexus RX 400h		'06-'07		$555

Be an Energy Manager
More and more of us have an array of electronic equipment in our homes, both for work and entertainment. Yet few of us seem to realize the power drain from these gadgets.

Microsoft estimates that it costs $55 to $70 per year to allow one computer to sit idle. (Foreign Policy magazine multiplied those figures by 100 million computers to point out the world spends at least $5 billion to $7 billion every year powering inactive computers!)

And computers are far from the only culprit. Think of your fax machine, copier, TV, stereo, DVD player ... on and on. According to the EPA, 40 percent of all electricity used to power electronics in the average home is consumed while the products are turned off. That's the equivalent of the annual output of 17 power plants across the United States.

What's in It for You?

By buying Energy Star power-managed equipment (no more expensive than standard electronics), you can easily save $100 a year on your bill. That's found money, and plenty of people are cashing in already. Each year, Energy Star equipment saves Americans more than $3.5 billion in energy costs. If you're not ready to invest in devices with built-in power management or other Energy Star features, consider this: Just by turning off your laser printer and fax on nights and weekends, you could save almost half the energy needed to run these products.

Fax Giveaways
Have an old computer, fax or printer you need to get rid of? Well, whatever you do, don't throw it out! You'd be surprised how many charitable organizations, schools and techies are interested in your outdated equipment. At sharetechnology.org and throwplace.com, you can list your office machines on a community board. Everything at the websites is given for free -- but if a charity takes your junky old computer, you just might have yourself a tax write-off worth hundreds. You help someone in need, recycle goods instead of tossing them and get a tax break to boot.

UltraLow-Power Computers
Check out energystar.gov to find a computer that uses 70 percent less energy than a typical PC. And be prepared to upgrade before long: The government is working hard to boost the efficiency of new computers and office equipment even more. The predicted savings: $4 billion over five years.