The green home construction trend continues in Cincinnati. We just had an opportunity to see some fantastic new photos of a Silver LEED certified home in Hyde Park. Our friends at Building Cincinnati have posted photos showcasing some of the ecologically friendly components of the new construction residence.

Some of the features include geothermal heating, a water purification system with low-flow fixtures, Energy Star windows, appliances and fixtures, orientation toward natural light, and oak floors grown sustainably by an Appalachian collective - all with the added bonus of a 15-year tax abatement. If you are interested in seeing the property for your self call me at 518-1140 or send an e-mail and I’ll be happy to arrange a showing.

Energy costs and ecological impact are a major concern to a lot of us, especially here in Cincinnati. We often talk about how we can reduce our dependence on oil and harness the power of wind, and solar energy in our homes. First Look is a web based system that analyzes the solar exposure and the wind speed and currents where you live.

For a fairly steep price they will provide you with a report detailing annual, monthly, and even hourly wind and solar power deviation and means allowing you to honestly assess the kind of impact solar collectors and wind mills would have.

At $1,000 - $2,500 these reports are less costly than installing a system only to find out later that it is not efficient. An average US home can use up to 9,000 KMh a year so using First Look as an assessment tool before you invest in the technology may save you money, and the earth. I researched what it would be in our neighborhood and found out that today we could be generating almost 4 KwH/m.

If you live in the city of Cincinnati and are considering renovating your home there is good news for you. The City of Cincinnati Department of Community Development has implemented both a residential and commercial tax abatement program to help attract new residents, businesses, and investors and encourage current residents, businesses, investors to improve their current properties. Any property owner may be eligible for this property tax abatement if they purchase a newly constructed home or are renovating their current home. Residential is defined as a single family home or any building with 1-3 units. With this tax abatement program, the commercial category is defined as residential multi-family property containing more than 4 units, office, retail, industrial, or mixed use.

Who Qualifies for the Residential Tax Abatement?

The way this program works is that certain types of improvements that actually add value to the home will qualify, while others will not. Part of the application process helps to determine if the improvements that you are making to the home are simply improving the condition of the home versus actually adding value. Painting your home, replacing your roof, new siding, new windows, new gutters, improved landscaping, a retaining wall, or resealing a driveway will all improve the condition and salability of your home but do not add dollar value. While adding a pool, deck, patio, or more usable square footage or living space to the home will add dollar value to your property and will qualify for the tax abatement. LEED- certified remodeled or newly constructed residential property is eligible for an additional tax exemption based on the certification level. Please click here for more information on LEED homes. The period for tax abatement begins with the date of documented completion of work.

Tax Abatement Limits

For example, if the owner of a $75,000 home makes $25,000 in improvements, the owner is only responsible for taxes based on the home’s original value for a period of ten years. So that would mean that the property owner’s taxes would remain at the assessed value of the $75,000 price but the house would actually be worth $100,000 if the owner were to have the home re-appraised. The portion of the tax by which the remodeling increased the value of the structure may be abated up to a maximum $275,000 market value.

Total Investment Eligible for Exemption (fair market value): $275,000
Assessed Value/Taxable Value is 35% of fair market value: $96,250
Assessed Value Multiplied by Tax Rate (.05694): $5,480.48
10% Rollback: $548.05
Estimated tax abated for one year: $4,932.43

For an application for the Residential CRA Tax Abatement Program, please click here.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that a vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. The report indicates that some of the pharmaceuticals that were found were only trace amounts; however, out of the cities that were tested, Cincinnati was ranked 10th in the most toxic water supply. The EPA requires any community water system that serves more than 100,000 people to make its CCR(consumer confidence report) available to customers on a publicly accessible web site. This report comes from your water supplier that tells where your water comes from and what’s in it. The University of Cincinnati conducted a drinking water study in 2005 and the results from the Hamilton County and Greater Cincinnati Area are available for public review, but all of the categories passed the EPA standards for quality drinking water.

There are many different types of water filtration systems available. Click here for one site that compares the many types. Consumer reports is also a good source of information on comparing water filters. If homeowners are concerned you may contact your local plumber for other options for water filtration. As more research is conducted, the studies should be more conclusive on what filters work best.

In reading a posting on Building Cincinnati.com, I learned about a home that is being built on the same site
as Homerama 2007. This home is being constructed to be LEED “silver certified” by The U.S. Green Building Council. It inspired me to think about how many people are now trying to be more environmentally friendly by driving hybrids, recycling, and using recycled products. The “green” revolution is a sign of the times that people are becoming more aware of how the conveniences of their everyday lives are affecting the environment and their health.

This demand is driving corporations to dedicate resources to producing “green products” for consumer use. While this new concept home in Montgomery is unique, many people are not looking to build a new home right now, but are curious about what measures they can take in their current home to make it more
eco-friendly or “green”.

The Green Guide has
many articles discussing home renovation and other ideas about what types of materials are being used mainstream.

Deciding whether it is financially feasible for you to incorporate some green measures into your home is something that you can research on your own or you can contact a professional to provide an evaluation of your home. This issue was raised by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and was reported by CNN as
well.

Part of being good neighbors is recycling as much as you can. Rumpke and the city of Cincinnati have changed their recycling requirements lately. At this point they are only accepting #1 and #2 plastics (milk and OJ jugs and water bottles) along with the usual paper, glass, metals containers. Here is a link to the website giving a very clear description of what is accepted and what is not. I hope to soon find a drop off location for our #3-#7 plastics which make up items like yogurt containers, fruit cups, and the plastic containers from take out food. If you know of a center that takes these please post it here in the comments.

The Cincinnati Public Schools System is in the midst of building its first LEED Certified school to services Amberly Village, Gold manor and Pleasant Ridge. The new Pleasant Ridge Elementary, designed by Steed Hammond Paul was engineered to meet the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ created by the United States Green Building Council. The LEED building exercise has been a true learning experience that CPS is carrying forward into the 10 year, $1 Billion dollar Facility Renovation Master Plan project in which over two dozen school will be refurbished.