Tradesmen hoping to earn a share of the massive federal economic stimulus package should retool and target specific areas where this money will be applied. That's the best way to find the work – and income – just now becoming available.

A recent blog report published by Reuters noted that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will inject up to $690 billion into the economy; around 9 percent of that, or $60 billion, is earmarked for green projects, including some $45 billion specifically for energy-related programs.

Most of this money won't be paid directly to contractors, of course; instead, it will be distributed to the owners of homes and businesses – as well as to states and municipalities – in the form of tax credits, grants, and subsidies for energy-related improvements. Building and home-improvement contractors who focus on these areas stand to profit most from the stimulus program, according to the report's authors.

Here are the key green-building programs and the amounts they involve, as described by the report:

• $4.5 billion to improve the energy efficiency of federal buildings
• $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which allocates funds to improve the energy efficiency of building envelopes in low-income housing
• $3.2 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, which are available to municipalities to develop and implement projects that "improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions in their communities"
• $3.1 billion for State Energy Programs. The report noted that states like California are mandating LEED certification for new infrastructure and much of this money could be directed toward these efforts
• $300 million for Energy Efficient Appliance Rebates and the Energy Star program

Additional stimulus money has been earmarked for expanded federal and state tax credits to homeowners who upgrade doors, windows, insulation, and appliances that make their homes more energy-efficient, and for the installation of renewable-energy-producing additions like solar electric and hydronic equipment, geothermal heat pumps, and wind generators.