Homeowners now have even more power to make energy-efficient improvements to their houses and get money back for doing so.

A number of federal tax credits are available for making such home upgrades, and local utility companies have some rebates of their own to complement several of the federal incentives.

Dan Villalobos, energy services specialist at Inland Power & Light, said the utility has experienced an uptick in the number of rebate applications it has received this year. He says the increase in rebate requests is due in part to the federal tax credits. Another reason, he said, is that more people are making home improvements and incorporating energy-efficient products and systems when making upgrades.

One development Villalobos said he is monitoring is a proposed Washington state “Cash for Clunkers” program but only for appliances. He said it appears that this program will apply only to energy-efficient, or Energy Star-certified washing machines. Inland Power currently gives a $50 rebate to customers who replace a conventional washer with an Energy Star-certified appliance, as well as $25 rebates for dishwashers and refrigerators and freezers.

Currently, a window-replacement rebate is one of the more popular incentives, Villalobos said. Both Inland Power and Avista Utilities offer a rebate of $3 per square foot for qualifying energy-efficient windows and patio-door replacements.

Window and door replacements are included in a large group of improvements for which federal tax credits are available. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, consumers who install qualifying windows and doors this year or next can receive a tax credit for 30 percent of the purchase price, up to $1,500.

Other types of improvements for which a 30 percent tax credit is available include insulation, metal and asphalt roofs, heating ventilation and air-conditioning units, and water heaters. The $1,500 maximum applies to those credits as well.

While all of those credits are good for purchases made during 2009 and 2010, the act includes some incentives for larger improvements. These credits are good through 2016 and don’t have maximum limits. Tax credits are available for 30 percent of the purchase of geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind-energy systems, and fuel cells.

Local utilities have some rebate programs for larger projects as well. For example, Avista offers a $1,500 incentive for customers who install a high-performance, ground-source heat pump.

Also, Avista makes $1,000 incentives available to homeowners who switch from electric as the primary heating source to natural gas heat or heat pumps. A $250 incentive is available for customers who switch to a natural gas hot water heater from an electric water heater.

For more information on federal tax credits related to energy-efficiency home improvement, go to www.energystar.gov and click on the “Tax Credits For Energy Efficiency” tab on the home page. For a complete list of rebates offered by local utilities, go to www.avistautilities.com and click on the Energy Savings tab. At www.inlandpower.com, go to the Energy Matters tab and look for Energy Efficiency Rebates.