Kathy's Remodeling Blog

LEED? NAHB? Energy Star? One builder gives up on green-building ratings

Vernon McKown, co-owner of Ideal Homes of Norman, Okla., is a pretty enlightened green builder whom I heard speak last week at the International Builder's Show in Orlando.

The topic was how to build affordable green homes and Vern made a shocking statement: He said he's quitting all green-building rating systems programs. That includes Energy Star ratings, NAHB green building ratings, LEED ratings, and all those from local utilities.

Why? They've all gotten too complicated and political and competitive, Vern says. 

Instead, he is sticking with a HERS energy rating for each home, and the company wants potential buyers to ask, "What's your home score?"

HERS stands for Home Energy Rating System and it's a standardized measurement of a home's energy efficiency. In the HERS Index, 100 stands for the typical new home, and the lower the score, the better. So if you go look at a home with a HERS rating of 65, that's much better than standard.

And official HERS rating comes from extensive diagnostic testing done by an energy rater, like those who are certified by RESNET, the Residential Energy Services Network.

A HERS score is a simple number that allows you to compare one home's energy efficiency against another.

See more about HERS ratings

The secrets of the spider webs

Here we have two identical windows on the same wall in a bathroom. A spider has built a web on one window (top), but not the other (bottom). Do you wonder why?

It's all about air leaks and food. Spiders don't choose their home sites like we do. They don't check Zillow for nearby home prices, or get school ratings, or wonder what the zip code will do for their social standing.

What spiders want is a cozy, protected spot with a steady food supply, which means little insects. What spiders know is that insects enter a house where there are air leaks. If there are no air leaks, there will be fewer insects.

Why do you care? If you want to control the temperature and humidity and comfort levels inside your home, and most of us do, sealing up air leaks is critical.

The scientific way to determine air leaks involves a home energy audit with a blower door test, infrared camera and other scientific means.

But spider webs also have a tale to tell. If you spot spider webs in your home, they did not end up there accidentally. They were placed there by a genius spider bent on survival. And thus you have evidence of a leak. Your move.

Why competitive bidding doesn't work

Perhaps you’ve heard this quip when a spacecraft is launched: “There goes the lowest bid.”

In my mind, trying to get the lowest bid for a remodeling project is just as foolish. And a lot of contractors agree with me.

Gayler Construction explains very clearly how buying remodeling services is not even remotely like buying a new car.

And check out how Baywood Building explains the problems with competitive bidding.

So why not?

First off, you won’t have complete plans for each of the contractors to look at in order to get an "apples to apples" bid. Complete plans are too expensive for an architect to create.

So the honorable contractor will include all the elements (like moldings and light sockets and so on) that are not on the plans, but should be. The shady contractor will not include those things, and will therefore give you a lower bid. That's called low-balling.

Later on, you'll be made aware of those extras, and will pay for them. By then, it's too late to turn back.

Also, some people get bids in order to see how much the project their architect designed will cost. That's an enormous waste of time for the contractor, and many self-respecting contractors will no longer do competitive bidding.

So, what to do? I suggest you find an excellent contractor (whom you judge by face-to-face meetings, talking to staff, talking to references, visiting prior jobs, searching the Internet, considering awards and professional certifications), and an excellent architect or designer (judged by the same criteria), and put these two stellar individuals together to design your remodel. Find the great people first, then move forward as a team.

This should eliminate the finger-pointing architects and contractors are famous for. Or, hire a design-build company where the designer and builders are in the same firm. This way, when the designer comes up with an idea that would blow your budget out of the water, the contractor will make that known immediately.

As one construction loan agent told me, the country is littered with architectural plans that were put out to bid and then abandoned after the bidding process revealed the project would cost two to three times what the clients could afford. That's sad.

So how about you? Have you found competitive bidding to be a satisfying way to achieve a remodel?

(Image: Solution Crafters Group)

Feel like cheaping out? Don't make the same mistake Charles made

Everyone likes a deal. A steal. A feeling that you just saved more money on your remodel than anyone in the history of the world.

But sometimes that quest can bring regrets. That's what happened to Charles Chang, who did a complete remodel on a very trashed property for about $40,000. See the whole story

While most of the project turned out great, Charles later told me he regretted the cheap kitchen cabinets. He was so intent on spending the least amount of money possible that he opted for presswood cabinets, which I think would be more appropriate for a garage than a kitchen.

Other products in this category are called particle board, chipboard, flakeboard, etc.

They look good in this lovely photo. But they are, after all, made of sawdust, wood chips and binders. And in your day-to-day life, do you really want a nice wood floor and cabinets made of wood chips? And if these get too wet, they will wick up water become irreversibly distorted.

The lesson for us: don't get so wrapped up in saving money that you end up with garbage. The few hundred dollars you save will be long forgotten, while the junk in your house will be with you, in your face, for years to come.

Hungry for more?

See more on cabinets
See more kitchens

Markup and Profit — Why you want your contractor to get some

If you already think a remodeling contractor is entitled to an item titled "Markup and Profit" in the bid, you can skip this post.

But if you cringe at this concept, and try to negotiate markup and profit out of the bid, keep reading.

As far as I can tell, there are three major types of remodeling contractors:

1. Excellent and ethical contractors who really know how to run a profitable business. These are the ones you should hire.

2. Good-hearted and ethical contractors who are not good at business, who tend to lose money on jobs. You want to hire these guys, but you really shouldn't.

3. Scoundrels. Of course, you should stay far, far away from these guys.

It's that second group that I want to discuss. Many times, remodeling contractors get into the business because they truly like people and like pleasing people. But sometimes, perhaps oftentimes, they are not very good businessmen. And they sometimes bid way too low just to get a job, and then struggle to finish it.

This is what  you want to avoid. You want to avoid a contractor is working at such a low margin that when anything goes wrong, there's no cushion to make things right. If your contractor gets no markup and profit, and is basically working for wages rather than building a strengthening a company, you can be sure there will be troubles. They may not have enough credit to buy materials. They might struggle to pay subcontractors, who then revolt by not showing up. 

In my opinion, you are much better off hiring a company who makes a profit, who pays employees well, who provides some kind of benefits to them, and who has enough breathing room to come back to your job to fix anything that has broken or failed.

You might want to hire the cheapest guy, but I don't recommend it, for your sake.

For contractors, get this book Markup and Profit: A Contractor's Guide, and read it several times. I recently met the author, Michael Stone, and he is your advocate and champion for running a good business and not giving yourself away cheaply. Because that doesn't help anyone in the long run, especially not your customers.

See a video of Michael Stone here and read his blog.

Air conditioner on the fritz? Maybe it's been stolen

Here's an embarrassing situation: Your air conditioner stops working so you call out the repair company. When they arrive, they're puzzled to see a bare concrete slab where your air conditioner used to be. Your AC has been stolen.

This happens and not infrequently, unfortunately. Thieves can sell the copper in an AC unit for about $20, meanwhile causing about $3,000 to $10,000 in damages.

It's all over the news. In Tennessee, here's a story about an alarm device for AC units.

In Louisiana, the problem is bad.

It's even happening in Newport News and Hampton, Virginia, where recent thefts have spiked. 

In some states, only air conditioning professional are allowed to sell AC copper coils to scrap yards, but in other states, there is no such law.

What to do? With each problem in society comes a business opportunity, and there are companies selling alarms and AC cages to prevent this theft here, here and here. The one pictured here is called the Copper Locker.

So next time your AC goes out, take a peek outside before you call the repair folks. It could be worse than you thought.

Photos: Times-Picayune, ABC 15

In New Orleans, a blessed sign of recovery

In most communities, garage sale signs are so ubiquitous as to be a nuisance. After all, most of us have too much stuff and we need to get rid of it. And these days, to pocket some cash is a happy thing.

But in New Orleans, which got flooded in 2005 when the defective federal levee system failed, signs like these were rare for many years. While not all the city got flooded (the French Quarter and Uptown were barely touched), much of it did, and hundreds of thousands of people lost everything they had to toxic floodwaters.

Imagine everyone around you losing all their furniture, kitchen stuff, clothing, kids toys, books, music, plants, bedding, rugs, appliances, and so on and so on.

In that case, you would not see any garage sale signs. In New Orleans, it was several years before folks got back to their houses, cleaned them up, collected whole households worth of goods, and once again had too much stuff.

So a garage sale sign in the Big Easy is a blessed sign indeed.

Does it pay to remodel your home?

Each year, following the release of Remodeling Magazine's annual Cost vs. Value Report, we see a slew of headlines telling us "It Doesn't Pay to Remodel Your Home."

But despite the naysayers, a home-renovation project can still be profitable -- even in this current market. As any savvy DIYer will notice, the costs of the projects are inflated to cover the expense of hiring professionals. Those who take on DIY home improvement projects can plug in their own costs, note the value stated in the report and calculate a custom cost vs. value return percentage.

For instance, if a DIYer completes a major kitchen remodel for $30,000 and the return is an expected $40,126, that's a big 133% return (approx.) on expenditures.

Seen in those terms, yes, it pays to remodel your home.

See the whole story at www.diylife.com

2010-2011 Cost vs. Value Report just released

Will you get your money back on that bathroom remodel when you sell your house? How about that new deck? How much will that increase the value of your house?

For hard numbers on how much you'll get back from your remodel, you can't do better than the Cost vs. Value Report put out each year by Remodeling Magazine. The 2010-2011 Report has just been released.

The report gives you numbers on a variety of projects in various parts of the country. The numbers will vary depending on your locale. 

The best return on investment for New England is an entry door replacement with a steel door. The job will cost $1,264 and you can expect to recoup 85% of that upon resale, or $1,218.

The worst cost vs. value in New England is a home office remodel, which will return just 46%. And that's a shame, because that's the remodel I'd most like to have.

See the whole report here.

Looking for a new career? A lot of old wood windows need restoring

I've been self-employed my whole career and I could not be happier. No matter what the economy is doing, a scrappy freelancer can find work.

If I was casting about for a new career, I might consider becoming a restorer of old wood windows, like this woman featured in an Old House Journal article.

Pam Rodriguez learned restoration techniques in the northeast and then put them to use when she moved back to Texas. Her joy is taking an old wood window apart, piece by piece, and putting it back together even better. She figures that if a window has lasted 80 years already, it will last another 80 to 100 years when maintained correctly.

And here's another thought: With climate change, as you've no doubt noticed, we're seeing flooding on a level we never thought possible. When those flood waters recede, old windows often need help. Think of it as job security.

Of course, you must be aware of the dangers of lead in old wood windows. With proper practices, you will be protected from those dangers.

NEW Train2Rebuild DVD
 On-the-Job Training: RRP Lead-Safe Practices

Read more about Pam's new career and ask yourself: Do I like preserving old things? Am I good with my hands? Do I like being an entrepreneur and in charge of my own time and my own future?

If so, you might have a new career to think about.

How to save money on your kitchen remodel? Don't move the sink

Who knew saving money on a kitchen remodel could be so simple? Just don't move the sink. If you do, you will incur all kinds of costs and delays when the plumbing has to be rerouted. When your house is on a concrete slab that has to be cut into for the new plumbing, that's even more costly.

Of course, there are times when moving the sink is absolutely necessary, and is in fact the reason for the remodel. Some sinks are in unfortunate locations, blocking an expansion of the kitchen, or facing into a dark corner instead of into a window.

But for the most part, leaving the sink location exactly where it is (albeit with a new sink) will save you a lot.

See before and after kitchen remodels where the sink stayed put:

• Kitchen renovation under $1,000 in 2 weekends

• A 'new' kitchen but with the same cabinets

• Rate This Remodel: The $20,000 kitchen redo

• See all Kitchens

• See all Before & After

Recession hits 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' — No more McMansions

You aren't the only one feeling the pinch. In an exclusive interview with WalletPop's Jason Cochran, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's resident carpenter, Paul DiMeo, reports that the tough times have hit his popular ABC show, too.

One of the first things to change was the size of the homes. In years past, families would be bestowed with homes that felt more like mansions, with scads of square footage and amenities such as new swimming pools. The taxman and the maintenance bills can prove too onerous for families to cope with, so that's a thing of the past, and homes are now built more modestly, with lower-cost upkeep in mind.

Also gone are the days when a dozen contractors would vie to be the one to give needy families their dream homes. Now, the show is lucky if one or two step forward for the chance at charity -- and national publicity.

via www.walletpop.com

Using Facebook or Twitter could raise your homeowners insurance premiums

Services such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Buzz can alert criminals when users are not home, according to Confused.com, the price comparison service. Foursquare, for example, shows that people are in a specific spot and, more importantly, that the user is definitely not at home, Confused.com added.

It predicted that the new wave in social media could eventually lead to big rises in home insurance premiums.

-- snip --

The company offered the following advice to users of social networking websites:

1. Never post your home address or other personal information such as your home phone number on social networking sites

2. Don't follow people you don't know on social networks and block others from seeing your profile if you don't know them

3. Turn off location-based services on Twitter and Facebook unless you absolutely need to use them

See the whole story at www.telegraph.co.uk

$60,000 pool adds only $5,000 to home's appraisal

From Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisals:

I ran across a situation in the Greater Baton Rouge Housing Market where a homeowner, located in a subdivision where the average home is worth $150,000, installed a $60,000 Gunite Inground Pool recently. Now, their home is on the market and they are about to be taken through the “school of hard knocks” when the appraiser doesn’t give them any more than $5,000 to maybe $7,500 contributory value for their pool. I’ve been appraising now for 18 years and see these types of situation several times per year and just shake my head when I see this happen.

Why only $5,000 to $7,500 contributory value for a $60,000 “gunite” pool? It’s not that “blankety blank” appraiser’s fault. It’s actually the market, the buyers, that don’t reward such expensive overimprovements. And mortgage underwriters that scrutinize the appraisals when appraisers do.

See the rest of the story at  www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com

Don't miss out on cash for clunkers for appliances rebates in your state

From Consumer Reports:

While a few states started doling out rebates to consumers as part of the $300 million cash for clunkers for appliances program at the end of 2009, the launch date for most states will occur throughout the first several months of 2010.

Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois (phase 1 only), Kansas, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico started their clunkers rebate programs in December or January. Since these rebates for Energy Star-qualified (or higher) appliances are generally being given on a first-come, first-served basis and because funding is limited, you might want to act fast before their available cash is gone.

Read the rest of the story at blogs.consumerreports.org

Free and cheap decorating

At the tile store some time ago, salivating over the $30-per-square-foot tile, I asked the clerk a brilliant question: "Do you have any free stuff?"

I was with a friend who is pretty classy, and she gave a nervous little laugh and I wondered for a second if this question was crass. But the clerk said, well, yes, we do have free stuff, and showed us a door leading to the alleyway behind the store. It seems they regularly place broken, extra and discontinued items out there, and all one has to do is drive by and check out the selection.

On this particular day, one of the treasures was a 26-inch-square, 1/2-inch-thick piece of plywood covered with gorgeous glass and ceramic tiles. I grabbed it and put it in my car.

Bringing it home, I almost had buyer's remorse. Or was it "takers remorse?" I wasn't sure what I would do with this new thing, and I wondered if I now had another 30 pounds of stuff I needed to get rid of.

But I finally found a place for it, on top of a side table in my living room (seen here). I crackle-painted the top of that table some years ago, but I'm ready to go in another direction. I need to figure out some kind of edge molding.

By the way, that red metal lamp is just about my favorite "get"; I picked it up at the swap meet for $15, bargained down from $20. Wherever I place it in my home becomes my favorite corner. And the wooden horse? Five bucks at a yard sale.

Top 10 projects that add home value

From HGTV's Front Door:

#10: The kitchen is one room where upgrades almost always bring a large return on investment. However, you don't have to gut your kitchen and tackle a major remodel to add value. One way to improve your kitchen is to simply replace your old appliances. Stainless steel is the current standard, but you don't have to buy the $9,000 commercial-quality Viking range or the most expensive Sub-Zero refrigerator. Any updated appliances will look better, run better, and give your kitchen more appeal.

See the whole list at www.frontdoor.com

Energy tax credits tempt homeowners

From Bank Rate:

Federal tax credits are helping to fuel demand for energy-efficient, "green" home remodeling projects.

Few people undertake major home remodeling projects simply to be more environmentally conscious, says Greg Miedema, president of Dakota Builders Inc. in Tucson, Ariz., and chairman of the National Association of Home Builders remodeling division.

"Nobody's going to replace windows because of a tax credit," he says.

However, if windows, doors or furnaces need replacement, now is the perfect opportunity to look for green alternatives that can save you money.

See the whole story at www.bankrate.com

Remodeling now could save homeowners a bundle

Farewell to 2009.

Notice we did not say a "fond" farewell. Frankly, we are glad to see it go.

It seems everyone has struggled through, both professionally and personally. Here's hoping for better things in 2010!

We know many of your remodeling plans have been placed on the proverbial back burner this past year.

Remodeling is costly, and who in their right mind would consider undertaking a major project when people are still losing jobs, salaries have been cut and contracts you have had for years are in question?

That is what we thought for the first half of 2009, but by the middle of the year we began to see that there is opportunity hiding in the ruins.

So, the question is, "Should I wait for the economy to rebound before I remodel?" Some who have been hit the hardest, of course, may have no option.

Others, however, need to at least stop and think about taking advantage of the situation, rather than just being content to sit by as a victim of forces beyond our control.

There are several great advantages about remodeling now before the recovery is complete.

See the whole story at www.deseretnews.com

Author gives a realistic look at home improvements

These days, it seems everyone's got a case of the budget blues.

Not surprisingly, turbulent economic times also tend to sideline home renovation projects, at least for the short term. But if you have the savings or financing available for your remodeling adventure, the timing for some improvements couldn't be better.

Why? Well, for starters, materials and labor costs are down, and many contractors are bidding competitively with discounts they'd never consider when there's plenty of work to be had. If you want to stretch your home improvement dollars even further, you might want to try a part-time gig as your very own construction manager.

Author Victoria Likes did just that for a major renovation on her Seattle home and lived to tell about it. She recounts the experience, and packages the lessons learned, in her book, Manage Your Remodel--And Save Money (Creative Homeowner Press, $16.95)

With the subtitle "... and save money!" the book's purpose is clear. Likes claims that a savings of 20 to 30 percent is typical for those who take on the role of homeowner/general contractor, or HGC.

See the rest of the story at www.pressdemocrat.com

Buy the book:

10 home-improvement projects for 2010

With a minimal budget and a little sweat equity, your home can go from a "so-so" to a "wow" in no time. Whether you want to update your existing living space or add value to a house you are trying to sell, investing in some basic home renovations can make a huge impact.

So what home improvements will provide the biggest bang for your buck and make the strongest impression on guests and potential buyers? We interviewed two local contractors and a local real estate agent as well as John DeSilvia, host of the DIY Network's series, "10 Grand in Your Hand." They recommended 10 projects for the new year.

See the whole story at www.stltoday.com

Homeowners more cautious on remodeling projects

'Twas only a few years ago, when the housing boom was in full roar, that homeowners didn't have to fret too much over whether the money they invested in remodeling would be paid back at resale time.

Indeed, it was practically a no-brainer: Home sale prices were going up so high and so fast that remodeling the kitchen or the master bath would nearly pay for itself. Some remodeling companies had so much backlogged work that clients passed the time on waiting lists.

"These days, it's a new ballgame," said Sal Alfano, a former contractor who now is the editorial director for Remodeling magazine, a trade journal. "Now, the jobs are smaller, the scope of work has been cut back, and consumers are doing things in phases."

See the whole story at www.chicagotribune.com

RemodelGate: Concerns about $707,000 remodel for Supervisor's office shows disconnect with public

Taking elected office is often a Cinderella-like experience. Normal people with private lives are thrust into a strange and magical public world where their dreams really do come true.

Maybe no singing birds or supernatural pumpkins accompany them, but they are beset with many other surreal experiences: instant celebrity, power, deference and hundreds of new best friends vying for their attention with flattery and promises.

If that's not enough, there are the perks of the job - the taxpayer-funded cars and phones, the gifts from lobbyists, the tickets to games, the parties, the beautiful women wanting to be with them.

Then there's the money.

If it is a job like one of the 15 L.A. City Council or five county supervisors' seats, it comes with a fat salary and flush discretionary account. On top of that are the billions of taxpayers' dollars that can be spent (or misspent, as the case so often seems to be; just note the LAPD's spending revelations this week) as part of the job.

It is understandable, then, that this kind of experience would alter - in some cases corrupt - any normal person.

But new Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas' disconnection with the public goes far beyond what's reasonable. Less Cinderella, more Wizard of Oz.

He's planning a $707,000 remodel of his office suite in the county Hall of Administration and can't understand why people are offended. His reaction shows he's completely

See the whole story at www.dailynews.com

Remodeling in 2010? Additions are out, replacements are in

Remodeling is a better investment in some years than others. This year is among the worst if you’re hoping to recoup much money when you sell, says a newly released report. Homeowners are getting back just 64%, on average, of a project’s cost, compared with 87% in 2005, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2009-2010 Cost vs. Value report.

Some projects pay back better than others. You get more bang for the buck putting money into a basement or attic upgrade than adding a wing to the house. Some of the highest-return projects include a deck addition and quick, conservatively priced replacements of old siding, entry door or windows. (If you want a different perspective, personal-finance guru Liz Pulliam Weston calls remodeling “a waste of money.”)

via realestate.msn.com

Remodel a home in a shaky market?

The troubled housing market isn’t just hurting homeowners who want to sell, it’s torpedoing incomes for builders and remodelers as well.

As a result, contractors have cut bids by 20% in many parts of the country, according to a survey by The Wall Street Journal, which adds that many contractors are willing to take on small or otherwise unappealing jobs they’d have turned down a few years ago.

So maybe this is a good time to redo the kitchen or bath, build a deck or finish a basement.

But does it make sense to put money into a home when the housing market is so shaky?

See the whole story via www.mainstreet.com

Whirlpool smells profit in new washer with anti-odor, smart grid features

It may feel a little creepy to think of your washing machine talking to the power company, but that's among the bells and whistles appliance manufacturers are coming up with to perk up a market that's been smacked down hard by the recession. 

For now, Whirlpool Corp. (WHR) wants to get an edge by protecting clothes from moldy smells if you forget to unload the wash. But eventually, it plans to sell appliances that can communicate with the planned smart power grid to save energy.

The whole story via www.dailyfinance.com

Economy wins, environment loses? Survey finds consumers now would rather make their homes prettier than energy-efficient

A new national survey released today finds Americans once again prefer aesthetic home improvements - a refinished kitchen or bathroom - over money-saving improvements, such as energy-efficient windows or a high-efficiency furnace. 

 The survey, the fifth annual Energy Pulse survey conducted by Shelton Group, found that consumers are reverting to their old priorities as the recession wanes - perhaps at the expense of the environment. 

"Energy efficiency is back to playing second fiddle, competing with more visible and exciting home improvement projects," said Suzanne Shelton, whose firm conducted the study. "Anyone selling energy-efficient products must either focus heavily on the aesthetic or comfort aspects of their products or play up their environmental benefits in a big way."

via www.reuters.com

For the right price, the right fixer-upper - New York Times

Fixer-uppers are not the darlings of the New York City real estate market right now. With so many well-groomed apartments for sale to choose from, why bother? But when there is a lot of inventory on the market, the price gap between the renovated and unrenovated often grows.

“What you see now,” said Jonathan J. Miller, the president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel, “is more of a premium placed on renovated space because you have more supply, more choices.”

via www.nytimes.com

Homeowners find bargains in this year's remodeling - Wall Street Journal

People who refrained from splurging on big home-improvement projects during the housing boom are reaping the rewards now.

Depending on the region and the job, some homeowners are paying as much as 20% less for home-remodeling projects than they would have a few years ago. Many contractors are willing to accept smaller jobs and "handyman" projects that they used to snub. And more projects are being delivered on time and on budget—a stark contrast from the boom years.

Kim and Chandra Sobieski of Cat Spring, Texas, considered expanding their home two years ago, but thought the contractor's $380,000 estimate was too high. Earlier this year, Mr. Sobieski, a 54-year-old retired title-company executive, called the same contractor and got a quote for a slightly revised expansion for 20% less. The couple wound up paying $300,000 to add 1,500 square feet to their old 3,400-square-foot home, including installing a new roof, converting a garage to an entertainment room and adding a new garage.

via online.wsj.com

White House to push for easier financing for home retrofits

U.S. homes waste a lot of energy, but who has the money to remodel? The White House is pushing for financing mechanisms to ease the burden.

Joe Biden wants to remodel your home and help you figure out how to pay for it.

The Vice President today unveiled Recovery through Retrofit (full report here), a program and report designed to lay the groundwork for a full-fledged program for home energy retrofits. And if the program comes to fruition, there's a good chance that PACE loans – which help homeowners finance retrofits with property tax assessments – and mortgages that include loans for energy efficiency will be part of the plan.

via www.greentechmedia.com