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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.
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