Florida Keys Real Estate Blog

I hope we can all agree that technology is so important in today's society no matter what you do or where you are.  I saw the following video - The State of the Internet - and found it both exciting and scary.  Watch it and let me know what you think!  

JESS3 / The State of The Internet from Jesse Thomas on Vimeo.

If you are considering "Going Green", now is the time and you can take advantage of the tax rebates and incentives that are available to encourage you to conserve energy! 

Federal tax credits are being given for replacing winidows and insulation to tax rebates for purchasing a hybrid car or installing a solar hot water heater.  Find all of the federal tax credits by visiting www.energystar.gov or www.IRS.gov.

There are two expanded home energy tax credits.  The Non-Business Energy Property Credit equals 30% of what you spend on eligible energy-saving improvements, up to a maximum credit of $1,500 for 2009-2010.  This means you can get the maximum credit by spending at least $5,000.

The Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit equals 30% of what a homeowner spends on solar electric systems, solar hot water and wind turbines.  New construction or existing homes are eligible for the credit.  Generally, labor costs are included when calculating this credit and no cap usually exists on the amount of credit available. 

State and Local Incentives are also available.  The Florida Keys Electric Cooperative and Keys Energy offer "net metering" where consumers who generate power through solar panels or other technologies can sell electricity back to the utility, thus reducing their electric bill. 

Visit www.fkec.com or www.keysenergy.com to find out about the utilities online and in-person energy audits.

If you own a business, you can also find incentives and credits.  The best place to look for what is available is to go to the online Database of State Incentives for Renewable and Efficiency at www.dsireusa.org. 

There are also rebates for new appliances.  More information can be found at www.myfloridaclimate.com.

The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority offers a toilet retrofit program, which offers a $100 rebate on high efficiency toilets.  The program is available until August 1.  You can print the application by clicking here or it can be found at http://www.fkaa.com/Residential%20Toilet%20Rebate%20form.pdf. 

For more detailed information on the Florida Keys Real Estate Market please contact us.  We will be happy to send you a copy of our Winter Edition of Tropical Breezes our quarterly newsletter, which is filled with complete details of the Florida Keys Real Estate Market.