I know that the average American home is responsible for about 40% of energy usage in the USA. Federal and State governments should grant tax credits, low interest federally insured loans, or any other program that would encourage the general homeowner, and all new construction, to have their homes become more energy efficient, and even partially self-subsistent with regard to power usage. I know that by using Geo-Thermal (holes drilled in the ground, pipes containing a glycol mixture, and recirculated through heat pumps and cooling coils), natural gas and electrical usage could be lowered significantly. By using wind generation (Windmills) and solar panels for the home, centralized electrical generation needs over the aggregate could be lowered significantly thus lowering consumers' bills. The increased demand for these green technologies would boost the economy through employment and manufacture of heat pump, solar, and insulation components. The decreased use of natural gas could be redirected to be used in our transportation needs, thus reducing the carbon emissions and acting as a bridge to newer electrical and hydrogen cell transportation technologies (which themselves offer a huge employment and manufacturing potential). The subsequent decrease in demand for fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel and coal offer huge monetary savings as well as reduction of carbon footprints. The cost savings for federal, state, local government offices, as well as schools could also be enormous.

How about help for the working stiff?  The millions of responsible home owners who are above the poverty level still managed to pay their mortgage, insurance, food bills, light bills and taxes, but that's it.  They  do not have the resources to make their home more energy effecient.  What good is the tax credit for all these green technologies if the majority of us can not afford to install it.  Not asking for a hand out,  but a low interest loan with the tax credit for energy saving technologies will surely creates all kinds of domestic jobs from manufacturing to labor to service.  

I agree that we should enable those of low income to utilize solar and wind power to reduce their bills and their carbon footprint at the same time.  However, I think that the complexity and maintenance costs of installing and maintaining these systems might make this proposal counter-productive as it stands.  How about supporting the creation of area (region, neighborhood, block) coops that would be responsible for providing the land or managing the leases and maintaining the equipment.  Small utility coops could be created to create infrastructure which could then sell power at a flat rate to the coop members and sell surplus back into the grid.

Excellent idea, Robin!  My wife and I moved into our earth sheltered home in April, 2006.  We use very little energy compared to a conventional house.  Now we want to develop an affordable earth sheltered housing cooperative with a number of money-saving ideas incorporated.

PS: Also, we have ordered solar photo-voltaic cells to generate electricity, with any excess being sold back to our electric co-op.

Sure going green needs to be made more inexpensive because as it is the US will be going further into debt trying to get their lofty goals accomplished. Unfortunately it can't be done.  Construction of any new items ie, grid, wind, solar etc is expensive just as the game systems and phones were when they came out.  It's going to cost Americans one way or another. Direct when they buy or in taxes when the government gives it to them. If you want thsi stuff, be ready to pay for it.

It is really ridiculous that it costs so much more to use "green" items. Cleaners cost more, solar panels are way out there in price-how can we afford to go "green"? If the government is going to give tax credits (which are paid after you buy, not before), why can't they pay the credit up front since most Americans can not afford to pay the costs up front? I, for one, would love to buy "green energy" items for my house but can not afford the up front costs associated with it because all of my income goes out immediately to pay my current energy bills.

Stephanie Weissinger, Lori Melton:When Ellie and I built our earth sheltered home, it cost $150 a square foot, about average for a solid home.   But we are benefiting from reduced energy costs that are not available to anyone with a conventional home.  Further, we signed up for a set of solar photo-voltaic panels, to be put in in about a year, when the factory starts producing them.  We don't pay anything for the panels; we pay only for the electricity they produce and at the rate per kwh we are paying now.  Excess electricity will be sold back to the grid.  So we will be paying less.  We got the deal from Citizenre, which is on the web.Going green saves money; it doesn't cost money.

I live in an area where people (myself included) live in very old mobile homes and average $7-$10/hr income. The "green" solutions usually touted in the media often cost more than our properties if you go for the whole system. However, many of us are slowly adding more insulation to the walls and roofs.

There are catalogs like Harbor Freight and Northern Tool Co. which have very small, inexpensive rooftop turbines for a few hundred dollars, LED light fixtures with their own PVC panels for $100 or less, modular PVC panels and accessories for other using these items on individual appliances and as replacements for existing ones as they wear out.

So one can slowly convert to solar powered without worrying about attaching to the grid or having a lot of cash up front. For example, I presently have a porch security light which cost about $30 to buy several years ago, and have been using compact flourescents in it.
I am going to replace it with a $30 LED light with its own PVC panel. I may not save a lot in the beginning, but since my utility rate went up 40% this year alone, it will make more of a difference every year.

Although I'm mad and not waiting for any government program or volume pricing to come over the horizon to save us, I am voting for this issue!

P.S. Citizenre has come to this neighborhood too (SE Texas) and I have signed up for their 25 year plan which will keep the rate the same for the duration of the contract...

But I'm not holding my breath for this either because their investors really took a hit when Wall Street crashed. I was supposed to have my panels in the Spring of 2008, originally.