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Realty Agents Taking Green Lessons

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: November 15, 2008

PORT RICHEY - How green is the Pasco valley? Several area real estate agents recently found out as they recently attended classes in Orlando toward earning the National Association of Realtors green designation.

Tish Osborne and Nancy Johnson, agents in Prudential Tropical Realty's Port Richey office, spent two days in Orlando for the first conservation accreditation program recognized by NAR. Debbie Deeb, a Prudential Tropical agent based in St. Petersburg, joined them and 237 other agents from across the country.

"I didn't realize there were so many things going on in green real estate," Osborne said after the trip.

"There are a multitude of tax breaks, rebates and incentives" for newly built houses designed to conserve water or energy and existing houses retrofitted to achieve such savings, she noted.

For instance, Florida voters in the Nov. 4 general election approved Constitutional Amendment 3. It creates a property tax exemption for renewable-energy house improvements such as solar water heaters.

"One thing that always go up is your energy costs," Osborne observed.

A solar water heater for a pool or home can qualify for up to $20,000 in rebates, Osborne said. Pasco County offers incentives such as $100 rebates for installation of low-flow toilets, she added.

"What's voluntary now may be mandatory in the future," Osborne commented about water conservation features for homes.

Nearly half of all the water consumed in Pasco is used to irrigate lawns, which is "unbelievable," Osborne said. The time may come in the near future when homeowners are encouraged to put in drought-resistant lawns that don't require irrigation, she said.

Competition in the marketplace will only drive down the initial cost of installing water and energy conservation features, Osborne predicted. Consumers eventually may see rate structures in which charges rise in an increasingly higher manner the more electricity they consume over a billing period, she added.

People can assess the energy efficiency of their houses via the EnergyHog.org Web site, http://www.energyhog.org. The Internet site is sponsored by Energy Outreach Colorado, the Colorado Governor's Energy Office and the Ad Council.

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