JOSH HUTCHINS.COM

     Last year was an interesting one for two reasons: U.S. carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 6%, while the economy grew at 3.8%. It means we as a people are capable of being environmentally responsible and maintain our business savvy at the same time. It's also a blow to all liberals who think the only way to decrease emissions is a cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide. Now there are numbers to support such a system is not necessary. I'm not saying it wouldn't be useful, only that it's not necessary. It shows that the capitalist system is alive and well. Smart businesses know they can save money by 'going green'. Surely high energy prices helped. (DID HE REALLY JUST SAY THAT?!?!?) Yes, high energy prices helped. How many times did you drive less, turn down the thermostat, or turn off a light last year? Damn straight. You saved every last drop of energy you could. Why: HIGH ENERGY PRICES. Maybe it's what we need to make us all see the light. But I haven't answered the question yet: what does it mean to your house value? It means any buyer who is smart (which is pretty much all of them) will really be looking at how energy efficient your house is when considering which to buy. It may very well be the deciding factor for a buyer. I know if I had the choice of two nearly identical houses, one of which was energy efficient, and the other was not, I would take the former rather than the latter every time. I'm going to ponder this topic some more in the coming weeks. If you have any ideas, or want to share your opinion, please feel free to comment or email me.