The practice of incorporating green walls into commercial building design continues to gain in popularity.

Along with the wonderful opportunities to purchase homes at good prices and great interest rates right now, come some deliciously compelling opportunities to green your current home or buy green. 

 You probably know that this summer, the City of Austin made Energy Audits mandatory in conjunction with home sales.  You may not know that the feedback coming from those inspections is coming in, and homes are consistently rating most poorly in areas of insulation and damaged ductwork.  With much of our local construction style involving dark roofs with AC ducting in uninsulated attics where the summer temps can rise to 125 degrees, it’s no wonder these poor, baked ducts are commonly showing leakage rates of 30-40%.  You can save a lot of money when you aren’t air conditioning the great outdoors! 

There are some fabulous, and relatively untapped, sources of federal tax rebates to reimburse you for having energy retrofit work done, so you can get paid in rebates and save with lower bills.  Earlier this year, Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Until Dec. 31, 2010, homeowners can take advantage of a national tax credit of 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, on a variety of energy-saving products. Insulation, windows and doors, roofing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, tankless water heaters and alternative energy programs, such as solar panels and wind turbines.   Check the Green Living Library for a pdf that outlines these rebates and how to use them.  Stanberry’s Green Team has also assembled some notable discounts through local contractors to enhance your savings even further, also available on our Green Living site. 

If you are considering purchasing a more energy efficient home, we can help you save money on that as well.  New Energy Efficient Mortgages allow you to identify a home to buy, have a HERS rating inspection done (Home Energy Rating System), then borrow an additional amount to cover energy upgrades that will be done at closing.  The title company escrows money to pay contractors, and you can count the monthly savings you will experience as part of your income qualification!  So you can afford more, expect lower energy bills, and on top of that, get money back from the Federal Government for the improvements! 

 The process is made simple by using professionals that understand the processes, and that starts with an informed REALTOR, who is at the center fitting the pieces together for you.  Please let us know how we can assist you; we know the inventory, the processes, and can help make the way smooth through the entire process.  You just can’t say ‘mean green’ anymore, because green is makin’ the livin’ easy!