How about a program that significantly lowers your utilities, adds home value, improves comfort and reduces your carbon footprint on the planet?

How about getting help to pay for it?

Your local REALTOR wants to share brand new information with homeowners about the big value this year of “upgrading green.” It’s easy, inexpensive, it’s finally certified by Missouri. By acting this year, you may qualify for tax incentives that can help pay for it. The best part — you will lower your utilities by up to 30% or more and increase the value of your most valuable asset, your home.

Introducing My Green Toolkit.com, the place to learn how to start greening your home and qualify for tax incentives, all brought to you by your favorite REALTOR.

For instance, in 2009, state and federal government are helping with tax credits and deductions for homeowners to get more energy efficient. See what’s available.

Do you know why getting a home energy assessment from an accredited energy auditor is so important, before you start work greening your house? Learn more.

What are the 4 steps to getting a home more energy efficient AND qualify for the maximum amount of incentives from governments and utilities? Find out here.

Go to My Green Toolkit.com and start your house-greening efforts now, while all the “green stars are aligned.” And when you see the resulting savings and incentives, thank your local REALTOR who sent this to you. They want you to know that building value in your home is easy when you go green.

Articles of Interest

A Stimulus That Could Save Money David Leonhardt writes that similar to this summer’s “cash for clunkers”, an economic stimulus program for weatherizing houses could be done and makes more sense. more... NYTimes, November 17, 2009

Greening with Envy For over 3 decades, social scientist Robert Cialdini has investigated how we respond to everything from litter in a parking garage to public-service announcements about recycling. HIs conclusion of which messages best motivates us to do good might surprise you. more... The Atlantic, July/August 2009

Construction Industry Could Trim Climate Emissions Cheaply POZNAN, Poland -- Energy use in buildings accounts for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, but the potential of the construction sector to combat climate change has not been tapped, according to a new report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme. Today's commercially available technologies make it possible to halve energy consumption in both new and old buildings without significant investment, the report finds. Yet only 10 out of some 4,000 projects in the pipeline of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, which finances initiatives that help reduce emissions, are designed to curb the use of energy in buildings. more... Environmental News Service (ENS), December 8, 2008

US Energy department to share building efficiency technologies through real estate alliance The US Department of Energy (DOE) has entered into an alliance with the commercial real estate sector to lessen energy consumption and for energy efficiency of commercial properties mainly through technology deployment. more... EcoSeed.org, April 9, 2009

Engineering giants follow the money to green power SAN FRANCISCO A green power building spree is on the way, and much of it will be brought to you by the same people who built the nuclear and coal-fired power plants that keep the lights on now. What might strike casual observers or radical greens as odd can be explained by good business sense; with few other power plants in the works, big U.S. engineering and construction companies have heartily embraced renewable energy projects. Next year, in particular, is setting up to be a banner year for clean energy, with the political winds blowing in the right direction and utilities scrambling to meet renewables targets. But moving from solar panel installations on the roofs of the eco-minded to utility-scale projects that will power the homes of thousands requires far more planning expertise and capital, which will play into the hands of the big engineers. more...
Reuters via EcoSeed.org, September 30, 2009

Smart Lighting Will Save Trillions of Dollars, Gigatons of CO2 TROY, New York, A new generation of lighting devices based on light-emitting diodes, LEDs, will supplant the common light bulb in coming years, according to a paper published this week by two professors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Innovations in photonics and solid state lighting will lead to trillions of dollars in cost savings, along with a massive reduction in the amount of energy required to light homes and businesses around the globe, write co-authors E. Fred Schubert and Jong Kyu Kim. If all of the world's light bulbs were replaced with energy-efficient LEDs for a period of 10 years, the researchers say it would reduce global crude oil consumption by 962 million barrels and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10.68 gigatons. more... Environmental News Service
(ENS), December 18, 2008

How Green Remodeling Can Help Sell Your House: Beat the Real Estate Bubble: Make Your Home Energy Efficient and Green. The good news is you can gain a leg up on the other houses for sale in your price range by making smart and quick eco-renovations. These green remodeling ideas can help you slash your monthly energy bills, reduce your water usage, clean up your indoor air quality, and leave the planet a better place. And make your home stand out from all of the rest. more… The Daily Green.com

For Cost-effective Remodeling, Think Green: These are home improvements that are an investment even in a recession. Remodeling your bathroom to include radiant heat is an investment you’ll likely see a return on when you sell more… By Matt Woolsey, Forbes via MSNBC.com

Green homes selling faster, for more Homes certified as environmentally friendly are selling faster and for more money than other homes in King County, according to a new analysis. more… Aubrey Cohen, Seattle Real Estate News via Seattlepi.com

A New Enforcer in Buildings, the Energy Inspector By Degrees—Tougher Home Building Rules to Save Energy for Decades. Climate scientists and architects say that no single policy change could do more to save energy over the long run — and reduce the nation’s contribution to global warming — than building codes that make saving energy the law. more… by Clifford Krauss, Green Inc., The New York Times, July 18, 2009