Full Circle Real Estate Group: Athens Real Estate, Sustainable Real Estate

Today’s nontoxic caulks, adhesives and sealants are safer for DIYers.

Not long ago, our choice of caulks, sealants and adhesives was pretty limited—and pretty toxic. Today, increased interest in tighter structures, better indoor air quality and energy conservation has led to the development of less-hazardous versions of these products. Manufacturers are finding ways to reduce and eliminate the harmful chemicals that caulks, sealants and adhesives once contained—without reducing performance.
 
Typically, these newer, greener products cost roughly the same as the premium versions of their traditional counterparts. The products are relatively free from harmful chemicals and easy for anyone to use—and they can help make your home quieter, more efficient and less toxic. Check out these products before you get ready to winterize your home. READ MORE HERE!

Here is a list of these greener products:

AFM Safecoat
(619) 239-0321

Greenguard Environmental Institute
(800) 427-9681

OSI GreenSeries
(800) 321-3578

Titebond GREENchoice
(888) 533-9043

SOURCE: Natural Home Magazine

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Monday that it will allocate $454 million to a new program to make energy efficiency retrofits happen in homes and businesses. New construction is increasingly incorporating ways to conserve energy and water use, but existing buildings continue to gobble up energy in wasteful and detrimental ways. The “Retrofit Ramp-Up” initiative will save $100 million per year in utility bills, DOE says.

The funding comes out of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is intended to fuel projects on the community or regional level that, when applied nationally, will save billions of dollars on Americans’ energy bills and make savings from energy efficiency widely accessible. We'll keep you posted on any local Athens' projects that take advantage of this initiative.

The program is structured to select local energy efficiency retrofit projects that make large enough impacts on energy use in residential, commercial, and public buildings that they can be scaled up to national projects. The Program provides funds to states, U.S. territories, counties, cities and Indian tribes to reduce their energy use and fossil fuel emissions and improve energy efficiency in the transportation, buildings and other appropriate sectors.

SOURCE: GREENANDSAVE.COM

The miles-per-gallon metric has gone a long way toward marketing the Prius and other fuel-efficient cars, and some are hoping a new, more detailed energy label than is currently available could do the same for buildings. That’s the idea behind a program set to be unveiled this fall by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, that would provide buildings with a sort of report card, or label, of their energy use.

The program would give buildings a rating from A+ to F, with the former reserved for facilities that are net zero –- meaning they produce as much energy on site as they consume –- and the latter meant for those that are “unsatisfactory.” The labels would provide an easy-to-understand metric for owners and tenants to compare with other, similar buildings, such as office buildings in downtown San Francisco, for example. ASHRAE hopes the labels will help spur more energy-efficient design by making energy use a more visible characteristic of buildings, said Bruce Hunn, director of strategic technical programs for ASHRAE, a research and standards writing organization.

To continue reading, click HERE.

One quarter billion dollars is a lot. An awful lot. Most people will never even come near that amount of money, but that’s what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Americans saved this past year by switching over to energy efficient homes.

In the EPA’s announcement on July 3, it was reported that 17 percent of all single family homes built across the nation in the year 2008 received the EPA’s Energy Star approval rating, which means that homes are at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30 percent more efficient than standard homes. The percentage of Energy Star homes was up from 12 percent in 2007.

Click HERE for more info.

The Federal Government continues to provide incentives to homeowners to help encourage improvements in energy efficiency. Credit opportunities exist for everything from cars and appliances to homes and buildings. With more available options for energy-efficient appliances and products, a tax incentive is a wonderful way for the public to become more aware of green alternatives.

Credits are available for both residential and commercial buildings. Many credits are based on standards for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) or Energy Star, and must meet International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Tax credit details for home improvements:

• Improvements must be installed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010.
• They must be for your principal residence, except for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, and small wind energy systems, where second homes and rentals qualify. Each must have a Manufacturer Certification Statement to qualify.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is making tax credits available for various home improvements, and allows 30% of all your certified installations up to $1,500. With that in mind, it could be helpful to get in depth on what to look for when considering windows. Click HERE for tons of important information that can help you save money!

When Congress passed the financial bailout bill late last year, it included a range of federal tax credits and cash gifts for businesses — but also a suite of new and renewed tax credits for individuals who want to make energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to their home or cars.

When President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill in February, the federal government expanded and extended some of those credits.

So what's in it for homeowners and other regular taxpayers? Click HERE for a list of credits that can save you money, including a $1500 Home Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency!