Now that you've got your taxes done for the year, You're probably happy to not have to deal with them again until next April. But, you know those questions about energy efficient home improvement projects the IRS wants to know about on those tax forms? Now is the time to plan ahead, so that you can make energy efficient updates to your home that will qualify you for energy tax credits when filing your taxes next spring.

Other benefits from installing new replacement windows in your MD home?

Eliminate hot and cold spots from your home. You shouldn?t feel especially cold or warm when standing in front of your windows- if you do, you need replacement windows! Replacement windows can keep the heat inside during the winter and keep air conditioning inside during the summer. Older windows (even just 10 years old!) will cause your home to lose heat and air conditioning energy, causing your home's temperature to vary, when It'should remain constant.

And as we said, save money on heating and cooling bills! Your old windows are letting money seep out the windows- stop this trend now by installing replacement windows and reap the reward all year long with lower heating/cooling bills every month!

Now- to discuss those energy tax credits we mentioned. The extended tax credit for 2012-2013 requires that homeowners must purchase ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors or other eligible products, which and that consumers can claim a credit of 10% up to $200 of the purchase price on qualifying windows and/or 10% up to $500 of the purchase price of qualifying doors for a total of $500. This does not include installation costs that may accompany the replacement window costs. Check out our tax credit information to learn more about the requirements for qualifying for these exciting tax credits.

Remodeling Magazine recently published an article discussing the Return on Investment (ROI) for many common remodeling projects. Some of these projects included: Basement Remodels, Bathroom Additions, Deck Additions, Entry Door Replacement, Kitchen Remodels, Window Replacements (vinyl vs. wood) along with many more. And to make the data and information more relevant, you can select the ROI statistics for your specific region.

We thought this article was very useful for homeowners who are entering the summer season in which home improvement projects take a front seat. For those who are looking to sell or invest in their current home, it is nice to see the statistics and which projects see a higher ROI, like wood window replacements (73.3%) versus a lower ROI like bathroom additions (54.8%).

And It's not just the type of project that you are doing but the materials you are using as well. For instance, replacing your entry door with a new fiberglass door only yields an average return of 65.9%. However, if you choose to replace your entry door with a new steel entry door, you would see a much higher return with an average of 85.6%. (Ready to bookmark this link yet? We think It's tremendously helpful!)

• Entry Door Replacement (fiberglass) ? 65.9%

• Entry Door Replacement (steel) ? 85.6%

• Siding Replacement (vinyl) ? 72.9%

• Window Replacement (vinyl) ? 71.2%

• Window Replacement (wood) ? 73.3%

What Are the Other Ways That Remodeling Projects Yield a Return on Investment?

It's no surprise that even less expensive windows these days are far more energy efficient than the more expensive ones from about 10 years ago. It's all about creating an energy efficient home to save on resources and to protect your wallet when utility bills come due! Thankfully, Energy Star standards have helped to make energy efficient products the new normal. As you increase the value of your home, you will be lowering your energy bills as well. We like the sound of this!

Not-So-Fun Fact: Nearly 25% of our country?s energy is used by homes alone, and the typical American family'spends $2,000 a year on home utility bills. Unfortunately, tons of energy and money are wasted through leaky windows, ducts, old appliances or inefficient heating and cooling systems. In 2010, space heating accounted for almost half (45%) of typical utility bills.

While windows can be one of the most beautiful features of your home, you can'thank leaky ones for 10-25% of your heating bill, and for making your air conditioning system work extra hard during those crazy Maryland summers. In fact, the Energy Department reported that windows are responsible for $35 billion that homeowners lose in air-conditioning and heating costs each year.

If your home has single-pane windows, consider replacing them with double-pane windows with low-e coating. These types of windows do a great job of reducing energy waste in your home, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Replacing your windows may not be an investment you've planned for yet, and that?s fine. As you begin to make these plans, be sure to research the return on certain home improvement projects. Hint: Replacement windows are one of the highest returning home improvement investments, averaging a 72% ROI!

In the meantime, here are some easy, low-cost (or no-cost) tips and tricks to help make your home more efficient:

SOURCES: EnergySavers: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home, Yahoo! Homes: Cut costs with energy-efficient windows

Remodeling Magazine recently released an article detailing the average Return on Investment (ROI) seen from over 20 remodeling projects, including: Basement Remodel, Bathroom Addition, Deck Addition (wood vs. composite), Entry Door Replacement, Major Kitchen Remodel, Window Replacement (vinyl vs. wood), and more. You can even choose to see these average ROI statistics for different regions, states and even large cities (such as Baltimore, MD; Cleveland, OH; Washington, DC; and Charlotte, NC).

This article proves to be useful, especially for people looking to sell their home, or invest in their home. Some projects experience a low ROI, such as a Bathroom Addition (at 54.8%) while others see a more generous return, such as Wood Window Replacement, at 73.3%.

While remodeling your home can sometimes seem daunting, this list will help put things into perspective for you, in terms of priority. It may even help you make a better choice. For instance, replacing your entry door with a new fiberglass one only yields (on average) a return of 65.9%. However, should you choose to replace your entry door with a new steel entry door, you would see an immensely higher return, at an average of 85.6%. (We meant it ? this information is gold. Be sure you bookmark this article for future reference!)

• Entry Door Replacement (fiberglass) ? 65.9%

• Entry Door Replacement (steel) ? 85.6%

• Siding Replacement (vinyl) ? 72.9%

• Window Replacement (vinyl) ? 71.2%

• Window Replacement (wood) ? 73.3%

In What Other Ways Do Remodeling Projects Yield a Return on Investment?

It's no surprise that even the less expensive windows made these days are incredibly energy efficient. If windows in a home are 10 years or older, there is a good chance they?re cheap, builder-grade windows that are doing nothing but leaking expensive air conditioning and heating. These days, there?s major pressure on window manufacturers to perform to Energy Star standards, providing for extreme energy efficiency to be the new normal.

So what does that mean? It means that replacing the windows or doors in your home will provide for better energy efficiency by your home, thus lowering your energy bills. So, increasing the value of your home and lowering your energy bills doesn't sound like a bad thing, does it?