If you bought a hybrid car in 2007 or plan to buy one before 2010, you may be able to save a huge chunk on your tax bill. Hybrids purchased or placed into service after December 31, 2005 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $3,400. In addition to hybrid vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) also may be eligible for a federal tax credit of $4,000. Right now only Honda's compressed natural gas car has qualifed for the AFV tax credit.

A tax credit is a direct reduction in your tax bill, which makes them a lot better for your pocketbook than a tax deduction. While a tax deduction is subtracted from your income, and then you must still calculate taxes based on your current tax rate, a tax credit is subtracted directly from the taxes you've already calculated.

Credit amounts begin to phase out for any manufacturer that has sold over 60,000 eligible hybrid vehicles. There's a complex formula the government uses to figure out the tax credit on each model. The IRS will announce when a manufacturer exceeds the 60,000 sales figure. Right now only Honda and Toyota models are facing a phase-out of their tax credits.

Find your make:

You must meet the following requirements to claim the credit:

• You must be the one who first started using the vehicle.
• You must either buy or lease the vehicle for yourself and not for resale.
• You must use the vehicle mostly in the U.S.
• You must place the vehicle in service before December 31, 2010.

To claim your tax credit, file Form 8910 - "Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit" - with your tax return.

In this series, I focus on tax credits available for Fords, GMs, Hondas, Nissans and Toyotas.

Made home improvements?

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If you paid for home improvements to make your home more energy efficient in 2007, you may be eligible for tax breaks as well. Federal Tax Credits are available for home improvements that include installing energy efficient windows and doors, roofing, insulation, central air conditioning, water heaters, solar energy systems and fuel cells.

Tax credits are subtracted from the amount of tax due, which can be a lot more valuable than a tax deduction. A tax deduciton is subtracted from the amount of income earned and then you must pay whatever taxes are due on that income at your current tax rate.

Tax Credits can total up to $500 for home improvements, but if you add a solar energy system or fuel cells the tax credit can be a lot higher. For solar energy systems you can write off up to 30% of the cost up to $2,000. For fuel cells the tax credit can be as high as 30% of costs paid up to $1,000. To get these credits you'll need to file Form 5695 with your tax return. In this series I focus on what you must do to qualify for these tax credits.

You may find that your state also offers additional tax incentives. Go to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency and click on your state to find the incentives available to you.

Congress is trying to extend these credits for 2008, but legislation has not yet passed that includes the extension, so watch the news. You may be able to have similar write offs for work done in 2008 if the legislation does pass.

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Toyota was the first car manufacturer to hit 60,000 cars sold, so the phase out of tax credits started on its cars bought after September 2006.

If you bought a Toyota hybrid between January 1, 2007 and March 31, 2007, you qualify for these tax credits:

• 2006 and 2007 Toyota Prius - $1,575
• 2006 and 2007 Toyota Highlander - $1,300
• 2007 Toyota Camry - $1,300
• 2006 and 2007 Lexus RX 400h - $1,100
• 2007 Lexus GS450h - $775

If you bought a Toyota between April 1, 2007 and September 30, 2007, you qualify for these tax credits:

• 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid - $787.50
• 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid -$650
• 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 4WD - $650
• 2008 Lexus LS 600h L Hybrid - $450
• 2008 Lexus RX 400h 2WD and 4WD- $550

You can't get a tax break if you bought a Toyota hybrid after September 30, 2007. There will be no tax breaks for Toyota hybrids bought in 2008 through 2010.

Made home improvements?

We can help you there too. From new windows, to roofing, to solar power -- find out what rebates you qualify for with the Green Daily Tax Guide: Home Edition.

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Nissan first introduced the Nissan Altima Hybrid in 2007 and it's the only hybrid it sells. Both the 2007and 2008 Altima Hybrids qualify for a tax credit of $2,350.

A total of 7,849 Nissan hybrids have been sold as of September 2007, so you are in no danger of a phase out of these hybrids any time soon. The IRS will announce when Nissan gets close to the 60,000 car limit.

Made home improvements?

We can help you there too. From new windows, to roofing, to solar power -- find out what rebates you qualify for with the Green Daily Tax Guide: Home Edition.

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Honda reached its 60,000 vehicle limit in sales to retail dealers at the end of September 30, 2007, so phase outs started on car purchases bought after December 31, 2007. If you did by a Honda in 2007, here are the tax credits you can claim:

• Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, Model Year 2007 - $2,100
• Honda Accord Hybrid AT, Model Year 2007 - $1,300
• Honda Accord Hybrid Navi AT, Model 2007 - $1,300
• Honda Civic Hybrid CVT Model Year 2006 - $2,100.00
• Honda Insight CVT Model Year 2006 - $1,450.00
• Honda Accord Hybrid AT Model Year 2006 - $1,300.00

If you buy a Honda hybrid between Jan. 1, 2008, and June 30, 2008, you'll be able to take these tax credits:

• Honda Accord Hybrid AT, Model Year 2007 - $650
• Honda Accord Hybrid Navi AT, Model Year 2007 - $650
• Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, Model Year 2007 -$1,050
• Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, Model Year 2008 - $1,050

If you buy a Honda between July 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2008, you'll be able to take these tax credits:

• Honda Accord Hybrid AT, Model Year 2007 - $325
• Honda Accord Hybrid Navi AT, Model Year 2007 - $325
• Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, Model Year 2007 -$525
• Honda Civic Hybrid CVT, Model Year 2008 - $525

Honda hybrids will not qualify for a tax break in 2009 or 2010.

Made home improvements?

We can help you there too. From new windows, to roofing, to solar power -- find out what rebates you qualify for with the Green Daily Tax Guide: Home Edition.

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GMC was a late comer to the hybrid field, so it doesn't have very many hybrids sold. After selling 2,927 qualifying vehicles to dealers as of March 21, 2007, the total number of GM hybrids sold is 8,485.

The 2008 model year GMs qualify for the tax credit include:

• Chevrolet Malibu hybrid - $1,300
• Saturn Aura hybrid - $1,300
• Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid - $2,200
• Chevrolet Yukon 1500 Hybrid - $2,200

These earlier model year cars qualify for the tax credit as well:

• Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid 2WD, Model Years 2006 and 2007 - $250
• Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid 4WD, Model Years 2006 and 2007 - $650
• GMC Sierra Hybrid 2WD, Model Years 2006 and 2007 $250
• GMC Sierra Hybrid 4WD, Model Years 200 and 2007 $650
• Saturn Vue Green Line, Model Year 2007 $650
• Saturn Aura Hybrid, Model Year 2007 $1,300

The 2008 GM hybrids are much more efficient, so they do qualify for better tax breaks than most of the earlier models.

Made home improvements?

We can help you there too. From new windows, to roofing, to solar power -- find out what rebates you qualify for with the Green Daily Tax Guide: Home Edition.

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Ford has some time before it will have to worry about a phase out of the tax credit on its hybrid vehicles. Based on an IRS quarterly report, Ford sold 6,272 qualifying hybrid vehicles to its dealers by the end of June 30, 2007, which is the most recent report available. This brings the total number of Ford qualifying hybrids sold to 33,537.

Here are the credits you can claim if you buy one of these Ford cars:

• Ford Escape 2WD Hybrid, Model Year 2008 - $3,000
• Ford Escape 2WD, Model Years 2006 and 2007 - $2,600
• Ford Escape 4WD Hybrid, Model Year 2008 - $2,200
• Ford Escape 4WD, Model Years 2006 and 2007 - $1,950
• Mercury Mariner 4WD Hybrid, Model year 2008 - $2,200
• Mercury Mariner 4WD, Model Years 2006 and 2007 - $1,950
• Mercury Mariner 2WD Hybrid, Model Year 2008 - $3,000

Made home improvements?

We can help you there too. From new windows, to roofing, to solar power -- find out what rebates you qualify for with the Green Daily Tax Guide: Home Edition.

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Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Did you install a solar water heating system or a photovoltaic system in your home in 2007? If you did you may qualify for up to $2,000 in tax credits on the water heating system and up to $1,000 in credits on the photovoltaic system. In both cases you can write off up to 30% of the costs. For example, if your solar water heating system cost $10,000, then you could get a tax credit of $2,000 (30% x 10,000 = $3300, but you can only write off $2,000 of that).

For a solar water heating system to qualify:

* At least half of the energy generated must come from the sun. Homeowners may only claim spending on the solar water heating system property, not the entire water heating system of the household.

* The credit is not available for expenses for swimming pools or hot tubs.

* The water must be used in the dwelling.

* The system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC).

For a photovoltaic system to qualify, the system must provide electricity for the residence, and must meet applicable fire and electrical code requirements.

You must install these systems in in primary residence. You can't take the write off for systems installed in a second home or vacation home. You will need your receipt to qualify for this tax break.

Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Did you install a more energy efficient water heater in 2007? If you did you, may be able to save up to $300 on your tax bill in tax credits. You can get the tax credit for a gas, oil or propane water heaters, as well as an electric heat pump water heater.

Only some tankless oil, gas and propane water heaters currently qualify, but if you installed one that does it will be 33% more efficient than current federal standards. To find water heaters that qualify check out the list at the Gas Appliance Manufacturing Association. Electric water heaters are twice as efficient as the current federal standard.

In order to qualify for the write offs, you must have a manufacturer's certification statement and your receipt. The water heater must be installed in your primary home. You can't take this write off if the installation was done in a second home or vacation home. If you don't have proof that your new water heater qualifies, contact the company that did the installation. If it does qualify, the installer should be able to supply you with a manufacturer's certification statement.

Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Did you install a new central air conditioning system in 2007? If you did you, may be able to save up to $300 on your tax bill in tax credits. You new air conditioning system can be a split system, an air source heat pump, or a geothermal heat pump to get the $300 tax credit.

For a split system to qualify it must have an EER rating of 11.5 or higher and a SEER rating of 14 or higher. The air source heat pump must have a HSPF rating of 9 or higher, an EER rating of 11.5 or higher and a SEER rating of 14 or higher. The geothermal heat pump can be a closed loop (EER of 14.1 or higher and COP of 3.3 or higher), open loop (EER of 16.2 or higher and COP of 3.6 or higher) or a direct expansion (EER of 15 or higher and COP of 3.5 or higher).

In order to qualify for the write offs the air conditioning systems must be qualified ENERGY STAR products (you see that on the product when you buy it) and they must be installed in your primary home. You can't take this write off if the installation was done in a second home or vacation home. If you don't have proof that your system is qualified, contact the company that did the installation. If it does qualify, the installer should be able to supply you with a manufacturer's certification statement. You'll also need to save your receipt for tax purposes.

Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Did you install insulation in your home in 2007? If you did, you may be able to save up to $500 on your tax bill in tax credits. Installation costs cannot be figured in the calculation. For example, if you paid $3,500 for the insulation materials, you could reduce your tax bill by $350.

In order to qualify for the write offs the insulation's primary purpose must be to insulate and it must meet 2000 IECC & Amendments. Vapor retarders can be included in your calculations, but siding does not qualify. You can't take this write off if the installation was done in a second home or vacation home. The insulation must be expected to last five years or have a two year warranty. If you don't have proof that your insulation meets requirements, contact the company that did the installation. If it does qualify, the installer should be able to supply you with a manufacturer's certification statement. You'll also need to save your receipt for tax purposes.

Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Did you install a new roof on your primary residence in 2007? If you did you may be able to save 10% of the costs for the materials up to $500 in tax credits as long as the materials used were qualified ENERGY STAR products. For example, if the roofing materials cost your $4,500, you would able to take a tax credit of $450.

ENERGY STAR reflective roofing reflects more of the sun's rays and can lower roof surface temperatures by up to 100F, which decreases the amount of heat transferred to the building. These materials can lower your air conditioning costs by 10% to 15%.

In order to qualify for the roofing write off, the roof must be expected to last 5 years or have a 2-year warranty. You can't take this write off on a second home or vacation home. You also can't include Installation costs when you figure the write off. You also must have a manufacturer's certification statement that the roof materials meet ENERGY STAR requirements, so save your receipt and the manufacturer's statement. If you don't have proof that your roofing materials, contact the company that did the installation. If the roofing materials do qualify, your installer should be able to supply you with an ENERGY STAR certificate.

Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Did you install energy efficient windows or doors on your home in 2007? If you did you, may be able to save up to $500 on your tax bill in tax credits. For eligible windows or skylights you can take a tax credit for 10% of what you paid up to a total of $200 in tax credits. So if you paid $1,500 for the windows or skylights, you could reduce your tax bill by $150. For qualified doors storm doors the write off is the same as for windows, but for a new exterior door you may be able to write off 10% of the cost up to $500.

In order to qualify for the write offs the windows, skylights or doors must be qualified ENERGY STAR products (you see that on the product when you buy it) and they must be installed in your primary home. You can't take this write off if the installation was done in a second home or vacation home. If you don't have proof that your windows, skylights or doors qualified, contact the company that did the installation. If they do qualify, the installer should be able to supply you with a manufacturer's certification statement. You'll also need to save your receipt for tax purposes.

Want to save money next year?

Check out the Green Daily Guide to Home Energy Efficiency. Get money-saving tips, tricks, and how-to videos for every homeowner. Not only will you save on your utility bill, next year you may be able to write it off your taxes too if legislation now pending in Congress passes to extend the tax credits to 2008!

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Lots of companies out there are jumping on the green bandwagon. Originally I planned to focus on alternative energy companies for this best of list, but pure play green companies available on U.S. stock markets are not even earning profits yet, so they're risky bets and I just couldn't put together a best of list.

The only pure play alternative energy company that is on this list is Pacific Ethanol (Nasdaq: PEIX) and even that wasn't a winner in 2007. While it too didn't make a profit, analysts do think it's strategy for the future is solid and have high hopes for the company.

The other four companies I chose are U.S. EPA Green Power Partners because of their environmental efforts, but 2007 was a rough year and profits were slim. All but one of these stocks would be a loss if you bought them at the beginning of 2007 - Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and Whole Foods Markets (Nasdaq: WFMI). The U.S. stock market is down across the board. I picked these companies because their growth potential in 2008 is strong and they are green power leaders.

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Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market is the only one on this list that gets a 100% green power rating at the EPA. Its core values reflect its care and concern for the environment and it lives by its slogan "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet."

Whole Foods is purchasing or generating 100% of its total national power from green power sources. Whole Foods stock is down because of its heavy investments in new store openings and the purchase of Wild Oats, which depressed profits, but analysts expect it's on strong footing for a major growth spurt.

Whole Foods closed at $40.58 and if you bought the stock in January 2007, you would have a loss. The stock closed at $42.67 at the end of January. Some analysts think its 12 month stock price will be up to $46.46 but others thing its fair value could be as high as $72 per share.

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Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo is new to EPA's Green Power Leadership Club, but the company committed to purchasing enough renewable energy certificates to support generating 550 million kilowatt-hours of clean, renewable wind energy per year for the next three years. As part of this goal, the company invested in a Texas-based wind farm and provided more than $720 million in financing for the development of LEED certified buildings.

Wells Fargo replaced cooling equipment at Wells Fargo Plaza in Phoenix with high-efficiency equipment. This helped to reduce the building's energy consumption by almost 30%.

Like most financial stocks it's beaten down right now, but analysts expect a strong recovery. The stock closed at $30.07 and is near the bottom of its range, but analysts expect to go back up to between $39 and $40.

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Starbucks

Starbucks was first recognized with a Green Power Leadership Award in 2005 because that's when it first established an admissions reduction target, committed to buying enough green power to cover 5% of its retail energy needs in North America and cut its CO2 emissions by 2%. Its green power commitment is now up to 20%, which is the lowest commitment on this list.

Starbucks' growth has been stellar over the years, but with the challenging financial environment expected in 2008, it reduced its forecast of opening 2600 to just 2500, still an incredible growth rate. Its stock closed at $21.25 on Friday, but analysts predict its value in the next 12 months to go back up to between $29.53 and $36. Starbuck's is near it's bottom and investors would not have done well in 2007, but the upside looks good for 2008.

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Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is a founding EPA Green Power Partner and has gotten green power awards from the EPA since 2002. J&J is committed to reducing its carbon dioxide emissions to 7% below its 1990 levels by 2010.

As a company J&J's product lines are strong with 70% of them number one or number two in the marketplace. J&J closed on Friday at $67.59, but analysts expect its price to go back up to between $73.55 and $80. Like many U.S. stocks J&J was beaten down, but its investors did see some profit. It's price in January 2007 was $65.14 and its dividend per share went up from 37.5 cents in February to 41.5 cents for all other 2007 quarters.

Analysts expect strong annual sales growth at 7% per year with star product lines in medical devices and consumer health care divisions to offset what they expect could be a rough ride in the pharmaceutical side of J&J's business.

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Pacific Ethanol

Ethanol is an industry under significant stress as corn prices continue to rise and ethanol prices fall. Barriers to entry in the ethanol market are low because plants are relatively inexpensive and easy to build. Also, right now the federal government heavily subsidizes ethanol to keep its price competitive with regular gasoline. If those subsidiaries drop, prices would go up and ethanol will look like an unattractive alternative. So it's a risky bet, but if you are a believer in ethanol's future Pacific Ethanol is your best bet.

Pacific Ethanol's strategy is to focus on the West Coast market and build its plants near there. Right now the company is well-capitalized because of an investment by Cascade Investment and it has almost no long term debt, but that could change as it starts to build new plants.

As of close on Friday it's stock sold for $6.62. Analysts target estimates for this stock range from $7.77 to about $12. It's low stock price in 2007 was $6.11 (in November) and it's high $17.03 (in March). So, I'm not saying you would have made money on this stock in 2007. As all pure plays in the U.S. green marketplace, the company is not yet making a profit and was beaten down this year as the U.S. stock market corrected.

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