A recent report on remodeling by The National Association of Home Builders places Maryland in the top 5 states in total spending on home renovation. Spring certainly has brought signs of remodeling projects across the region – in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Northwest DC neighborhoods. Residents who are planning to remodel their homes might want to consider adding skylights. The U.S. Department of Energy has been an active promoter of energy efficiency measures by homeowners – Energy Star appliances and LED bulbs as an alternative to the traditional incandescent bulbs. Now there is a growing focus on making better use of natural light and skylights to save on electrical energy with the benefit of lowering energy bills. Several articles on residential skylights have been featured by Houzz, the website for home design ideas, including the following, "Look to the Sun for More of Your Home's Lighting: Manage sunlight with design-savvy windows, solar tubes and skylights to save energy and show your home's beauty."
The increasing focus on reducing residential electricity consumption, a contributor to global warming, has been translated into a federal tax credit as an incentive for the purchase and installation of renewable technologies. Homeowners can take advantage of a 30% federal tax credit on the purchase and installation of Velux Solar Powered Fresh Air Skylights. The tax credit reduces a taxpayer’s total liability and is estimated to result in an $850 saving. For a limited time period Velux is also offering a $200 rebate on the solar powered skylights. Homeowners can visit the Velux website to find an installer within 30 miles of your zip code and to calculate the tax savings. I might note that I went through these steps and was impressed with the timely response from the nearest installer and how user friendly the Velux website is for calculating the product cost and savings. Sharing news of energy savings for homeowners looking for creative design ideas.
