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Being Energy & Resource Efficient in Rockville Maryland

By
Real Estate Agent with Cyrus Luxury Homes

As REALTORS®, we have a tremendous responsibility and opportunity to educate the public about how to operate a home so it is energy and resource efficient. We really need to take green courses so we can catch up with the public and be able to fulfill our professional obligations. Armed with this knowledge we can learn how to communicate with certain buyers who are very conscious of green practices, energy efficiency, and reducing toxins. I am currently going through the on line RE/MAX Satellite training for "NAR Green Designation". While taking the course, I found the following statistics very alarming:

"According to "U.S. Green Building Council",  in the USA alone, buildings account for: 70% of electricity, 39% of all energy use,  39% of all (CO2) emissions,  40% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output  (136 million tons annually), and  12% of potable water"

The quick and easy home fixes below have helped me change the way I live. It will shrink your carbon footprint and your monthly bills:

1-     Switch the lights: Compact fluorescent light bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy than traditional bulbs. Replace them in highly used fixtures such as porch lights, bathroom vanities and office lamps. Turn the lights off when not in use.

2-     Eliminate Phantom Load Energy Use: A "phantom load" which accounts for 15% of household electricity is the energy that's sapped by stand by appliances. Use power strips for home office (computer, printer), home entertainment center (TV, DVD player, and stereo), and cell phone chargers.

3-     Tune up HVAC system and Install a programmable thermostat

4-     Save water:By placing an aerator on all household faucets you can cut your annual water consumption by 50%.  Install low-flow toilet which uses 1.6 gallons per flush, compared to 3.5 gallons per flush for pre-1994 models. If you have an older model, adjust your float valve to admit less water into the toilet's tank.  Behavioral changes will also help: using a broom instead of the garden hose to clean your driveway can save 80 gallons of water and turning the water off when you brush your teeth will save 4.5 gallons each time.

5-     Cool it. Turn the water temperature for your washing machine or dishwasher down to 120º F to cut water-heating energy consumption.

6-      Seal it. Search for hidden air leaks in around window seals, your attic, basement or crawl space, and seal them with caulk, spray foam or weather stripping. Home sealing can be an inexpensive way to cut energy consumption by up to 10 percent. Insulate the hot water heater and conduct an energy audit.

7-     Rate it. Look for Energy Star-rated products. Take advantage of tax incentives to update your appliances. Use solar water heater if possible.

8-     Use healthier house material:When remodeling, select healthier green products like windows, HVAC unit, doors, plumbing, siding, roofing, flooring, and cabinets.

9-     Recycle, Recycle, Recycle:

10-  Add one meatless meal per week.

11-  Buy used when you can.

12-  Save a tree, use less paper: Reuse paper if possible

13-  Plant a rain garden

I am also taking steps to turn our office to a Green Office. Please share your thoughts with me so we can keep this subject alive.

Show All Comments Sort:
Debra Cernick
DeShazer Ryan Realty - Libby, MT

Cyrus - Thinking and talking green. You are sure doing our part and helping educate us!

Mar 29, 2009 05:08 PM
Katerina Gasset
The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT
Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

Cyrus- As Realtors(R) we have a tremendous responsibility to assist our clients in buying and selling homes but I fail to see where in the code of ethics or the standards of practise does it say that we are responsible to teach homeowners how to operate a home. I also would not want the liability that could come of telling people how to save energy as I am not a energy saver specialist. Katerina

BTW- I do know from researching lights that the flourescent lights also cause depression, insomnia as well as a host of other illnesses.

Mar 29, 2009 05:13 PM
Jessica Jones
Sandestin Real Estate - Sandestin, FL
Destin Sandestin 30-A Real Estate

I agree we, as Realtors, can make a HUGE impact with our clients regarding green living and green homes. Wonderful post! Keep up the great work!

Mar 29, 2009 05:15 PM
Chad Baird
Re/Max Spirit - Dayton, OH

I don't think its a responsibility to educate clients about energy usage.  I have a couple of the flouresent bulbs in my house and I cant stand them.  I had to move them to the basement areas because they take to long to light up so I never turn them off so they stay bright.  Im not sure thats any more efficient than a regular bulb? 

Mar 30, 2009 02:44 AM
Cyrus Anvari
Cyrus Luxury Homes - Potomac, MD
Dream It, I will Make It Happen

I had a few comments in this blog which was very typical of misconceptions that agents have about energy efficiency and green living. I have to confess, I had the same doubts about some of the green living ideas. But the wattage you save by changing the light bulbs is a proven fact:

Incandescent Light Bulbs was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879 and was improved by Lewis Howard Latimer and Willis R. Whitney Finally in 1910 William David Coolidge invented a tungsten filament that you see in the bulbs now. So you can see this is a very old and outdated technology.

I changed most of the light bulbs at home to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL) that looks exactly like a typical ceiling light. If I needed to have a light that lights up right away, I used a regular light bulb. It takes a couple minutes to get to its maximum brightness.

Those who say that changing light bulbs to CFL does not make any difference, can access the following web-site: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

"If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars"

I am not asking people to be 100% green conscious. You just do what you can when you can. But as I learned more about it, I was more convinced that things cannot stay the same and the reality is a scary beast. 

The truth of the matter is that we cannot go on doing the same when we are almost bankrupt as a nation.  The supply of the fossil fuels is limited and it is harmful to the environment.

Cyrus Anvari, Broker/Owner                                                                                                       ABR, CRS, GRI, CNHS, RECS, E-Pro                                                                                 RE/MAX New Horizon                                                                                        www.CyrusHomeTeam.com

                                                                                                

 

 

 

Mar 30, 2009 04:49 AM
Cliff Anderson
Winter Park, CO

Great tips for conserving energy.  I believe it is everyone's responsibility to be educated on the effect we have on our environment and more importantly - how we can reduced our carbon footprint.  Keep spreading the word!

Mar 30, 2009 04:53 AM
Cyrus Anvari
Cyrus Luxury Homes - Potomac, MD
Dream It, I will Make It Happen

Educating the public has its responsibilities and liabilities, but so does letting them know about the 8k tax credit or loan programs.Yes, this is not our legal responsibility but a moral one. Yes it will not be easy, and in some cases it is inconvenient. But we have to sacrifice some convenience in order to achieve our goals.

When you are thinking out of the box and educating your clients whom in return will save 30-40% in their utility bills, they will appreciate it and that has its rewards. By getting a designation, you can share the standard knowledge which is an exact science and only publish the standard flayers.

 Cyrus Anvari, Broker/Owner                                                                                                       ABR, CRS, GRI, CNHS, RECS, E-Pro                                                                                 RE/MAX New Horizon                                                                                        www.CyrusHomeTeam.com

Mar 30, 2009 04:54 AM
Gary J. Rocks
Juba Team Realty - Jefferson Township, NJ

Cyrus

My family and I are all for going green it is being taught in the schools. So, naturally we support our kids education process. Last month my wife went around and disconnected all appliances that were on standby, it was a pain having to plug everything in when you wanted to use it. This will take time to get use to it. Because of this effort our electric bill was reduced by $56.00 for one month!

This weekend our handyman is coming to install a timer on our hot water heater and will be reducing the temperature to 120 degrees. My wife and I have figured out that we only need hot water for about 5 hours a day that's only heating water for 20% of the day instead of 100%. We are hoping that our electric bill will go from triple digits to double digits. Our water heater is only 1 years old and has a high efficiency rating, we may also consider a tank wrap but I don't think it is necessary.

As far as it being our responsibility to educate the consumer i wouldn't want that to be part of my job discription. I would rather make up a basket full of energy saving devices a give it to them at closing.

Apr 03, 2009 03:46 PM
Gary J. Rocks
Juba Team Realty - Jefferson Township, NJ

Cyrus

I got off on a tangent telling you what we have been doing I did want to know what was a rain garden? Could you please send a description of that to me. It sounds like something i would be interested in.

Apr 03, 2009 03:49 PM