Commentary: You can begin capitalizing on these funds immediately by first getting a Green Office Makeover (GOM). A GOM will help you identify what kinds of improvements you can make in your office. Green Irene will provide specific recommendations that you can implement with the help of government funds and save money while reducing your footprint. This is the time to GO GREEN. Get a Green Office Makeover today! Contact your Local Green Irene Eco-Consultant for more information.
Excerpted from The Daily Green:
The Obama Administration is dolling out $3.2 billion for energy efficiency and energy conservation projects in states and cities across the U.S., moving that portion of the economic stimulus money a bit closer to your office.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program will fund new and existing programs in states to promote home and office energy audits, weatherization, energy efficiency upgrades, replacement of outdated appliances and other similar initiatives. The Department of Energy had previously estimated that the average qualifying home or business could benefit from $6,500 in improvements. Each program differs by state and city, so look to your local agencies or energy.gov/recovery for details. While home improvement initiatives are likely to help individuals most directly, the grants cover a broad array of potential initiatives:
“The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements. Other activities eligible for use of grant funds include transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy efficient traffic signals and street lights, deployment of Combined Heat and Power and district heating and cooling systems, and others.”
Don’t wait for the money to find you. Check out existing Home Energy Tax Credits available this year.
So you are ready to begin greening your office! You should know that greening your office can also have substantial financial benefits as you reduce expenses and create a green image that may attract new customers or clients. This alone is good reason to go green, on top of the fact that doing so reduces your environmental footprint. But there is another great reason why your business should go green. To help you take action more quickly, the government is providing critical incentives in the form of tax credits. Green Irene can help you find out more!
Green Irene can help you learn more about requirements to qualify for small business incentives to go green. These incentives involve improvements you can make in energy efficiency and green energy, which can help your business substantially reduce operating costs. Green Irene offers substantial information about such incentives, many of which were given through the federal bailout of 2008 or are upcoming through the federal stimulus plan.
To learn more about these incentives, ask your local Green Irene Eco-Consultant to find out how you can gain access to our Ask Green Irene service, our comprehensive green knowledgebase.
