Julie Jones

Conventional pools may not meet "green" standards but there are actions we can take to use our pools optimally to reduce energy and water consumption. Here are a few tips to reduce the carbon footprint of pools and save on energy bills:

1. If installing a pool for the first time, use natural materials such a stone, especially regionally quarried, to leave less of a carbon footprint than concrete or vinyl.

2. Install a pool cover - helps keep chemicals from polluting the atmosphere, maintains pool heat and saves on cleaning time. Using pool covers made of recyclable or organic material is a plus!

3. Maintain lower water temperature: During the months you heat your pool, consider using a lower temperature and if possible, reduce the number of months you heat the pool.

4. Maintain pool equipment to optimal working condition to increase efficiency and save wear and tear on equipment.

5. Replace pool filter with a water-saving pool filter to reduce the amount of water used for back-flushing.

6. Run pool equipment during off-peak hours to save money. Off-peak times are usually weekends and between 6pm and noon weekdays.

7. If you wish to make an even bigger change, convert your chlorine pool to salt water. Salt water pools save water, reduce chemical use and minimize electric costs. Even more exciting is that an article in e-how.com offers a "moderately easy" step-by-step article on changing a chlorine pool to salt water. To read how simply and cost-effectively the conversion can be made, read, "How to Change to a Saltwater Pool" at: http://www.ehow.com/how_2034707_convert-saltwater-pool.html#ixzz0sFqMLDo1

If anyone implements and of the above-listed suggestions, let me know how the process went for you!

Happy swimming!

Many newly constructed multi-unit structures in south Florida are incorporating green specific elements into the building design which over the long run improves quality of life and economic savings for residents while reducing the carbon footprint of the building. In my opinion, builders who choose to construct green-efficient condos and townhomes by using environmentally safe and/or recycled products deserve buyer support.

I encourage residents occupying older, non-green communities to consider becoming eco-conscious by converting to green-based products when building maintenance and renovations arise. This could be a decision adopted by the condo association for a step-by-step plan. Changes could be as simple as replacing light bulbs with eco-friendly lighting (especially when living ocean-side to protect nesting wildlife from glaring lights), to replacing old refrigerators, washers/dryers and dishwashers with energy saving appliances. Researching green paints with less toxicity, ensuring efficient air handlers for optimum air quality and using recycled, eco-friendly materials for building renovations or private unit maintenance not only enhance the value of the premises but improves quality of life.

An article in the Sun Sentinel a while back suggested home-owner associations request energy audits from their power companies to discover where the highest energy uses occur in the building and target those areas for eco-friendly change. Energy audits also help to calculate the payback rate of money saved by replacing the energy sappers with energy efficiency.

Landscaping can also cause a huge drain on resources and energy. Associations can research indigenous vegetation to reduce watering needs and replace blacktop and asphalt with paving that permits water permeability. Here are a few websites offering incentives and ways to go green:

Database of Incentives for Florida renewables: www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?State=FL

How to get started being Green: www.myfloridagreenbuilding.info/

Florida Solar Energy Center: www.fsec.ucf.edu/

Changing to green can be easy. Simply by consciously considering eco-friendly products when building updates are needed or renovating your own space will put the change in motion. If your association is not green conscious now, take the step. Make the suggestion. Your concern will be a win-win situation to make your lives, and those of your neighbors, healthier and richer in many ways, including in improving the value of your real estate investments.

As the old saying goes, there are two things one cannot evade: death and taxes. While death is unavoidable, there is a way to avoid certain taxes.

Move to Florida.

When it comes to taxes and asset protection, Florida is one of our country's friendliest states. Florida has no, I repeat, no income tax. Florida does not have any estate or inheritance taxes (a rare state attraction, indeed), and the Sunshine State offers homestead exemption to homeowners. Homestead exemption shields the residence from probate (in most cases), exempts the property from creditor claims during owner's lifetime and after death, as well as limits the amount of tax increases or appraised property values imposed for real estate tax purposes. Tally these three significant tax benefits and a body saves a whopping personal sum in the long run.

I recommend that anyone considering relocation to Florida consult their tax attorney regarding a domicile change to our fair state. I understand that other states with stricter tax laws require proof of a person's relocation in order to remove the tax restrictions imposed by the former state. This is especially true if one retains a "summer" home in the previous state. Florida requires that a resident maintain a legitimate principal residence in Florida, but the number of days a person resides in Florida is not considered. However, the prior state may not recognize the legitimacy of a Florida resident if they reside in the prior state for more than 183 days. This makes consulting a tax professional important to make the residency change to Florida valid. By following the proper directives, some of them simple, such as obtaining a Florida driver's license and registering to vote in Florida, one can live an easier tax life here in Florida and not worry about losing the bulk of their hard-earned savings to the state government when their life is through.

Sounds to me like a great reason to live in Florida, where my home is literally, my castle, to keep, to save, to pass on to those I love. Welcome to Florida. I'll be happy to open the door to your next home.

Nick Churton of Mayfair International Realty, based in London, sees many parallels between the US and UK real estate markets. As in the US, many more UK buyers are returning to the market - or would do if they could secure mortgages!

A real estate industry without mortgage funds is about as useless as a motor industry without gas at the pumps.

Our Mayfair International Realty members across the UK report an extraordinary state of affairs. Many of our colleagues around the country have seen greatly increased levels of property transactions, but in up to ninety per cent of cases cash buyers funded these.

The banks are still hoarding money. The new UK Government must get a firm grip on this problem. Simplifying real estate transaction legislation, as they have done recently, and giving first time buyers a tax break can help the market, but not if lenders won't lend. The Government must find a way to stop this financial log-jam and allow eager first time buyers the funds they need to climb onto the housing ladder - without being hamstrung by crippling and even cynical lending criteria.

Releasing funds will stimulate the rest of the market and allied industries. The UK real estate market, like that in the US, won't heal itself. It either needs government intervention or enlightened banks - preferably both. It is essential to get mortgage funds pumping again.

In my ever-increasing quest for eco-friendly living in my home-paradise of Fort Lauderdale, I have been surfing the Internet for green-conscious alternatives to chlorine for keeping our personal lagoons pristine. Also, since luxury real estate buyers have expressed interest in eco-friendly pools, no longer just asking if the pool is heated but if it is a saltwater or non-chlorinated pool, my search becomes two-fold: Help save the atmosphere, our lungs, hair and skin, while enjoying this fabulous south Florida lifestyle.

Here is some of the information I have discovered from sites such as http://www.naturalswimmingpools.co.za/home.shtml, http://www.thedailygreen.com/ and several pool servicemen who post their findings on-line.

Since chlorine has been the dominant form of pool water treatment for a long time, alternatives have not been easy to find. Even saline systems end up producing chlorine in the water. One pool service man on-line continues to demand that although chlorine is not the answer, it is still the only chemical that contains the ingredient for all four functions needed to keep pool water safe.

Alternatives to chlorine that I read included expensive systems (about $20,000) for a combination of ozone, copper and silver ions to keep the water clear--yet, could turn one's hair green. (Not good for a business luncheon!) Another more affordable system contains a chamber of coated titanium plates which burn off organic waste while copper and zinc ions sanitize the water. This system, called TechnoPure, proved more reasonable at about $5,000.

Another alternative is ozone injection. One system discussed was Del Ozone which injects ozone into the water (in the pipes only, since ozone is a poisonous gas, like chlorine) which reduces the need for chlorine up to 90%. Supposedly, this ozone injection system has been used at the White House for years. Opponents to this system, however, say it is expensive, some use mercury (yikes!), can damage pool surfaces and the system not only takes three to four days for the water to become optimal but must run much longer than chlorine systems.

Then there is my favorite, the more natural, pond-like pools that use aquatic plants and the balance of nature to keep pools clean. It is not surprising to learn that this lagoon-style system has been used in Europe for years and is newly being introduced to the US. Managed properly, these free-form beauties require no chemicals to maintain and are self-cleaning mini-ecosystems safe enough to drink! A U.S. based company offering this solution is Whole Water Systems, LLC. A foreign based company which supplies to the U.S. is, aQua-designed. Visit their website to get the full scoop on bathing au natural: http://www.naturalswimmingpools.co.za/home.shtml. It is also great to learn that installation costs of these water systems are not much more than standard pools.

Please let me know if you have found any of these systems to be satisfactory. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more information on how to conserve pool energy. Happy swimming!