Home For Sale

Green Homes For Sale Green Homes Green Home Healthy Homes For Sale Healthy Home Healthy Homes Green Real Estate Natural Homes For Sale Natural Homes Natural Home Eco Homes For Sale Eco Homes Eco Home Straw Bale Homes For Sale Straw Bale Homes Straw Bale Home StrawBale Homes For Sale StrawBale Homes Adobe Homes For Sale Adobe Homes Adobe Home Solar Homes For Sale Solar Homes Solar Home Earthship Homes for Sale Earthship Homes Earthship Home Energy Efficient Homes For Sale Energy Efficient Homes Energy Efficient Home Permacutlure Homes For Sale Permaculture Homes Permaculture Home Sustainable Homes For Sale Sustainable Homes Sustainable Home Cohousing For Sale Cohousing Sustainable Housing For Sale Rammed Earth Homes For Sale Rammed Earth Homes Eco Retreat Centers For Sale Eco Retreat Centers Healing Centers For Sale Healing Centers Green Homes For Sale Green Homes Natural Homes For Sale Natural Homes Healthy Homes For Sale Healthy Homes Eco Homes For Sale Eco Homes Straw Bale Homes For Sale Straw Bale Homes StrawBale Homes For Sale StrawBale Homes Adobe Homes For Sale Adobe Homes Solar Homes For Sale Solar Homes Earthship Homes for Sale Earthship Homes Energy Efficient Homes For Sale Energy Efficient Homes Permacutlure Homes For Sale Permaculture Homes Sustainable Homes For Sale Sustainable Homes Cohousing Homes For Sale Cohousing Sustainable Housing For Sale Rammed Earth Homes For Sale Rammed Earth Homes Eco Retreat Centers For Sale Eco Retreat Centers Healing Centers For Sale Healing Centers Home Search Homes Browse Homes Sell Your Home Newsletter FAQ Testimonials Contact Thursday, December 29, 2005 Green Home Resources View Contact Info My Properties Fees Login ---- Home List Your Home My Properties Green Home Info Unique Searches: Last Few Listings Most Viewed Least Viewed Recently Updated Old/Sold Listings Property Searches Green Homes Healthy Homes Natural Homes Solar Homes Rammed Earth Strawbale Homes Adobe Homes Off the Grid Homes Country United States (120) Canada (4) New Zealand (1) Puerto Rico (1) Trinidad & Tobago (1) States/Provinces Arizona (10) Arkansas (2) California (16) Colorado (20) Connecticut (1) Florida (5) Georgia (3) Hawaii (1) Idaho (2) Illinois (1) Indiana (1) Iowa (1) Kentucky (1) Maine (1) Maryland (1) Massachusetts (1) Michigan (1) Minnesota (2) Missouri (1) Montana (5) Nevada (1) New Hampshire (3) New Mexico (7) New York (2) North Carolina (5) North Dakota (1) Oregon (7) Pennsylvania (1) Puerto Rico (1) South Carolina (1) South Dakota (1) Tennessee (1) Texas (1) Vermont (1) Virginia (3) Washington (4) Wisconsin (5) British Columbia (3) Nova Scotia (1) Green Homes for Sale -- The marketplace for buying and selling green and healthy homes. Featured Listings: Would you like your listing featured here? Click for more information. Pearce, Arizona SUSTAINABLE COUNTRY LIFESTYLE, high desert location at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains. Strawbale home is both active and passive solar, great natural beauty! Your choice of 4 or 20 acres Portland, Oregon History, character and a healthier way of life. All that, and great accommodation, recently expanded to include 4 living areas, 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms, all suffused with light.Finish materials were carefully selected for environmental sensitivity. Lyons, Colorado This 2 bedroom flat is located within a cohousing community committed to environmental sustainability. Act quickly to pick the options and upgrades in this home. Crestone, Colorado Off-Grid Solar Passive solar, solar & wind electric, solar thermal DHW, natural bldg materials, energy efficient, sustainable, gardens, views, wildlife, private, sustainable minded community, many dharma and spiritual centers, mountains and rivers. Wilton, New Hampshire Oasis of Perfection and Luxury. This beautiful estate is the epitome of understated elegance, superb quality and custom craftsmanship. It is entirely built "green" from top to bottom. Owner designed the home for people with severe allergy and/or allergy concerns. San Diego, California Guarded/Gated 3.4 Acre Estate, Ultimate privacy, Main Adobe Home, Guest Home, Pool House, Greenhouse, 6 car garage, maid's quarters, golf, private country club, Jet airstrip, Priceless Landscaping. Feature your home. Click for more information. Standard Listings: Click for more information. Emeryville, California This two-bedroom, two-bath residence is one of the more open and spacious floorplans available, offering you sensational features. Seattle, Washington New "Green" Townhomes in the Rainier Vista Neighborhood of Columbia City! Hawley, Massachusetts MCS-safe house for sale in western Massachusetts. Custom built, high-quality, low maintenance, 1&1/2 story cape. Beautifully sited on 7. Burnt Ranch, California 30' diameter Pacific Yurt with second 12' diameter Yurt connected by breeze-way. Three year-round creeks. Pond. Wilton, New Hampshire Oasis of Perfection and Luxury. This beautiful estate is the epitome of understated elegance, superb quality and custom craftsmanship. It is entirely built "green" from top to bottom. Owner designed the home to be a healthy non-toxic environment. Astoria, Oregon Mountain home with spectacular views of Saddle Mountain and costal range. Lots of privacy and seclusion. Energy efficient solar powered house and farm on 69 acres. Cranbrook, British Columbia 6,255 sq. ft. two-storey(includ. walkout basement)luxury home. White pine 10" logs on main and partial upper. 6 bdms. Stunning views from every room. 2-storey natural river rock fireplace. Vesuvius, Virginia Available for immediate possession is a unique log home, custom designed and built for a canary, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Bainbridge Island, Washington Sustainable architect designed traditional farmhouse green construction using recycled content new materials, non-toxic finishes, certified sustainable yield lumber and materials, small house plan for simple living. No petrolium products or PVC vinyls, th Siler City, North Carolina Three bedroom, 2 bath home. o EnergyStar level of energy efficiency. o Qualifies for Energy Efficient Mortgages and automatic 5% rebate on your electric bill. As featured Wall Street Journal - Real Estate Journal, New York Times - Real Estate, Treehugger.com, WorldChanging.org and the Financial Times. Green Homes for Sale Newsletter Sign-up: Email: Name: For more info - contact us. New GHFS Features: 20 pictures of your home: Sellers can upload up to 20 pictures of a home. You will also be able to choose the image that will be the headline image and rank all the other images. Edit your listings: Sellers are now be able to edit listing(s) easily and on line. With your new user name and password you will have access to the members/sellers control panel which will allow members/sellers to update email address and phone numbers and the price and any other info that is displayed in a listing. Security For Sellers: To protect the email addresses of our sellers and to be sure that potential buyers have accurate email addresses we do require a free registration for anyone wanting to contact a seller. Control Panel: Sellers and members have access to a control panel to manage listings. Personal contact information can changed whenever you wish. The control panel is the launching pad for adding properties and photos. Everything in a listing can be edited and fine tuned to your liking including the display order of your photos. My Saved Listings: Sellers and members can store listings that interest them for future review. Remembers all email sent and received: GHFS saves copies of all email members send to sellers. Sellers will have copies of all email sent to them and members will have copies of all emails sent to sellers. Links to personal home page: Sellers will be able to add links to personal home pages . Home Search Homes Browse Homes Sell Your Home Newsletter FAQ Testimonials Contact © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.GreenHomesForSale.com Terms of Use Privacy

Rental Property Stocks and

How to Buy Rental Property - eHow.com Clear Instructions on How To Do (just about) Everything Web eHow.com Home Finance & Business Center Real Estate How to Buy Rental Property Stocks and bonds aren't the only money-making investment in town. Consider rental property if you're prepared for extensive research, a fair amount of financial commitment and, depending on how you set things up, a significant role in maintaining the property. Steps: 1. Assess your financial requirements and goals. Do you need a steady stream of income from your rental or do you plan on selling it for a profit in a couple of years? If it's the latter, look for lower priced property that you can fix up as you rent it out. 2. Consider being a resident landlord by purchasing a multiunit property and living in one apartment. In many cases, the income from the other unit(s) will cover your mortgage payment, allowing you to effectively live for free. Being on-site has other advantages, including ensuring that the property is well-maintained. 3. Decide if you want to do maintenance yourself. If you have the skills, equipment and temperament to deal with upset tenants and a backed up toilet at 2 a.m., fine. If you plan on hiring a property manager, add about 5 percent of gross income into your calculations. 4. Choose the kind of property you want. Single-family houses are generally less expensive than apartment complexes because of pure size, but generate less income. Apartments, on the other hand, can require more upkeep. 5. Get preapproved for a mortgage (see How to Shop for a Mortgage ). Financing investment property is different from residential property in that it requires a much larger down payment. 6. Start shopping: Check out classified ads in the newspaper and online. Find a real estate agent who specializes in commercial or income-generating properties. 7. Choose property where people want to live, close to shops, parks and decent schools, and in a well-kept neighborhood. There's nothing worse than owning a rental property without any renters. In addition, check out any restrictions on renting with the home owners association, which, if there is one, can have a say in any rental agreements. 8. Consider what improvements, if any, you may be willing to make. Buying a fixer-upper will be less expensive than a property in pristine condition, but you can go broke bringing a property up to rentable condition. Before you buy, get cost estimates for all necessary fixes. See How to Buy and Sell a Fixer-Upper . 9. Have the property inspected. You may also want to order an appraisal to get a fair market value. 10. Search past records for vacancy rates over the last five to ten years as well as at present. If the building is occupied, find out how long the tenants have lived at the property. Long-term residents are valuable, but may also have been signed on at a lower rental rate. 11. Plan on spending time and money advertising for and interviewing potential renters. Have a contingency plan in place if a unit remains vacant for a few months. 12. Determine what a competitive rental rate is for your property by asking rental agents what they would expect to charge, by reviewing area apartment listings, and by personally visiting units available in the neighborhood. 13. Run the numbers. Make certain that whatever income you derive covers your costs of owning the property, plus a profit. 14. Work with an attorney to draw up and review any necessary papers relevant to the purchase. 15. Negotiate the terms of the sale. Some sellers may be willing to pick up a share of closing costs and other expenses. The eventual price will also be affected by prevailing market conditions--keep these in mind when negotiating. Overall Tips: Check to see whether the value of other area properties have increased or decreased in the past five years. Try to buy in an area that's on the way up. Pay attention to when improvements were made to a property, which aids in the estimate of the building's value. Recent renovations are worth more than upgrades done a decade or more ago. Be on the lookout for any hazards common to older properties, such as asbestos, lead-based paint and electrical systems that are not up to code. Budget in reconciling these problems. Some cities offer low interest financing to property owners needing to make renovations. Look into such programs if you know you'll need to have the property painted, windows replaced or similar exterior repairs made. Discuss any tax benefits with a tax specialist. There may be local tax incentives for renovating your property as well as advantageous approaches to declaring your expenses. What to look for: Income produced meets financial goals Suitable property Appealing location Vacancy rates Neighborhood rental rates Please Share Your Tips with Us More Resources: Contribute to eHow: Write an eHow Article Suggest a Topic Give Us Feedback on This Article Related eHows: Advertise Your Rental Property Evaluate Prospective Tenants for Your Rental Property Buy and Sell a Fixer-Upper Rent Your Home for a Movie or Catalog Shoot Buy a House Project Details: Skill Advisory: Challenging New! -- Related eHows: Advertise Your Rental Property Evaluate Prospective Tenants for Your Rental Property Buy and Sell a Fixer-Upper Rent Your Home for a Movie or Catalog Shoot Buy a House Check out Thousands of How-To Solutions in eHow's Centers Automotive Careers & Education Computers & Home Electronics Family & Relationships Finance & Business Food & Entertaining Health Hobbies & Games Holidays & Traditions Home & Garden Personal Care & Style Pets Sports & Fitness Travel How to: --? 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Texas Land Trusts Top

TPWD: News Release — Nov. 24, 2003/Texas Land Trusts Top 1-Million Mark in Acres Conserved Maincontent Local Navigation print friendly search Regulations Publications Outdoor Learning Kids Game Warden Grants Get Involved Shop FAQ Calendar Español Experience Texas Fishing & Boating State Parks & Destinations Hunting & Wildlife Land & Water Doing Business Home Land & Water Land Private Tltc News Articles Links: What's a Lone Star Land Steward? Preserving Texas's Cultural Heritage Turning Brownfields Green Private Landowners Wildlife/Agricultural Tax Exemption Nov. 24, 2003 Texas Land Trusts Top 1-Million Mark in Acres Conserved AUSTIN, Texas -- Private landowners working with Texas land trusts have now conserved more than 1,307,681 acres of land, according to new statistics from the Texas Land Trust Council. The new acreage total sets another record, an increase from last year’s record total of 995,122 acres, a figure roughly comparable to the size of the entire Texas State Parks system. There are 39 land trusts in Texas. Some are national organizations with active Texas chapters, such as The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land. But most are regional groups unique to Texas, such as the Katy Prairie Conservancy and the Valley Land Fund. “Land trusts have sometimes been behind-the-scenes players, working quietly but effectively to protect open space and wildlife habitat,” said Robert L. Cook, TPWD executive director. “But today the visibility and conservation role of land trusts in our state is growing. These organizations are increasingly important to private landowners who are looking for help to address our biggest threat to wildlife, which is loss of habitat.” According to the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s 1997 National Resources Inventory, Texas led the nation during the 1990s in converting rural prairies, forests and coastline into shopping centers and houses, farms and factories. Texas loses about 283 square miles of rural open space to development each year. Land trusts join ranchers and other landowners together to combat these threats, and they represent the fastest growing conservation movement today, according to Carolyn Vogel, who works with the Texas Land Trust Council at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “With Texans searching for ways to address conservation at the local level, the number of land trusts has multiplied with 22 new land trusts established in Texas in the past 12 years,” she said. The Protected Lands Inventory Survey asked Texas land trust members about acres conserved in their operating area, conservation methods used, and conservation purposes such as providing wildlife habitat or protecting water quality. Lands conserved include cactus-studded deserts, mile-high mountains, sunny coasts and dense forests. “Today Texas has close to 21 million people,” said John Hamilton, Texas Land Trust Council board president. “In 25 years, the population is expected to grow by 50 percent to more than 30 million people. Our open spaces are under tremendous stress that is only going to multiply.” For a directory of Texas land trusts, plus information about tools such as conservation easements and links to other resources, see the Texas Land Trust Council Web pages ( http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/land/private/tltc/ ). TH 11/24/2003 Contact Us | Help | Accessibility | Media | Site Policies | Complaints | Intranet | State of Texas | TRAILS Search | TexasOnline | Compact with Texans Texas Parks and Wildlife Department , 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744 Toll Free: (800) 792-1112, Austin: (512) 389-4800 Content of this site © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department unless otherwise noted. Last modified: October 12, 2005, 12:46 pm

Buy Houses Nationwide We

Find Real Estate, Rentals, New Houses, Real Estate Agents and Mortgages on Yahoo! Real Estate Find Real Estate, Rentals, New Houses, Real Estate Agents and Mortgages Choose Location Home Homes for Sale Apartments for Rent Home Loans Moving & Insurance Tools My Real Estate Hurricane Katrina Resources Features Classifieds • Sell Your Home • Rent Your Apartment Home Loans • Mortgage Rates • Online Rate Quotes • Refinance Loans & Rates • Home Equity Loans & Rates • Free Credit Reports Resources • Find & Compare REALTORS • Find a Mover Insurance • Homeowner's Insurance • Renter's Insurance Tools • What's My Home Worth? • Research Neighborhoods • Free School Reports • Foreclosure Center • Home Service Center Commercial Real Estate • List Commercial Property National Mortgage Rates Thu Dec 29 Mtg Loan Rate APR 30-yr Fixed: 5.70% 5.88% 15-yr Fixed: 5.27% 5.57% 1-yr ARM: 4.53% 6.89% See Local Mortgage Rates Provided by Bankrate.com Neighborhood Profile Research neighborhoods nationwide! City, State, or Zip: Real Estate Listings Browse by City New! Home Loans Center - Find, Compare, & Graph Rates Find a Home Find a Rental City & State, or Zip: Price Range: $0 $30,000 $50,000 $80,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $350,000 $400,000 $450,000 $500,000 $550,000 $650,000 $750,000 $850,000 $1 million $1.25 million $1.5 million $1.75 million $2 million $2.25 million $2.75 million $3 million $3.5 million $4 million $4.5 million $5 million $6 million $8 million $10 million to No limit $30,000 $50,000 $80,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $350,000 $400,000 $450,000 $500,000 $550,000 $650,000 $750,000 $850,000 $1 million $1.25 million $1.5 million $1.75 million $2 million $2.25 million $2.75 million $3 million $3.5 million $4 million $4.5 million $5 million $6 million $8 million $10 million Beds: Any 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ Baths: Any 1+ 1 1/2+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ Search For: Existing Homes Yahoo! Classifieds New Homes Foreclosures Advanced Search Search Commercial Real Estate Mortgage Payments Calculate your biweekly & monthly payment for different loan amounts, interest rates and amortization terms. Loan Amount: $ Term (years): Interest Rate: % Show table?: Yes No See More Loan Calculators Sponsored Links HomeSmart - Property Selling Reports Buy a HomeSmart report now for just $24.95. Welcome to HomeSmart. Our instant home price estimates and area trend profiles will help you find the right value when buying or selling a home. www.homesmartreports.com FastCash4Homes.com - Sell Property Sell your home to FastCash4Homes.com. We buy homes in any condition, location or price range. Get fast cash for your home with an offer in minutes from our online analysis. www.fastcash4homes.com We Buy Houses Nationwide We buy houses in all 50 states. Fast close, cash buyers, no commissions. Simple one minute online offer form. www.nationwidehomebuyers.com (Become a Sponsor) Partner Spotlight Featured Sponsor Find a Local REALTOR by HomeGain • Find & Compare REALTORS • Get Home Prices Featured Videos Dream Home Videos by Inman Stories Real Estate News Financing your first real estate investment Dec 29, 2005, Inman News Top Mistakes of Home Buyers and Sellers in 2005 Dec 29, 2005, Realty Times Housing Affordability Hits 14-Year Low Dec 22, 2005, RealEstateJournal.com Home loan applications fall to over 3-1/2-yr low Dec 28, 2005, Yahoo! Finance Weekly Home Mortgage Rates (AP) Dec 28, 2005, Yahoo! News Despite Decline, Housing Still Strong Dec 28, 2005, Quicken Loans more real estate news Homes For Sale - Apartments For Rent - Current Mortgage Rates - Real Estate Agents - Local - Yellow Pages

NEW HOMES BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT

News Room : ENERGY STAR What is ENERGY STAR? | Newsroom Search History Partners News Archive Awards Media Resources PRODUCTS HOME IMPROVEMENT NEW HOMES BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT PARTNER RESOURCES -- Home > News Room -- -- News Room ENERGY STAR in the News What's New: Program Highlights Half of the States Join ENERGY STAR Challenge (December 2005) Half of the states across the nation are joining with the EPA to address critical energy issues in our communities in conjunction with EPA's ENERGY STAR Challenge. Through the ENERGY STAR Challenge, state governments will offer a variety of programs to help building owners assess how much energy their buildings use now, establish efficiency improvement goals of 10 percent or greater portfolio-wide, and make efficiency improvements wherever cost effective. EPA Press Release List of Participating States (87KB) More Information Businesses: Save on Energy Bills this Winter (November 2005) American businesses are experiencing higher than ever energy prices, which are expected to continue this winter. EPA has advice almost any business can take to save 10% or more on their energy bills this winter. The advice shares lessons learned from EPA's ENERGY STAR partners who have saved through simple steps and adopted longer term energy management strategies with even greater savings. If every business in the US saved 10% on their energy bills, Americans would save about $10 billion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 15 million vehicles. EPA Press Release Advice for Saving Energy EPA Recognizes 18 Leading Organizations for Efforts to Cut Energy Bills (October 2005) On October 26, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson recognized 18 organizations as ENERGY STAR Leaders for achieving significant energy savings and leading their industries in responding to EPA's ENERGY STAR Building Challenge. The ENERGY STAR Commercial Building Challenge, launched in Spring 2005, encourages building owners and managers to make their buildings at least 10% more efficient. EPA Press Release Fact Sheet (66KB) Leader Profiles (36KB) More Information on the ENERGY STAR Challenge Save Energy this Winter with help from ENERGY STAR (October 2005) In the face of higher energy bills this winter, the EPA encourages everyone to take action in their home to be more energy efficient. The average American household spends $1,500 annually on energy bills — a number that may go up as much as 50 percent this year. EPA offers five places to look and practical advice for home energy savings. EPA Press Release Home Energy Quiz (240KB) More Information K-12 Schools take the ENERGY STAR Challenge (October 2005) Ten leading associations representing state school boards, superintendents, principals, facility planners, parents, and teachers are joining with the EPA to address critical energy issues in our nation's K-12 schools. Currently, the nation's more than 17,000 K-12 schools spend $5 billion on energy bills each year. However, school districts can save up to 30 percent on their energy bills through cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. Through the ENERGY STAR Challenge, school decision-makers assess how much energy school districts use now, establish efficiency improvement goals of 10 percent or greater district-wide, and make efficiency improvements wherever cost effective. EPA Press Release Fact Sheet (82KB) Participants List (62KB) More Information EPA and DOE Announce ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day (October 2005) EPA and DOE, together with more than half of US Governors, declared October 5th ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day, and encouraged every American to change a light in their home to one that is more energy efficient. Lighting accounts for 20 percent of a home's electricity costs. ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs reduce household energy bills because they use one-third the energy of traditional lighting and last up to 10 times longer. This small step can make a big difference for our nation's energy resources and environment. EPA Press Release Campaign Fast Facts (98KB) Governors Declaring ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day (307KB) 250+ Participating Organizations (628KB) Take the Pledge EPA Raises the Bar for New Homes to Earn ENERGY STAR Label (September 2005) Builders of new homes in the United States will have to significantly increase the energy efficiency of their homes to meet the new ENERGY STAR requirements which take effect July 1, 2006. To qualify under the revised ENERGY STAR specifications, new homes must have higher levels of insulation inspected for proper installation; complete framing and air barrier assemblies that enable insulation to perform at its full rated value; windows that meet or exceed ENERGY STAR requirements; high-efficiency and properly sized heating and cooling equipment appropriate to the climate; and more energy-efficient water heating, lighting and appliances. EPA Press Release More information ENERGY STAR Annual Report Released (September 2005) EPA recently released its annual report summarizing the success of ENERGY STAR and other voluntary climate protection programs. The report summarizes the accomplishments of these programs for 2004. For example, Americans, with the help of the ENERGY STAR, avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 20 million automobiles – up from 18 million in 2003 – while saving $10 billion on their energy bills. EPA Press Release 2004 Annual Report (1.27MB) New Partnerships for Home Energy Efficiency Announced (July 2005) On July 11 the EPA, DOE and HUD announced a new multi-agency effort, the Partnerships for Home Energy Efficiency, to bring greater energy efficiency to the U.S. housing market to save 10 percent or more on home energy bills over the next decade. A 10 percent savings would total almost $20 billion a year, help increase the affordability and comfort of homes, reduce demand for natural gas by more than 1 quad, avoid the need for 40 power plants and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 25 million vehicles. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR plays a large role in delivering these savings to consumers. EPA/HUD/DOE Press Release Report: Partnerships for Home Energy Efficiency (3.00MB) Overview Fact Sheet: Partnerships for Home Energy Efficiency (247KB) Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (141KB) ENERGY STAR Products for American Homes (186KB) Quality Installation for Air Conditioning Equipment (109KB) Case Studies: Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Aurora, CO (137KB) Austin, TX (131KB) Fresno, CA (214KB) Ithaca, NY (216KB) Manlius, NY (88KB) St. Louis, MO (146KB) Suwanee, GA (108KB) EPA Announces Energy Performance Indicator for Auto Assembly Plants (June 2005) The energy efficiency of automobile assembly plants can now be rated on a national basis. EPA has recently made available a tool to help the automobile industry evaluate the energy performance of its assembly plants. This tool, the first of its kind for a manufacturing facility, compares the energy efficiency of any assembly plant producing passenger cars, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and vans in the U.S. to that of the entire industry. EPA Press Release Auto Assembly Plant Energy Performance Indicator EPA Offers Smart Ways to Stay Cool this Summer (June 2005) Energy use escalates when hot summer days set in across the nation. EPA's ENERGY STAR program is offering advice this summer on how to save money, remain cool and comfortable and help reduce the risks of global warming – all at the same time. Advice includes keeping your air conditioner maintained, using a programmable thermostat, sealing up gaps and cracks in the home envelope, and replacing old equipment with products that have earned the government's ENERGY STAR for energy efficiency. EPA Press Release EPA's Guide to Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling (663KB) Cool Your World Fast Facts (English) (150KB) Cool Your World Simple Steps (English) (44KB) Cool Your World Fast Facts (Spanish) (68KB) Cool Your World Simple Steps (Spanish) (49KB) New Water and Wastewater Industry Focus Announced (May 2005) EPA is launching a new initiative to increase the energy efficiency of U.S. drinking water and wastewater systems, with participation from more than 20 leading organizations. The new ENERGY STAR Water and Wastewater Industry Focus will work over the next year to develop an energy performance rating system, a guide to assessing energy efficiency opportunities, strategies for superior energy management, and innovative approaches to financing energy efficiency projects for each of the two industries. This new ENERGY STAR focus is part of a series of efforts to improve the energy efficiency of selected industries. EPA Press Release Fact Sheet (55KB) EPA announces ENERGY STAR Building Challenge (March 2005) EPA joined with more than 20 leading associations, States, and businesses to announce a national challenge for the owners of commercial and institutional buildings across the country. The ENERGY STAR Challenge encourages building owners to improve the efficiency of their buildings by 10 percent or more and to capitalize on the environmental benefits and cost savings that will result. EPA Press Release List of organizations partnering with EPA More information 2005 ENERGY STAR Awards (March 2005) EPA and DOE are recognizing 50 organizations as winners of the 2005 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Awards. These organizations have made outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. EPA and DOE sponsor these awards annually to recognize energy efficiency investments made by ENERGY STAR partners that saved consumers money while helping the environment. The Partners of the Year are selected from the over 7,000 ENERGY STAR partners based on their efforts to utilize energy-efficient technologies, communicate the benefits of energy savings to consumers and businesses, and encourage others to partner with ENERGY STAR. This year's award winners include Lowes Companies Inc., Food Lion, Pardee Homes, USAA Real Estate and 3M. EPA Press Release List of 50 award winners (15KB) More on Awards EPA's Public Service Announcement (PSA): 2005 ENERGY STAR Awards (2.84MB) International Power Supply Design Competition Winners Announced at Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), Austin, TX, March 6-10, 2005 (March 2005) On March 7, 2005 at APEC's plenary session, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Energy Commission announced the winners of Efficiency Challenge 2004, an international design competition for power supply efficiency. Twelve winners were selected, including two Grand Champions: Power Integrations in the Market Ready Category and Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the Open Category. All the winning entries are more energy efficient, and in many cases radically smaller than typical power supplies on the market today, demonstrating what is possible in future consumer electronics products. Efficiency Challenge APEC Presentation (62KB) Andrew Fanara, EPA, Andy Williams, ON Semiconductor, and Peter Schwartz, representing the California Energy Commission Andrew Fanara, EPA, Balu Balakrishnan, Power Integrations, and Peter Schwartz, representing the California Energy Commission Andrew Fanara, EPA, Speaking at APEC 2005 Product Picture, Power Integrations, Winner of Best in Class A1, Market Ready Grand Champion EPA Efficiency Challenge Press Release (62KB) Judging Criteria Fact Sheet (55KB) Efficiency Challenge 2004 Judge Bios (33KB) Efficiency Challenge Winner Fact Sheets (162KB) ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes Near 10 Percent of Housing Starts Nationwide (March 2005) Nearly 10 percent of all homes built in 2004 earned the ENERGY STAR label. According to a recently released report, A Decade of Change in Home Building with ENERGY STAR (2.36MB), since 1995 over 360,000 of the Nation's new homes have earned the ENERGY STAR, saving homeowners an estimated $200 million and eliminating approximately 4 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. EPA Press Advisory Report: A Decade of Change in Home Building with ENERGY STAR (2.36MB) More information on ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes Almost 2,000 Buildings Have Earned EPA's ENERGY STAR (January 2005) As of January 1, 2005, almost 2,000 of the nation's most energy efficient buildings, representing almost 400 million square feet, have earned EPA's ENERGY STAR designation for superior energy performance. The buildings qualifying as ENERGY STAR use about 40 percent less energy than average buildings without compromising comfort or services. Press Release List of buildings (2.14MB) More information ENERGY STAR Awareness Climbs to Over 60 Percent (February 2005) Public awareness of ENERGY STAR has jumped to 64 percent of U.S. households, according to a recent nationwide survey. In many major markets where local utilities and other organizations use ENERGY STAR to promote energy efficiency to their customers, public awareness of ENERGY STAR is even higher, averaging 74 percent. EPA Press Advisory (14KB) Survey Report (1.58MB) Energy-Efficient External Power Adapters Can Now Earn the ENERGY STAR (January 2005) On January 6, 2005 EPA announced that the ENERGY STAR is now available for qualifying external power adapters. Power adapters, also known as external power supplies, are used to power many electronic products such as cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3 players, routers and other electronics and appliances. As many as 1.5 billion power adapters are in use in the U.S. – which is about five for every person. The new guidelines for power adapters will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions; in the U.S., more efficient adapters have the potential to save over 5 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy and prevent the release of more than 4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent to taking 800,000 cars off the road. Press Release More on Power Adapters Photos: CES Show , EPS Booth New ENERGY STAR Monitor Specification (January 2005) Beginning January 2005, computer monitors must meet more energy-efficient requirements to qualify for the ENERGY STAR label. For the first time, the specification addresses energy consumption while monitors are in use, as well as while they are idle. Many models on the market already meet EPA's new specifications. By 2010, EPA estimates that the new requirements will result in carbon emission savings of almost 5 million metric tonnes (carbon equivalent), or the equivalent of taking more than 3 million cars off the road. The previous computer monitor requirements called for only a "sleep mode" energy-saving function. Press Release More Information News Archives Press Contact: Maria T. Vargas, (202) 343-9451 Consumer Contact Information: energystar@optimuscorp.com 1-888-STAR-YES Products | Home Improvement | New Homes | Business Improvement | Partner Resources Newsroom | Privacy | Contact Us | Site Index EPA Home EPA Search DOE Home DOE Search