It’s a Good Time to Contact Heating Ventilating Contractors

Published: 02/04/2010 by Patsy Hamilton for HomeImprovement411.ca

Now is a good time to contact heating ventilating contractors in Canada or the US. Both countries are offering incentives for homeowners to make their houses more energy efficient.

The Canadian government is offering grants, rebates and tax credits for furnaces, air conditioners and other appliances. You could get as much as $10,000 + income tax credits depending on where you live and the improvements that you make.

The US is offering tax credits. You can deduct 30% of the cost of a new qualifying HVAC system, so long as it is to be used in your principal residence and is not a new construction. The maximum credit is $500.

A larger tax credit is available for geothermal heat pumps. You can deduct 30% of the cost, regardless of how much it is. There is no upper limit on this credit. The heat pump can be installed in a new or an existing home.

In Canada, the home renovation tax credit or HRTC allows for a $1350 deduction for a wide range of energy-saving home improvements in addition to the eco-Energy grants. Geothermal would qualify, although it would need to be combined with solar or another energy source to provide the heat capacity needed in most parts of the country.

Heating ventilating contractors can advise you about the most energy efficient systems for your home. You will need to contact an eco-Energy advisor before you have the work done to insure that your home qualifies.

The advisor will tell you all about the things you can do to reduce your energy needs. The evaluation is not free, but you can get up to $150 cash back in Ontario.

In British Columbia, the Live-Smart BC program subsidizes the cost of the first assessment. The second assessment is conducted after the heating ventilating contractors finish the job.

Assessments are not required to qualify for the US tax credit, but only some models qualify. In split systems, the HSPF must be 8.5 or greater. The SEER must be 15 or greater and the EER (energy efficiency rating) must be 12.5 or greater.

In package systems, the numbers to look for are 8, 14 and 12. The Department of Energy recently set higher standards for these appliances and others. So it should be easy to find the more efficient models.

Sometimes the fan qualifies but the furnace does not. You can ask your heating ventilating contractors to break down the costs so that you can get the deduction for the fan.

Overall, heat pumps are more efficient than furnaces. In many of today’s systems, the heat pump doubles as a central air conditioning unit.

You will also save money as time goes by, because your electricity bills will be lower. Many appliances pay for themselves in just a few years. This is particularly true in older homes.

It might also be a good time to think about installing better insulation. You’ll save even more money and you might qualify for more tax credits.

You can compare the services offered by your local heating ventilating contractors here at HomeImprovement411.

Patsy Hamilton is a home improvement journalist at HomeImprovement411.ca for more great useful home improvement articles please visit: http://www.homeimprovement411.ca.

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