I noticed the $1500 tax credit idea today on the news regarding insulation improvements in home walls. I’ve heard of other credits when it relates to energy savings. Retrofit, I think they named it. Is there a clear path of knowledge already here or any other forum that points out these incentives for investment at this particular time? I have to spend serious money on two recovery units in my park to convert to rentals, I need to pay close attention to what’s happening in the green arena. Anyone help me? Thanks Shawn in advance. grin
Bill, with or without the tax credit, it is your duty as a citizen of planet Earth to rehab your mobile homes green! Here are some tips to get you started:
1.) Collect all dryer lint and glue it to your ceiling for added insulation. 2.) Save twist ties from bread wrappers and tie them together to use as electrical wiring, or carpeting. 3.) Remove water wasteful flush toilets and replace them with environmentally friendly decomposing collection stations. 4.) Use the Sheryl Crow 1 square toilet paper dispenser. 5.) Remove all heating and air conditioning. These are just for starters, but Bill, you must be green! The survival of the planet depends on you.
Right on ,Shawn .
I love your contribution to the green bowel movement.
Progress demands, that watermelons remain green on the outside.
Bernd, I trust that Bill has been hard at work through the night making his MH a green refurb. Seconds count - baby seals and polar bears are dying! and it is all Bills fault!
Baby seals and polar bears are getting better at hiding because they are sick of all the scientists poking around telling them they are going to die because of people like Bill and me.
Steve
Your dismissiveness of green rehabs is interesting to me. I am seriously considering going green on my rehabs and improvements because I think it will position me better in the market. And I also happen to think it’s the responsible thing to do.
Everyone is impacted by heating and cooling costs, regardless of their political awareness or leaning. And belief (or lack thereof) in global warming as a real phenomenon doesn’t alter the consumer’s desire to reduce recurring energy expenses. If I can make my units cheaper to heat and cool, and reduce water useage with low-flow toilets and showerheads, I’m confident I can increase my rents on my homes and apartments. They will rent up more quickly (with proper targeted marketing) and still be cheaper to live than yours.
Makes perfect sense to me.
As for the tax incentives, they’re almost all aimed at the owner-occupants. As far as I know the only ones we get to take part in as investors are the Energy Star appliance rebates and incentives. But if you’re dealing with low-income tenants or those receiving SSI benefits there is the Weatherization Assistance Program that your tenant can participate in, which pays for all kinds of goodies with minimal cost to the landlord. This is locally administered and they come out and do a free energy audit. Definitely worth facilitating.
Lin
1 Like
Lin et al,
IMO, there is green and there is putrid green. I’m all for insulating our houses and MoHos to reduce heat loss and things like that which also increase the likelihood tenant/buyers will make their payments. I’m all for wind and wave and other energy alternatives. But does it make sense for a factory to run, using more steel, plastic and oil-energy resources to make us all buy a 90% efficient furnace instead of my 87% one?
What I don’t waste my time on are green for the sake of green. That is putrid green to me. I have 1968 high-flow toilets in my house. They often don’t get the…er…material down the pipe for several of our family members. We have been places with low-flow toilets. They are an absolute disaster for us.
If you read the research on some of the new technologies, you find tremendous inefficiencies or toxic chemicals used to produce these green products e.g. grain ethanol-enhanced gasoline. A total waste of earth’s food resources (putrid green). Wind farms, many a blight on our beautiful landscape (putrid green). Some electric car batteries are made with the toxic chemicals we are trying to avoid (putrid green).
When a recent convention was held in Denver, Colorado it was determined to be as green as possible. Well, trucking in 85,000 “green” paper plates was far more wasteful of our energy resources (putrid green) than buying them locally.
If the powers that be were REALLY SERIOUS about going green they would legislate public transportation and multi-unit housing and outlaw individual vehicles and houses. That is probably the MOST efficient way to reduce energy consumption. But alas they are not really interested in being green, just putrid green.
Are humans really CAUSING global warming? Then who the hell was burning the fossil fuel that melted the Ice Age!
I am looking forward to the pendulum swinging back to the middle. A time when we can evaluate the value of our new applications based on both usefulness, true efficiency, aesthetics, and finance, not on pomp and circumstance.
Steve
Lin, I was just goofing on the
Hi Lin,
It is a fact that the hysterical
Amen, Steve!
Thanks alot Shawn, Steve, Lin, Bernd et al. Green is clean, the grass care author wrote in his book, just keep the plants green, green is clean. I have decided to mark each lot in my small park in Hartford, AL, Dundee Village, on the corner of Shiloh Road and Loveless Street, with dark green single color border grass. This next year we plan to enforce the grass care rules more often and cut more yards for invoiceable fees. I am also planning some landscaping beyond the border grass, some trees on the row on Shiloh Road, and some shrubs on Loveless. I am going to have fun with this turn=around project I’ve put off for five years. I think I’m ready. Yall have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. CREO, and MHU, and Earnest Tew, and Lonnie, and Tony, and many others I’ve mentioned I’ve read over the years have educated me well. I have no excuse now but to go out and double the income next year and then take stock. This park can gross $50,000 per year as a rental park.
Bernd,
I have been trying to get in contact with you.
Please email me your phone number.
Thank You,
Richard Paul