Energy Independence and the Southern Oregon Real Estate Market

The writing is on the wall. The passive and active solar homes of the future not just in the Southern Oregon real estate market, but nationwide as well will play an important role in attaining American energy independence. Federal and state tax incentives for building homes with an active solar component are already in place and will be driven even further by the aggressive energy policies of the Obama Administration which are now evolving throughout the country. The Obama goal is to introduce policies that will lead America to the land of energy independence, and as a new economy grows out of the ruble of economic ruin handed to us by the Bush Administration, attaining energy independence means the construction of new homes in communities like Grants Pass, Medford, and throughout the Rogue Valley that offer alternative energy generation as part of their design. Stricter building codes and state and federal tax incentives will encourage the full utilization of the benefits of the passive solar design along with the development, manufacture, and distribution of new materials and technologies that result in higher R-values for insulation and energy efficiency for windows, window treatments, siding, and roofing. Once again, whenever I gaze into my crystal ball, all I see is Green. My next blog: the role of the Passive Solar Home in creating a new economy.