Green Building in Southwest Florida?

I just read a very interesting blog by a Texas builder that got me thinking about "Green building" in the Naples area. With our abundant sunlight and steady winds we haven't seen very much green building in our area. Sure there are some properties with solar panels and additional insulation, but given the abundance of luxury properties throughout the area I'm very surprised we don't have more. There are many more ways we could be using sustainability to increase the efficiency but very little is being discussed or implemented.

The main question Mike Michaud's blog posed, was in it's title... Green Sells, or does it?

I think the costs are coming down so fast and the technology is improving so quickly that a lot of people have a hard time justifying the expense. Appraisers are caught in the middle because like other technology, how do you value "green technology" that reduces costs when it improves and decreases in value every 12 months! Look at the rate of return on a kitchen and the technology & costs is fairly stable.... It's just not worth what you put in it as far as resale.

On new construction how do you value it at a price greater than the cost of savings on a monthly basis amortized of 10 years(if you're to give it the life of other commercial equipment)?

I believe that striking the right balance of cost, energy savings and any available tax credits is going to be the key to valuation and feasability for most homeowners.

Some homes are being built in the area that meet the Florida Green Building standards. Learn more Here

Anyone with thoughts on Green construction, I look forward to your comments!

Garren Grup, REALTOR®, GRI...