One of the things about the renovation is the monetary hemorrhage we've been experiencing. While we're spending as wisely as we can, putting money where we hope it will pay of sometime (kitchen and bath) and doing much of the work ourselves.
During the process, we've been keeping our eyes open for the many rebates available -- either from manufacturers or utility companies. For instance, our kitchen appliances carried a pretty hefty rebate from Bosch combined with a number of Energy-Star-esque rebates (plus the credits for hauling off our old, inefficient appliances -- which was great: a hauling service and small rebate in one).
The most recent (and one of the most significant) rebates came from PG+E for our foam roof. Since we had the HVAC equipment installed before the roof went on, PG+E offered a rebate for the white foam roof that Abril installed (PG+E calls it "a cool roof")... while less than a half-percent, it offset the cost of the dishwasher. or siding. or flooring. or windows. or...
Thanks PG+E... thanks, too, for the crazy cheap CFLs we found as Sam's Club for less than 10cents each (an 8-pack for $0.86) -- we've installed them in all of our globe fixtures. Save the initial flicker, it's hard to tell the difference.