Green Real Estate Appraiser

What do you get when you sign up for a 100% green electricity plan?

Posted on July 10, 2017 | Leave a comment

For the first time, residents and businesses up and down the state can buy electricity plans touted as “100 percent green” in their quest to fight climate change or simply be more environmentally friendly.

They can enroll in these programs through California’s three major investor-owned utilities — San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric — or through the growing number of cities and counties that offer alternative power programs called community choice aggregation, or CCA.

Does this mean all the electricity flowing into those customers’ homes and offices is created with renewable energy? No.

When residents pay a roughly $5 to $10 premium on top of the average monthly bill to get a 100 percent green plan, the provider buys a corresponding amount of renewable energy on their behalf. Almost all of that green power comes from existing inventory, which is mixed with electricity generated from fossil fuels, and the situation isn’t expected to undergo a transformation until far more people enroll in 100 percent plans. Whether that explosion in demand takes years or decades to realize remains to be seen.

“It doesn’t mean that when a customer signs up for 100 percent green, there’s a crew overnight wailing away and putting together another 6 kilowatts of solar somewhere. It’s an administrative process,” said Bill Powers of San Diego, an electrical engineering consultant and a consumer advocate.

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Should you renovate before you sell?

Posted on July 7, 2017 | Leave a comment

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Should you renovate before you sell your home? The definitive answer is … maybe. The truth is, it’s not as black and white as it seems, and it all depends on several factors.

First up, are you considering a renovation because you think it’s going to result in a greater sales price? If so, then you need to do some research and be smart about what you choose to change or add.

Take a look at the houses for sale in your area. Is there something they all have that you don’t have? Are you able to add that element to your property without vastly altering the existing footprint of the house? A good example would be if all the properties in the area have solar panels or an en suite, then you might need to add it so you are on par with the other houses on the market.

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What we can expect from the houses of the future

Posted on July 4, 2017 | Leave a comment

More and more houses are also going to have photovoltaic capacity to generate electricity, Wolfe says. “Therefore there needs to be a facility for the storage of battery cells and this may mean a new room or an extension of a garage,” he says.

“Energy efficiency is always something that will be a moving target. Material design and specification will facilitate the energy efficiency of houses and this is where innovation will play a big role.”

Ochiai adds he also believes future homes will make greater use of materials that require less maintenance to sustain. “This includes materials that don’t produce waste when you use them, such as prefabricated or prefinished material that is made off-site,” he says.

“I also think people will become more aware of the materials used, especially around chemicals. People are likely to keep their homes for a longer period of time because of housing affordability issues, so they will be demanding greater sustainability and longevity from them.”

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

What do you get when you sign up for a 100% green electricity plan?

Should you renovate before you sell?

What we can expect from the houses of the future

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