We recently had the honor of teaching the very first class of GREEN designees earning NAR’s new GREEN designation in Scottsdale, Arizona. As real estate professionals interested in helping and supporting their clients and customers in these economic times they collectively came together and provided their best and brightest ideas on how every homeowner can begin saving money on energy and utility bills right now. Here are their comments:
Marnie Rosenthal – “Turn off the lights. Be more conscious of the energy you are paying for and not using.”
Kathleen Mazzocco – “Turn off the TV when it is not in use. It is amazing how often we leave the TV on in various rooms when we are not even watching it!”
Kevin Ratkovic – “Install motion sensors for lights, particularly in passive areas of your home such as the garage, pantry and closets.”
Natalia Perez – “Plan your trips to the grocery, shopping and errands in a more economical fashion. Simply thinking about how many trips we can consolidate into one saves gas and dollars.”
Tammy Lawrence – “Unplug the passive electrical devices in your home. Power strips, phone chargers and other devices are drawing electricity when they are plugged in even if you are not using them.”
Tami Simard – “Set your computer to “hibernate” or “sleep” when not in use. Leaving the computer on 24/7 wastes energy and may decrease the life and increase the maintenace of your system.”
Judy Hughes – “Replace your existing light bulbs with CFL’s. They are inexpensive and save energy costs.”
Michael Collins (aka Brad Pitt for marketing purposes) – “Get an an energy audit done on your home or prospective home purchase. An energy audit from a qualified expert will give you professional guidance in ways to make your home more environmentally responsible.”
Tiffany Huff – “Buy your produce and other items locally and seasonally. You’ll get a better quality product, support your local economy and contribute to environmental concerns.”
Ann Belfield – “Be more energy conscious. Pay attention to the ways in which you use energy. We can all reduce our utility bills simply by becoming more aware of our energy use.”
T.J. Harris– “Ride a bike. Think about combining your exercise with decreased gas costs by making fewer trips in your car and more on your bike. Good for the environment. Better for you!”
Annabelle Finfrock – “Think about installing an energy monitoring device or energy inverter in your home to monitor and control your home’s energy usage.”
Ruth Zeller – “Use low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint. Avoid the toxic fumes. Good for the environment. Better for your family!”