Energy-Efficiency Home Improvements Reap Tax Credits

     The rescue packaged approved on Oct. 3, 2008 to stabilize the US financial markets included an income tax credit for consumers to help offset the cost of energy – and money-saving home improvements. Those included a $150 tax credit for propane furnaces and boilers and a $300 tax credit for high-efficiency propane or gas water heaters.
     The Tax Incentives Assistance Project is advising US homeowners of the tax credit, which enables homeowners to lower their energy costs and save up to $500 on their 2009 federal income taxes by making specific energy-efficiency upgrades to their homes.
     Improvements must be installed in 2009. Those undertaken in 2008 are not eligible.
     The legislation extends homeowner tax credits that were first enacted in 2005 but expired at the end of 2007. Taxpayers who did not use the full $500 credit in 2006 or 2007 can use the remaining portion in 2009.

Propane

     Phil Squair, vice president of regulatory and technical services for the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), says propane marketers will benefit anytime it’s easier for homeowners to upgrade the efficiency of their appliances. As an example, he cited a homeowner with a propane furnace and an electric water heater.
     “I think there are opportunities for the marketer to win that business with a high-efficiency water heater that gets a tax rebate, “ Squair said. “So I think there are some sales opportunities there to build gallons in the residential market.”
     The tax incentives include $150 for high-efficiency gas, fuel oil, and propane furnaces and boilers. For the $300 incentive for gas or propane water heaters, the energy factor must be at least 0.8, or a thermal efficiency of at least 90%. The only models that currently meet this standard are tankless water heaters and some systems that combine space and water heating.
     He noted marketers tell NPGA that many of their customers have a gas furnace and an electric water heater.
     “To the extent that they can win that customer over and into the fold as a propane water heater customer, that’s going to be year-round load – pretty consistent demand- and that’s something that the industry has been trying to do for a long time,” he stated. Squair added that some state water heater rebate programs can provide more incentives for customers to install gas water heaters to go along with gas furnaces.

Additional Incentives

     The program offers incentives for other home energy-saving initiatives in addition to propane:
     · Insulation and sealing products: 10% of the cost, up to $500, for insulation added to walls, ceilings or other parts of the building “envelope,” or shell, and for materials to seal cracks in the shell and to seal ducts to reduce infiltration and heat loss. Installation costs are not eligible for the tax credit.
     · Windows, storm windows, and skylights: 10% of the cost, up to $200, of any new Energy Star-qualified windows (but not installation costs).
     · Exterior doors and window films: 10% of the cost, up to $500.
     · Roofs: 10% of the cost, up to $500, for metal roofs with pigmented coatings or asphalt roofs with cooling granules that meet Energy Star requirements. Again, installation costs do no qualify for a tax credit.

Heating and Cooling Equipment:
     · Central air conditioner, heat pump, water heater, or biomass (such as corn) stove: up to $300 toward the purchase price, including installation costs.
     · Furnaces and boilers: up to $150 for new high-efficiency gas, fuel oil, and propane furnaces and boilers.
     · High-efficiency fans for heating and cooling systems, $50.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Alliance to Save Energy, and the Natural Resources Defense Council are working with members of Congress to extend the consumer tax incentives beyond the current expiration date of Dec 31, 2009. This will provide continued assistance to taxpayers in defraying a portion of the cost of making their homes more energy-efficient.

     In addition, a new tax credit is effective for 2009 through 2016 for 30% of the cost of an Energy Star-qualified geothermal heat pump, up to $2000. And, under the 2005 legislation, consumer tax credits are still available for some hybrid-electric vehicle models from Ford and General Motors.

     As for the benefits to propane consumers, Squair says people are comfortable with gas for their furnaces, so they should be comfortable with gas for their water heating. “It’s an under tapped market, and anything we can do on a federal level to make it financially attractive for customers to get their water heating done by propane is a good thing,” he commented.

Source: Butane-Propane News March 2009

How To Read Your Propane Gauge.

Reading your propane gas gauge is very simple to do. The gauge is located under the dome at the top of the tank.

The numbers on the gauge represent a percentage. The pointer in the middle of the gauge points to one of those numbers. Your propane tank is considered to be full at 80%, this allows for the expansion of the propane vapor.
Here is an easy formula to figure out how many gallons of propane you have left in your tank:
Tank Size X Percentage (gauge reading) = Gallons
Example: A 120-gallon tank that the gauge reads 60% would be 120 X .60 = 72 gallons.

GAUGE READING	REMAINING GALLONS
	120-Gallon Tank	250-Gallon Tank	500-Gallon Tank	1000-Gallon Tank
80%	96	200	400	800
70%	84	175	350	700
60%	72	150	300	600
50%	60	125	250	500
40%	48	100	200	400
*30%	36	75	150	300
*20%	24	50	100	200
*10%	12	25	50	100

*--Holtzman Propane recommends that you call them when your gauge reads 30% so that there is ample amount of fuel for you to use before they arrive

Understanding Your Propane Fuel Ticket

Understanding Your Fuel Ticket    At Holtzman Propane, we believe that fair, competitive pricing, great service, and our safety first approach are the cornerstones of keeping your business. In this time of rising fuel prices, our goal with your fuel ticket is to be as transparent and informative about your pricing and delivery as possible. Many propane providers do not show their customers their price per gallon on each delivery ticket, leaving the customer to figure out how much they've actually paid per gallon at the end of the month when the statement arrives. This leads to many unwelcome surprises!           PRICE/GALLON shows your delivered price per gallon.       If you are taxable, (State Tax Laws apply at all times), you will see one or more Tax & surcharge items listed. Standard Delivery Fee applies to all deliveries. If you are taxable, the delivery fee is also taxable.   We highly recommend that you pay directly from each ticket. The date listed here alerts you to your payment due date and payment by this date avoids finance charges.     This section details your tank identification. Each propane tank has a metal data plate attached to it with a serial number inscribed. The serial number is unique to your tank, and it is how we track our inventory of tanks. Additionally, delivery drivers verify the serial number on your tank(s). Drivers are instructed not to fill a tank unless the serial number con be matched to their delivery ticket. Here's how to read the serial number:          Please note the bottom of this section; On each ticket, you can see the number of gallons in you last 2 deliveries, as well as your Year to Date usage.    Additional fields in this section are used if you sign up for our pre-buy program each summer. Your contracted price, date and gallons left in your contract are all shown through the life of the contract.

How to Lower Your Energy Costs:

There are several ways to lower your energy costs. Start saving now! Inspect and tune your heating system regularly. Holtzman Propane offers the EverWarm Plan for yearly maintenance.

Change your furnace filter monthly. Clean filters will increase efficiency.

Invest in a programmable furnace thermostat timer that lowers your home's temperature when you are not at home. You can cut your annual heating bills by as much as 10%.

Protect against drafts by caulking and weatherstripping around windows, doors and other openings.

Close vents and doors in unused rooms. Make sure your attic and basement are properly insulated.

Decrease your water heating bill by turning down your water heater from the standard 120 degrees to 115 degrees.

Install flow restricting showerheads and reduce hot water usage by up to 50% without affecting shower pressure.

Run washing machine and clothes dryers with a full load.

Information provided by the National Propane Gas Association.
For more useful information, please visit www.usepropane.com

Holtzman Corp is going green!

Waste oil from our Service Station in Mt. Jackson is collected and re-used in a waste oil furnace for heating several warehouses.

Our Propane delivery and Valley Ice delivery trucks run on Bio-Diesel fuel.

All office paper is collected and recycled.

Cardboard from our warehouse and office is baled and recycled.

Plastic bags used in large volume at our ice plant are now baled and recycled. Recycling this plastic has reduced garbage pick ups at our plant from twice a week to once a month! We've recycled over 6,000 lbs of plastic so far!

Our offices now recycle glass and plastic bottles, as well as aluminum cans.