Union Leader – Avenues – New Hampshire Real Estate
Realtors to learn about benefits of energy efficiency
By DENIS PAISTE
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
Most owners can make their existing home more energy efficient for less than $2,000, a national expert said this week.
“It creates a safer, healthier environment, lessens utility costs, reduces the carbon footprint, and makes for a better future,” said Candace Lightner, an Energy Smart Real Estate Specialist with Coldwell Banker.
Lightner will present an Energy Smart Real Estate Specialist course Wednesday at the Holiday Inn, 300 Woodbury Ave., in Portsmouth.
“The course that I teach does kind of simplify the whole green concept,” she said.
The message for real estate agents to carry on to their clients is that making homes more energy efficient can make them more comfortable, cheaper to live in and easier to sell later.
Lightner, who is based in Alexandria, Va., served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Energy and developed a strategy to encourage real estate agents nationwide to become leaders in educating buyer and sellers on the advantages of energy efficient retrofitting.
She also founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) after her 13-year-old daughter Cari was killed by a drunk driver in California in 1980.
The value of green building construction starts grew nearly five times from 2005 to 2008 (from $10 billion to $36-$49 billion), and could triple by 2013, reaching $96-$140 billion, according to a November 2008 McGraw-Hill Construction report, “Green Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change.”
Decrease in operating costs was the most often cited benefit (13.6 percent, up from 8 to 9 percent in 2005), followed by the increase in building values (10.9 percent, up from 7.5 percent in 2005), according to McGraw-Hill Construction.
U.S. Green Building Council members report green building to be less affected by the down market compared to non-green building, and home buyers are willing to pay more for a green home, according to the McGraw-Hill report.
Besides Lightner, presenters at the seminar will include:
Anthony Balakier of Solterra Renewable Energy LLC, who will speak on alternative energy sources.
David Duplessis of Equity America Mortgage Services, Inc., who will speak on energy efficient mortgages.
Kevin Hanlon of Horizon Residential Energy Services NH LLC, who will talk about home energy audits. He will be giving a discount on energy audits to those attending the class.
Among “Energy Smart” issues to be discussed at the seminar are factors affecting a home’s energy consumption and cost; the value of energy efficiency; the Energy Star label; and how to help clients find energy raters and home performance contractors.
New Hampshire ranked 18th among the states, with a total of 16.5 out of 50 points, in the State Energy Efficiency Scoreboard published in October 2008 by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The scoreboard measures states’ energy efficiency practices in eight categories, including successful utility efficiency programs, transportation efficiency policies and building energy codes.
Class hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost of the course, which is sponsored by Public Service of New Hampshire, is $99.
The Energy Smart Real Estate Specialist course is approved for five hours of continuing education credit by the Maine Real Estate Commission and 3 hours of continuing education by the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission.
On the Net: www.energysmartrealestatespecialists.com