GREEN TIPS January 2010

A new decade has finally arrived and seven hundred Ontarians from Ottawa to Windsor to Thunder Bay - including a member of the popular band Barenaked Ladies - have celebrated a GREEN Holiday Season after being the first to receive offers to generate renewable electricity under the province's new feed-in tariff program.

The new microFIT program encourages the development of small-scale renewable energy (10 kilowatts or less) from a diverse range of producers, including homeowners, schools, farmers and small businesses. It is part of a broader Ontario feed-in tariff program (FIT), the most comprehensive program of its kind in North America.

The new program has received nearly 1200 microFIT applications since it started to accept them in October.  Most of the applications are for roof-top solar power systems.  These proposed projects have a combined capacity of about 8.6 megawatts (MW), enough to power about 1,000 average homes.

This is very exciting not only for the estimated $5 Billion that will be generated in investments, it will also lead to the creation of thousand of new jobs in manufacturing, design, construction and engineering.

Did you know?

When renovating a home, 62% are willing to spend between $5,000.00 and under $20,000.00 for GREEN features while 8% are willing to pay $20,000.00 + on a home that is deemed GREEN.

Almost three quarters of Canadians (72%) will look for a GREEN-improved property in their next home purchase, and 63% will be willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly home.

The Spring Market will be quickly upon us and YOUR GREEN TEAM is ready!  If you are thinking of Buying or Selling...or know of someone, contact us.  Market Conditions are changing and you need the most reliable and current information to maximize your return.

Contact Valerie or Gigi for your FREE Current Market Value Assessment and receive our complimentary GREEN Checklist to evaluate your home's Energy Efficiency.

Bosley Real Estate Ltd. - (416) 465 - 7527