Green Daily

(Photo by Energy Star)

It's countdown to tax day! Maybe you're one of those "organized" people who filed back in February and are chuckling at the rest of us with our piles of receipts covering the dining room table. Or maybe you're (normal and) scrambling to file your extension by April 15th.

Either way, as long as we're all thinking about taxes and saving money, here's some interesting information from the Energy Star website about tax credits created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which will give you tax breaks for making energy efficient choices.

If you upgrade your home in 2009 and 2010, you can get a credit of 30% of the cost, up to $1,500 for installing new:

• windows and doors
• insulation
• roofs
• HVAC systems
• water heaters (non-solar)
• biomass stoves

Even better, through 2016, you can get a credit for 30% of the cost -- with no upper limit -- when you add these energy efficient systems to new and existing homes:

• geothermal heat pumps
• solar panels
• solar water heaters
• small wind energy systems
• fuel cells

Thinking about getting a new car? You can find a tax advantaged solution there, too! Even though credits for Toyota and Honda hybrid cars have been phased out, you can still get tax credit for gas-electric hybrids from Ford, GM and Nissan. Also, the first 250,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles sold will earn the buyer a tax credit.

We're all glad when we don't have to think about taxes, but it's always good to hear that you will be rewarded for making the right choice for the planet!