According to Melissa Dittmann Tracey in an article she wrote for REALTOR Magazine, time is ticking to complete home renovation projects if you want to cash in on a tax deduction which expires at the end of the year. Tax credits are available for home owners who do upgrades that help them save energy and reduce their utility bills such as installing more energy-efficient windows and doors, insulation, and heating and cooling equipment.

You can qualify for up to $1,500 in tax credits when filing 2010 income tax returns. Home owners have until Dec. 31 to qualify for the tax credit.

Home owners can take advantage of the tax credit (Internal Revenue Code Section 25C) for efficiency upgrades made to existing homes, such as for certain types of insulation, windows, roofs, water heaters, heat pumps, furnaces and air conditioners. Tax credits are available for 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500 for 2009 and 2010.

Tax credits — also up to 30 percent of the cost of the qualifying products — are available for equipment using renewable energy, such as solar, geothermal, wind or fuel cells (under tax code section 25D). However, you have until the end of 2016 to take advantage of that tax credit program.