ANN ARBOR, MI - Homeowners who have a New Year's Resolution to Go Green can take advantage of tax credits that begin on January 1, 2009. Mr. Handyman, a national home repair and maintenance franchise and the nation's #1 employer of handymen, is leveraging its access to thousands of US households to educate homeowners about a renewed tax credit. Taking steps toward going green could save homeowners up to $500 on new installations of certain energy efficient products.
The energy efficient tax credit was reinstated as part of the recently passed financial bailout bill. The credit is worth up to $500 on qualifying work of the installation of home products such as windows, doors and insulation. Mr. Handyman can purchase and install the certified energy efficient products and homeowners can then receive the appropriate tax credits,/li> "The tax credit applies to improvements that are installed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 and include new energy efficient windows, doors and insulation," said Mr. Handyman president and CEO Todd Recknagel. "While all of these products are designed to be energy efficient - they must be installed correctly, or they can have little to no positive effect on the environment." As part of the Go Green campaign, the 300-unit Mr. Handyman franchise has developed a checklist of simple, eco-friendly tactics and product suggestions designed to reduce energy costs, which are provided to the thousands of US homeowners that regularly hire Mr. Handyman for maintenance and repair services.
"With the size and reach of our franchise system, coupled with the face-to-face contact that we have with so many homeowners on a daily basis, we are in a unique and ideal position to educate the public to realistically reduce energy consumption," said Recknagel. Mr. Handyman, which was recently ranked as the No. 1 handyman service franchise throughout the country in the January 2008 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, opened a new franchise every week for the past three years, and plans to continue that trend through franchise expansion. According to the US Census Bureau, 6 out of 10 homeowners have home improvement projects on their To Do list at any given time. Thriving on this demand, Mr. Handyman's system-wide revenues exceeded $63 million in 2007 and are projected to reach $75 million in 2008.