The credit is $2,000 for a dwelling unit that is certified to have an annual level of heating and cooling energy consumption at least 50% below the annual level of heating and cooling energy consumption of a comparable dwelling unit and has building envelope component improvements that account for at least 1/5 of the 50% reduction in energy consumption.

I always advise owners and managers to consult with an attorney who specializes in premises liability and landlord-tenant law.If you keep the tub, you should have specific clauses written into the rental agreement as an addendum.You absolutely must provide the tenant an owner's manual because the first five or six pages are full of all the legal warnings that keep the tub manufacturer out of lawsuits (Consult a physician before use, Don't consume alcohol, Don't use alone, No unsupervised children, etc.)Bottom line: If it needs work, have it done by a licensed, bonded and insured electrician and/or spa technician.

Reminds me of the bumper sticker "He who dies with the most toys wins" or George Carlin - The new American pass time is consumption - maxing out your credit card buying things you don't need with money you don't have.

We replaced all of them with dual flush (3.0l/4.8l, 0.8/1.2 usg) model and reduced the water consumption by ~35%.

To offset that consumption the rest of the property should create revenues to pay for that consumption and ideally provide a profit to the owner occupant after expenses.If you've never read the wealth of nations its pretty awesome stuff but, its NOT light reading and is in ye olde English as it was written in the 1776 :-D~http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/adam-smith/wealth-nations.pdf

There are some steps you can take as a renter to decrease energy consumption such as heavy drapes, plastic seal kits you can use on windows, weather stripping.

Alcohol based and surprisingly easy to work with.

It seems like the natural tendency for people is to increase consumption as our incomes increase.

Can I tell them a) I want to buy the house, b) my financial situation is excellent, c) the home owner is a derelict alcoholic who is trashing the house, d) she's asking me for 30k on the side....etc..???

The base charge is the amount you pay anyway even if your consumption is 0.