home equity plan may

When Your Home Is on the Line: home More and more lenders are offering home equity lines of credit. By using the equity in your home, you may qualify for a sizable amount of credit, available for use when and how you please, at an interest rate that is relatively low. Furthermore, under the tax law--depending on your specific situation--you may be allowed to deduct the interest because the debt is secured by your home. If you are in the market for credit, a home equity plan may be right for you. Or perhaps another form of credit would be better. Before making a decision, you should weigh carefully the costs of a home equity line against the benefits. Shop for the credit terms that best meet your borrowing needs without posing undue financial risk. And remember, failure to repay the amounts you've borrowed, plus interest, could mean the loss of your home. What is a home equity line? What should you look for? How will you repay your home equity plan? Lines of credit vs. traditional second mortgage loans Disclosures from lenders What is a home equity line of credit? A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. Because the home is likely to be a consumer's largest asset, many homeowners use their credit lines only for major items such as education, home improvements, or medical bills and not for day-to-day expenses. With a home equity line, you will be approved for a specific amount of credit--your credit limit , the maximum amount you may borrow at any one time under the plan. Many lenders set the credit limit on a home equity line by taking a percentage (say, 75 percent) of the home's appraised value and subtracting from that the balance owed on the existing mortgage. For example, [D] In determining your actual credit limit, the lender will also consider your ability to repay, by looking at your income, debts, and other financial obligations as well as your credit history. Many home equity plans set a fixed period during which you can borrow money, such as 10 years. At the end of this "draw period," you may be allowed to renew the credit line. If your plan does not allow renewals, you will not be able to borrow additional money once the period has ended. Some plans may call for payment in full of any outstanding balance at the end of the period. Others may allow repayment over a fixed period (the "repayment period"), for example, 10 years. Once approved for a home equity line of credit, you will most likely be able to borrow up to your credit limit whenever you want. Typically, you will use special checks to draw on your line. Under some plans, borrowers can use a credit card or other means to draw on the line. There may be limitations on how you use the line. Some plans may require you to borrow a minimum amount each time you draw on the line (for example, $300) and to keep a minimum amount outstanding. Some plans may also require that you take an initial advance when the line is set up. What should you look for when shopping for a plan? If you decide to apply for a home equity line of credit, look for the plan that best meets your particular needs. Read the credit agreement carefully, and examine the terms and conditions of various plans, including the annual percentage rate (APR) and the costs of establishing the plan. The APR for a home equity line is based on the interest rate alone and will not reflect the closing costs and other fees and charges, so you'll need to compare these costs, as well as the APRs, among lenders. Interest rate charges and related plan features Home equity lines of credit typically involve variable rather than fixed interest rates. The variable rate must be based on a publicly available index (such as the prime rate published in some major daily newspapers or a U.S. Treasury bill rate); the interest rate for borrowing under the home equity line changes, mirroring fluctuations in the value of the index. Most lenders cite the interest rate you will pay as the value of the index at a particular time plus a " margin ," such as 2 percentage points. Because the cost of borrowing is tied directly to the value of the index, it is important to find out which index is used, how often the value of the index changes, and how high it has risen in the past as well as the amount of the margin. Lenders sometimes offer a temporarily discounted interest rate for home equitylines--a rate that is unusually low and may last for only an introductory period, such as 6 months. Variable-rate plans secured by a dwelling must, by law, have a ceiling (or cap ) on how much your interest rate may increase over the life of the plan. Some variable-rate plans limit how much your payment may increase and how low your interest rate may fall if interest rates drop. Some lenders allow you to convert from a variable interest rate to a fixed rate during the life of the plan, or to convert all or a portion of your line to a fixed-term installment loan. Plans generally permit the lender to freeze or reduce your credit line under certain circumstances. For example, some variable-rate plans may not allow you to draw additional funds during a period in which the interest rate reaches the cap. Costs of establishing and maintaining a home equity line Many of the costs of setting up a home equity line of credit are similar to those you pay when you buy a home. For example, A fee for a property appraisal to estimate the value of your home An application fee , which may not be refunded if you are turned down for credit Up-front charges, such as one or more points (one point equals 1 percent of the credit limit) Closing costs, including fees for attorneys, title search, and mortgage preparation and filing; property and title insurance; and taxes. In addition, you may be subject to certain fees during the plan period, such as annual membership or maintenance fees and a transaction fee every time you draw on the credit line. You could find yourself paying hundreds of dollars to establish the plan. If you were to draw only a small amount against your credit line, those initial charges would substantially increase the cost of the funds borrowed. On the other hand, because the lender's risk is lower than for other forms of credit, as your home serves as collateral, annual percentage rates for home equity lines are generally lower than rates for other types of credit. The interest you save could offset the costs of establishing and maintaining the line. Moreover, some lenders waive some or all of the closing costs. How will you repay your home equity plan? Before entering into a plan, consider how you will pay back the money you borrow. Some plans set minimum payments that cover a portion of the principal (the amount you borrow) plus accrued interest. But (unlike with the typical installment loan) the portion that goes toward principal may not be enough to repay the principal by the end of the term. Other plans may allow payment of interest alone during the life of the plan, which means that you pay nothing toward the principal. If you borrow $10,000, you will owe that amount when the plan ends. Regardless of the minimum required payment, you may choose to pay more, and many lenders offer a choice of payment options. Many consumers choose to pay down the principal regularly as they do with other loans. For example, if you use your line to buy a boat, you may want to pay it off as you would a typical boat loan. Whatever your payment arrangements during the life of the plan--whether youpay some, a little, or none of the principal amount of the loan--when the plan ends you may have to pay the entire balance owed, all at once. You must be prepared to make this " balloon payment " by refinancing it with the lender, by obtaining a loan from another lender, or by some other means. If you are unable to make the balloon payment, you could lose your home. If your plan has a variable interest rate, your monthly payments may change. Assume, for example, that you borrow $10,000 under a plan that calls for interest-only payments. At a 10 percent interest rate, your monthly payments would be $83. If the rate rises over time to 15 percent, your monthly payments will increase to $125. Similarly, if you are making payments that cover interest plus some portion of the principal, your monthly payments may increase, unless your agreement calls for keeping payments the same throughout the plan period. If you sell your home, you will probably be required to pay off your homeequity line in full immediately. If you are likely to sell your home in the near future, consider whether it makes sense to pay the up-front costs of setting up a line of credit. Also keep in mind that renting your home may be prohibited under the terms of your agreement. Lines of credit vs. traditional second mortgage loans If you are thinking about a home equity line of credit, you might also want to consider a traditional second mortgage loan. A second mortgage provides you with a fixed amount of money repayable over a fixed period. In most cases the payment schedule calls for equal payments that will pay off the entire loan within the loan period. You might consider a second mortgage instead of a home equity line if, for example, you need a set amount for a specific purpose, such as an addition to your home. In deciding which type of loan best suits your needs, consider the costs under the two alternatives. Look at both the APR and other charges. Do not, however, simply compare the APRs, because the APRs on the two types of loans are figured differently: The APR for a traditional second mortgage loan takes into account the interest rate charged plus points and other finance charges. The APR for a home equity line of credit is based on the periodic interest rate alone. It does not include points or other charges. Disclosures from lenders The federal Truth in Lending Act requires lenders to disclose the important terms and costs of their home equity plans, including the APR, miscellaneous charges, the payment terms, and information about any variable-rate feature. And in general, neither the lender nor anyone else may charge a fee until after you have received this information. You usually get these disclosures when you receive an application form, and you will get additional disclosures before the plan is opened. If any term (other than a variable-rate feature) changes before the plan is opened, the lender must return all fees if you decide not to enter into the plan because of the change. When you open a home equity line, the transaction puts your home at risk. If the home involved is your principal dwelling, the Truth in Lending Act gives you 3 days from the day the account was opened to cancel the credit line. This right allows you to change your mind for any reason. You simply inform the lender in writing within the 3-day period. The lender must then cancel its security interest in your home and return all fees--including any application and appraisal fees--paid to open the account. The material on this site is adapted from the brochure "When Your Home Is on the Line." Single or multiple copies of the brochure are available without charge. Order the brochure by telephone, mail, or fax . Order on line . Glossary | Where to go for help | Checklist Home | Consumer information | Publications | Brochures Accessibility To comment on this site, please fill out our feedback form. Last update: July 25, 2001

Rental Property

Vacation Rentals, Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and More - Rentalo.com -- Vacation Rentals, Hotels, Bed & Breakfasts Testimonials | Contact Rentalo | Help (Live) Enter a destination: Subscribe "This service is amazing!!! I live overseas, and was planning to meet some family members and stay with freinds in Vail free for my holiday. Two weeks prior to the holiday, my freinds informed me the house was no longer availalbe; wed have to find other accomodations. After three days and many hours of searching through websites, sometimes getting responses and sometimes not, I stumbled upon your service, sent one form off, and over the next 3 days received over 20 responses with places that I would have stayed at any one of! We ended up with a great home, at a VERY reasonable price, and NO STRESS. This service is FANSTASTIC for the renter/user." Cynthia Cupak "I THINK THIS IS A GREAT THING. IT SAVES HOURS OF SEARCHING!!!!" Wendi Kirby " I just wanted to tell you how much time and money your service saved me! Your excellent way of breaking down the listings was great! I did not have to deal with excess verbage. Keep up the good work! Thanks again, Mike Donohue" Mike Donohue "Just wanted to pass along my thanks. This service worked extremely well and I was able to find exactly what I was looking for in Mexico. What I liked best was not having to search for anything and having exactly what I requested sent to me. I have already recommended your service to several of my colleagues and friends who were equally impressed." Sue McGregor "Thanks so much for your help. We were able to book a condo for the dates we required to accomodate our needs. It is still winter in MN so we are really looking forward to visiting Florida. Thanks again for a great site that did the leg work for us." P Rehder "Great service, extremely friendly contact with everyone who has responded." Ty Miller "Thank you very much, you did a great job in making up this web page. Now to hear from potential customers........It is great!" Art Nunes See more testimonials United States Orlando Mammoth Lakes Miami Beach Poconos South Lake Tahoe Beech Mountain Ft Lauderdale Kissimmee Ocean City Las Vegas More... Europe London Zermatt Geneva Paris Interlaken Amsterdam Zuerich Rome Barcelona Dublin More... Canada Mont Tremblant Whistler Blue Mountain Banff Canmore Toronto Vancouver Montreal Victoria Shell Lake Prince Edward Island More... Caribbean Aruba St John St Maarten St Martin Cayman Islands Negril Bahamas Turks And Caicos Islands Bermuda San Juan Ocho Rios More... Mexico Puerto Vallarta Playa Del Carmen Mazatlan Cancun Rosarito Bucerias Tulum Acapulco Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Troncones San Felipe More... Asia Bangalore Jaipur Tokyo Agra Goa Chennai Hyderabad Mumbai New Delhi Singapore More... South America Rio De Janeiro Belo Horizonte Buenos Aires Punta Del Este Georgetown Quito Bogota Brasilia Margarita Island Lima More... Central America Belize Quepos Bocas Del Toro Managua Manuel Antonio El Salvador Antigua Puerto Viejo Limon Puntarenas San Jose More... South Pacific Sydney Gold Coast Auckland Byron Bay Perth Melbourne Coogee Beach Fiji Fiji Island Goroka More... Africa Cape Town Durban Cairo Cameroon Yaounde Egypt Somalia Algeria Libreville More... About rentalo.com - Rentalo is the largest, fastest growing, most relevant global directory for vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and other lodgings, with over 100,000 property listings in close to 15,000 destinations worldwide. Travelers & Vacationers - In Rentalo you find the best values in vacation rentals, bed & breakfasts, hotels, and other lodgings. Property owners & managers - With Rentalo you receive the best return on investment (ROI) for your rental or lodging business. Enter your email to view the rental offers you have received help Search New Destination | Vacation Rentals | Press | Affiliates | Newsletter | Site Map | © 2005 Rentalo.com | Legal Disclaimer | Privacy

Texas Land Trusts About

Texas Land Trust Resources 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 Resources Texas Land Trusts About Texas Land Trusts Starting a Land Trust Texas Land Trust Directory Foreword Listing Regional Index About the Texas Land Trust Council ( TLTC ) TLTC Board of Directors and Honorary Council News 2004 TLTC Conference Speech Bulletin Board TLTC Publications Land Trust Resources Texas Land Trusts Top 1-Million Mark in Acres Conserved Texas Land Trust Resources Texas Parks and Wildlife works with developing land trusts in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife encourages potential land trust organizations to learn from the experiences of the practicing land trusts listed in this directory. If you would like your organization listed in this directory or have any questions pertaining to land trusts and land conservation options, contact: Texas Parks and Wildlife 4200 Smith School Road Austin, TX 78744 Phone: (512) 389-4779 Fax: (512) 389-4469 Email: tltc@ The Land Trust Alliance is a national support group for land trust organizations. The Land Trust Alliance was created in 1982 to provide linkages, services and leadership to land trust organizations across the country. For information about individual and organizational membership in the Land Trust Alliance, contact: Land Trust Alliance 1331 H Street NW, Suite 501 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 638-4725 Fax: (202) 638-4730 Web address: http://www.lta.org The Texas Land Trust Council serves as a support association for all land trust organizations in Texas. The Council's mission is to promote and sustain the conservation efforts of Texas' land trusts. The Texas Land Trust Council provides technical and educational "know how" to land trusts and anyone interested in land conservation. For information about individual and organizational membership in the Texas Land Trust Council, contact: The Texas Land Trust Council C/O Carolyn Vogel P.O. Box 26801 Austin, TX 78731 Texas Parks and Wildlife Austin, TX 78744 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: July 29, 2005, 4:38 pm

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

Denver Real Estate Moving

Denver Real Estate by Be Hands Free Sign In Your Account Customer Service -- Search -- Shopping Cart 0 Products $0.00 your expert source for hands free cell phone accessories customer service toll free: 1-888-540-7090 or customerservice@behandsfree.com Search Categories Home Installed Car-Kits Portable Car-Kits Wireless Headsets Wired Headsets Others Departments Bluetooth Central Blackberry Accessories Treo Accessories Nextel Push-to-Talk Boost your cell signal Brands Jabra Plantronics Parrot Nokia Sony Ericsson Motorola Web connections Denver Real Estate Moving to Denver Denver is forecast to go through a population growth over the next 10 years. Unlike the rest of the US it has been in the doldrums since 2001 as the dot com and telecommunications busts have really affected the Denver metro area. Latest economic statistics, however, show that the local economy is almost back up to the boom years of the late nineties and 2000. Employment is up, available jobs are up and commercial estate vacancies are down. As the local economy picks up, it is anticipated that the Denver real estate market will follow. Unlike many other regions in the last few years, the Denver metro area has seen very modest house price growth of around 3%. As coastal communities have become unaffordable for the vast majority of the population, today Denver is seen to be affordable and undervalued. So combine the real estate slowdown (or pullback) the rest of the US is anticipating and that there are a lot of families who cant afford to buy or upgrade in their existing communities with the economic growth forecast for the Denver area, you can see how Denver offers a great relocation opportunity for many families. Relocating to Denver can be a great option for families. Indeed history tells us that those in California, the North East, Texas, Illinois and Minnesota will relocate to Denver as their own economies or housing markets hit rocky patches. They are attracted to Colorado by the great lifestyle, weather and job opportunities the Denver metro area offers. Home About Us Contact Us Press Room Privacy Policy Links Buyer's Guide Bluetooth Product Support Customer Service -- Shopping Cart Your Account -- © 2004 - 2005 Be Hands Free LLC