South Carolina Solar Tax Credits

An individual or business can take a state income tax credit equal to 25% of the costs of solar equipment per facility which may be used for heating water, space heating, air cooling, or the generation of electricity in or on a facility in South Carolina and owned by the taxpayer.

The credit also applies to controls, tanks, pumps, heat exchangers, and other equipment used directly and exclusively for the solar energy system. The term ?system? does not include any land …

How To – Solar Water Heating

Energy requirements for Hot water can account for 20% of an average homes fuel use but with Solar Hot Water Heating you can reduce or eliminate that cost from your budget. The average home even in northern areas can expect to reduce their heating costs by 50% or more with average paybacks within 15 years.

The only downsides of Solar Water Heating is the initial expense. However there are a number …

Installing A Bathroom Sink Faucet

Although there are many parts that you can get to fix your sink faucet sometimes you get to the point where it is best just to replace everything.

If this is your situation then performing the work yourself is not that big a deal. You will need a few common tools and the appropriate faucet to fit your sink. Once you have everything ready the work should take you …

8 Cheap Cars That Can Save You LOTS of GAS

While you are saving money by installing insulation, florescent lights and adjusting your thermostat we thought you might need some help saving gas. This Article is reprinted courtesy of www.JobZoneUSA.com and lists 8 budget cars that you can use as a second car or as a replacement for the SUV you drive alone to work every day.

An old Beater that gets you 35mpg can look pretty nice if you get a $150 paint job and clean the interior. Lets face …

How To – Building A Beam For Your Deck

Decks and Porch additions require that the joists be connected to the home with a Ledger Board and joist hangers. On the opposite side (away from the home) you rest the joists on top of a beam that is supported by posts.

In this HowTo we will cover the steps for installing the posts and building the beam for our deck project.

When designing your deck you will know its dimensions in our project …

How To – Constructing Footings For Decks

Constructing footings for your deck or porch project is relatively easy if you take time check the span charts for your beam and measure the locations correctly.

Some contractors will install beam posts directly in the ground with a small footing at its base and surround it with concrete. This is probably not the best way to build a deck because the concrete surrounding the wood post will eventually rot the lumber. Even pressure …

Understanding Flood Insurance

Some people believe that they are not at risk because their homes are located away from beaches and rivers but most locations can be effected by localized flash floods and when large disasters occure along large or even moderately sized waterways damage can extend for dozens of miles.

Flood insurance like earthquake coverage is a single peril insurance to protect your investment from dammage due to flood waters.

To be considered a flood the water …

Home Buying – First Right of Refusal

First Right of Refusal is part of most contracts that allow rights to both the seller and the buyer to continue the negotiation process if problems occur they can also be used to reserve the right for a known person to make an offer at any time a property is sold.

Lets look at some the instances that First Right of Refusal can be used and the benefits and drawbacks of these clauses.

The most common use of first right of refusal …

How To – Running Wire for Electrical and other Services

There are many times when you will need to add or upgrade electrical, cable tv, telephone or other services in your home. To do so you need to understand both how circuits are designed and how your home is constructed to fish the wire through walls and make proper connections.

In other HowTos we will cover wall construction in more detail but lets take a look at the components of an average wall so we know how to …

How To – Making Cable Tv Cables

Whether you are wiring your whole home or just making a custom cable that runs from your wall outlet to your television the steps and tools you need are the same.

In this HowTo you will learn how to strip cable ends and use crimp connectors.

Tools you will need
RG-6 Crimping tool
Utility knife or stripping tool
Wire Cutters
RG-6 Crimp Connectors

See the bottom of the HowTo for Tool Links

First …

HowTo Foundation And Slab Floor Insulation

Since about 1995 there has been a strong movement to increase insulation in all areas of our homes to reduce heat loss and lower energy costs. For most of us this has meant increasing the amount of insulation in our attics and adding insulation to exterior walls if the home is old enough that it was not built with insulated walls.

New construction has seen a variety of different products and methods that …

How To – Installing Carpet And Understanding Products

Carpet is a large investment for any home owner and the product you pick will have a lot to say about what  decisions you can make for other furnishings in your home.

Other then the choice of wall paint or coverings the type and color of your carpet will will have the biggest influence on how your home looks from the inside. Other factors such as the ability of the carpet to absorb noise will give …