Nine Percent of Respondents Already Have Made a Qualified Home Improvement Purchase Most Commonly Planned Projects Include Adding Energy-Efficient Windows, Roofing, a New Hot Water Heater or Insulation Nearly Three-Fourths, or 72 Percent, of Respondents Said They Don't Know Exactly How to Apply for State or Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credits or Rebates DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The federal government this year extended and expanded home energy efficiency tax credits through 2010 as part of the broader economic recovery package, and millions of U.S. homeowners appear poised to pursue them, according to a survey released today by Johns Manville. More than two-thirds of survey respondents, or 68 percent, said they were aware of the newly created federal energy efficiency tax credits. Of those homeowners, 46 percent said they intend to make a home improvement-related purchase that qualifies for an energy efficiency tax credit, including nine percent of homeowners who said they had already done so during the first three months of 2009. The telephone survey of 784 U.S. homeowners was conducted from April 3 – 6 by Opinion Research Corp., a national market research firm, on behalf of Johns Manville, a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building insulation and specialty products. The survey's sampling error was plus or minus four percentage points. The energy efficiency tax credits were created earlier this year by President Obama's economic recovery package, which sought to encourage consumer spending amid the recession, as well as persuade homeowners to become more energy efficient. The tax credits allow homeowners to claim 30 percent of the cost of qualified energy efficiency products, up to $1,500, including insulation, windows and doors, roofs, HVAC equipment, and water heaters.
