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Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc . VVJanuaary | Flelbrullaryee2011 yy NNeeVolumwew68 | Iss sue 1 APPLIANCE 911: WHEN TO FIX, WPageHs 4E-5N TO NIX www.valleyrec.com Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. CEO Message VJanuaary | Felbrularye 2011 y N Veolumew 68 | Issus e 1 Together We Save even more EDITORIAL STAFF LOOKING FOR INFORMATION on how to lower your energy bills this win - Executive Editor ter? Your co-op has you covered. Luanne H. Eckenrode Valley Rural Electric is part of a na - tionwide energy efficiency campaign Managing Editor/Art Director known as Together We Save. The cam - Susan R. Penning paign’s mission is to motivate co-op members like you to make small Publication inquiries: 814/643-2650 or 800/432-0680 changes in behavior that add up to big [email protected] savings. And here at Valley, we’re al - ways looking for ways to bring value to Valley News (USPS 655-940) is published bimonthly by our members. Together We Save offers a Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., 10700 Fairgrounds Road, PO Box 477, Huntingdon, PA 16652-0477. collection of resources and advice on simple energy efficiency steps you can Periodicals postage paid at Huntingdon, PA 16652 take in your home. Subscription Rate: $3 per year We’ve recently recharged the Together We Save campaign with even more tips Statement of ownership, management and circulation as required by act of Oct. 23, 1963, Section 4369, Title 39 and ideas to help you save on your en - Wayne F. Miller Postmaster : Please send address changes to: Valley ergy bills. Where can you go to access President & Chief Executive Officer Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., 10700 Fairgrounds Road, this money-saving information? Log on PO Box 477, Huntingdon, PA 16652-0477. to TogetherWeSave.com. Once you ar - guides you through each room in a rive, you can enter your ZIP code to be typical home and recommends sev - Advertising: The deadline for Trading Post ads is the 25th day of the month prior to the issue months. Acceptance redirected to Valley’s customized site, eral savings tips in each room. of advertising does not imply co-op endorsement of any personalized to reflect our rates and re - Areas highlighted in yellow prompt product or service. gion. Now you’re ready to start saving! you to take various interactive en - Reproduction of Valley News in whole or in part without TogetherWeSave.com offers every - ergy-saving steps, demonstrating permission from the editorial staff is strictly prohibited. thing from videos and interactive appli - how these changes can translate to cations to an energy savings forum. Use real savings on your utility bill. the navigation bar across the top of the Live in a manufactured home? A landing page to explore the site. new feature points out more than a Touchstone Energy® Web TV (found dozen ways you can cut energy under the “Watch and Learn” tab) is a costs throughout your house. compilation of more than 50 short Helping our members save how-to clips on topics such as lighting, money during tough times is impor - heating/cooling, insulation and many tant to us. It’s just one more way other energy efficiency topics. The li - your cooperative is looking out for brary recently added dozens of new you. videos. If you’re interested in more in - Got an old refrigerator in your base - formation on how to make your ment or garage? It’s probably costing home energy efficient, let us know. you more than you think. Click on the Contact the co-op’s member serv - “Energy Savings Applications” tab and ices department toll-free at scroll down to find out how much you 800/432-0680 or email memberser - On the could save by saying goodbye to that old [email protected] with ques - cover ... refrigerator. Another new application tions about any energy topic. TOUCHSTONE ENERGY PHOTO How do you decide whether it makes demonstrates how to save even more Cooperatively yours, more sense to repair your current refriger- with Energy Star-qualified appliances. ator or to purchase a new one? Turn to Take the Energy Savings Home Tour Pages 4-5 for detailed information on ap- (“Add Up Your Savings” tab) and dis - pliance life expectancy and guidance on cover how all of these small changes Wayne F. Miller when to fix and when to nix. can have a big impact. The home tour President & CEO 2 Valley News January | February 2011 Focal Points Efficiency tax credits extended, amount lowered home more efficient,” Travis points out. tance Project, the group that operates the Benefit reverts to There are also maximum allowances for website www.energytaxincentives.org, different upgrades. For installing more effi - which is devoted to tracking efficiency in - $500 lifetime cap cient windows, the tax credit is limited to centives. $200, and there’s a $300 cap for “any item for upgrades of energy-efficient building property.” Renewable tax credits remain active B Y M E G A N M C K O Y- N O E National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Other restrictions include: Renewable energy tax credits created by Furnaces ($150) : Must have at least 95 the federal stimulus bill don’t expire until ENERGY EFFICIENCY improvements percent (up from 90 percent) annual fuel Dec. 31, 2016. These credits cover 30 per - are great for lowering electric bills. But utilization efficiency (AFUE). Oil furnaces cent of the cost of materials and installation sometimes the up-front cost can be a draw - and boilers were returned to the single fur - for residential solar panels, solar water back. nace category at 95 percent AFUE. heaters, small wind turbines and geother - Since 2005, Congress has enacted a se - Advanced main air circulating fan mal heat pumps. Details are available at en - ries of tax breaks for consumers who take ($50) : Must utilize less than 2 percent of a ergystar.gov/taxcredits. steps to make their homes more energy effi - furnace’s total energy consumption. cient. In December, the outgoing Congress Central air conditioner ($300) : Must Claiming tax credits approved extending some popular effi - have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio Tax credits are beneficial because they ciency tax credits through Dec. 31, 2011, (SEER) of at least 16 and an energy effi - directly reduce, dollar for dollar, any taxes although at greatly reduced levels. ciency rating (EER) of at least 13. you owe. Be sure to keep your receipts and "We were hoping that the tax credits Air-source heat pump ($300) : Must your Manufacturer’s Certification State - would be higher than what was approved, have at least a heating seasonal perform - ment (a signed statement from the manu - but we are glad that this incentive for ance factor (HSPF) of 9, SEER of 16 and facturer certifying that the product or homeowner investment was retained," says EER of 13. component qualifies for the tax credit) for Travis Kuhstos, Valley Rural Electric Co- Biomass fuel stove ($300) : Must have a your records. Then claim the credit on your op’s energy specialist. thermal efficiency rating of at least 75 per - taxes using IRS Form 5695. The federal Tax Relief, Unemployment cent. Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Cre - Looking for help? ation Act of 2010 reduces the total lifetime Builders and manufacturers benefit Valley members who want to make their credit that can be claimed on energy effi - The bill reinstates a credit of up to homes more energy efficient may be able to ciency improvements made between 2006 $2,000 (during 2010 and 2011) for builders take advantage of the co-op’s Energy Re - and 2011 (excluding 2008, when no credit of energy-efficient residences that use no sources Conservation Loan Program. This was available) from $1,500 to $500. It also more than half the energy of a 2003 na - loan program allows members to finance lowers the percentage of efficiency upgrade tional model energy code home (the credit up to $15,000 at 5 percent interest for en - costs consumers can recover, from 30 per - had expired in 2009). In addition, U.S.- ergy efficiency projects that qualify. cent in 2009-2010 to 10 percent in 2011. based manufacturers of clothes washers, In addition, the co-op offers a rebate of Basically, energy efficiency tax credits dishwashers and refrigerators will receive up to $3 per gallon for members who install revert to levels approved for 2006 and credits ranging from $25-$200 for efficient a new, energy efficient electric water heater 2007, before the federal stimulus bill appliance models produced in America dur - and who agree to participate in the co-op’s pumped up the program. ing 2008, 2009 and 2010. Demand Response Program. For details, “There’s also a lifetime cap of $500 for “While consumers cannot take these visit www.valleyrec.com and look under any work that’s done. But if you haven’t types of credits directly, these units may be Programs and Services. applied for an energy efficiency tax credit promoted by manufacturers or by state or For more information on state incentives, before, this extension gives you a chance to utility efficiency programs during the next visit www.dsireusa.org. recoup some of the costs of making your two years,” notes the Tax Incentives Assis - Susan Penning contributed to this article. STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION In accordance with federal law and the disability. (Not all prohibited bases 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Wash - U.S. Department of Agriculture’s policy, apply to all programs.) ington, DC 20250-9410, or call this institution is prohibited from dis - To file a complaint of discrimination, 202/720-5964 (voice or TDD).