We know that tax incentives are available and a good deal. And yet, we hesitate to take advantage of them. Why? I recently heard an energy advisor (Canadian version of home energy auditor) lament that when government incentives for home energy evaluations were at their highest, home owners snapped up the opportunity to have their homes inspected. And then..."because they hadn't paid much for it, I think... it didn't feel like a big investment, they didn't take action." My shock only lasted a few minutes. After all, this is hardly a novel argument.  Do any of these quotes (usually spoken inside the head) sound familiar:

  • "That gadget costs more... therefore it's better quality."
  • "They're telling me it's good for me, so it probably tastes bad."
  • "I paid less, so even though it's valuable, it's not as important to me."

Here's the catch. Just as we are likely to devalue something that doesn't cost as much (or doubt something that's good for us could be pleasant), we are totally gungho about hard-to-do things, like getting the junky little plastic prize out of the bottom of the CrackerJack box. Don't know of what I speak? How about this interior line:

  • "But.... It's a treat. It's free. It's just at the bottom of the cereal box. I know I can get it. I can. Even if I spill all the frosted sugar mudflats on the floor, I'll get it...."

When it comes to the financial negotiations of life, ours is an unreliable state of mind. This is no less true of tax incentives, and in particular, those directed at home energy efficiency. As we have written in prior posts this week, the time is now, and  tax incentives are widely available for the products and services related to improving the energy efficiency of your home.   This is a double-whammy of benefits, and hits many of our psychological triggers:

  • Home energy improvements will provide a return on investment over the long (and sometimes short) haul.
  • Home energy improvements will improve the quality of our lives, and the safety of our homes.
  • If we all dig deep and make our homes more efficient, we just might save the planet.
  • Our investment in home energy improvements can be significantly defrayed by tax incentives.

In other words, there isn't a downside. None. Folks. It's November 11, 2009. Time is running out. It's time to invest in making our homes safer, more comfortable and less expensive to live in. You have about a month to get paid for your efforts. Digging into that sticky popcorn box was more work - and dare I say it - less of a payoff.

Check out our post on energy efficiency tax incentive resources you can turn to to get underway. Sure you can!