Ask the Green Energy Coach(TM): Green homes sell quickly

_ Bobby S., Dallas

Dear Bobby: So how do you get started? Now this might sound simplistic but first thing - replace all those incandescent t light bulbs with CFL's - compact fluorescent lamps - those CFL's use only 25 percent of the energy of those incandescent light bulbs all over your house. And BUYERS SEE THEM. Remember - lighting is about 25 percent of your electric bill. And green buyers know that.

Upgrade those "Energy Hog" appliances. The next step is to upgrade any old or questionable appliance with new ENERGY STAR - CERTIFIED MODELS. Those blue and white labels indicate the appliances are running from 10 percent to 50 percent cheaper than others. And Energy Star appliances generally don't cost anymore than non Energy Star products.

Here's an important tip when you change anything to Energy Star - LEAVE THE LABEL ON THE APPLIANCE - let it be a banner for a potential buyer that this is a smart home to buy.

Any good real estate broker knows that INSULATION IS A SELLING POINT. This one thing - sealing cracks and tightly caulking leaks will drop you electric bill at least $200 to $450 a year according to the Dept. of Energy. And if your current insulation needs some beefing up - go for it.

I was told by some pretty savvy Realtors that a good marketing point, since there many, many people with allergies, asthma or chemical sensitivities who consider top indoor air quality a necessity. They also recommend putting on a fresh coat of the new and now-widely available "low VOC" paint - VOC stands for "Volatile Organic Compounds" so use low VOC paint. I guarantee you that any good realtor can run a long way with this marketing strategy.

Old Carpets - big turnoff. They emit allergens and toxins. Pull up the carpet, if you can, exposing any hardwood floors is a good way to bring out your home's beauty and value. But if you don't have that option, replace it with an eco-friendly carpet.

The best tip I can give you is call in a professional HOME ENERGY AUDIT company... they don't cost much and they'll save you money and put your home on the fast track to being sold as a GREEN Eco-Friendly home.

Make sure you realtor lists your home on www.GreenHomesForSale.com. You can find Green realtors listed on a Web site called www.ListedGreen.com.

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Dear Bill: I'm being told by friends at work that I should be using surge protectors for all of my appliances and computer at home and that they save energy while protecting your appliances from freak power surges. Is that true?

_ Bonnie R., Kendall, Fla.

Dear Bonnie: First, let me explain what a surge protector is. Occasionally there's a very quick but extreme surge of power in your electrical lines caused by things like your microwave turning on while running other devices. This can occur even outside of your home with equipment used by the local power plant. Unless you have some protection to stop that electrical spike/surge from reaching your appliances or your computer or other electronic devices the surges can damage the electronics in the appliances, computer, printer and others. Protection is given to your valuable appliances and electronics when you plug them into a surge plug. It works by taking that surge of electricity and either "trips" the circuit breaker in the surge protector which turns off the power or it diverts the excess electricity to the ground.

The surge protector does not reduce the amount of energy a device is required to use and since the surge itself has already gone through the meter you've already been charged for it. However good news on the surge cost of electricity it's so small you can't really measure it.

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Send your energy-related questions to: The Green Energy Coach(TM) at GreenEnergyCoach@aol.com. Tauber is a radio talk show host and a nationally recognized expert on energy reduction and solar power. He has been interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, Fox Business, Kiplinger, Investors, ABC and Forbes websites and several environmental newsletters and Web sites.

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