Today’s new home construction projects, such as house developments on Long Island, now offer the “green” choice: Energy Star rated new homes. Energy Star new construction homes are new houses that meet certain stringent government guidelines for energy efficiency.

To be considered an Energy Star efficient new home, these new houses must meet these guidelines set by the government at www.energystar.gov:

1. Effective Insulation 2. High-Performance Windows 3. Solid Construction 4. Efficient Cooling and Heating Equipment 5. Energy Efficient Appliances 6. Third-Party Validation

What exactly is an Energy Star rating and how is it the green choice?

We’ll talk about green options. Unfortunately, the term is tossed around so often that many companies claim many products are “green” simply because they cause less damage to the environment than another product. When we discuss about green, we’re talking a major impact of contaminants or a significant conservation of energy.

With homes, the main green impact is energy savings. Electricity and heat can be conserved in a number of ways, reducing the demand on fossil fuels. Electricity, which is clean when used, still needs to be produced. Generally, it is produced by coal or other fossil fuels with tremendous negative effects on the environment. By reducing the electric demand, you effectively reduce the amount of toxic fuel that needs to be consumed. By doing a few things in your new home, you can significantly reduce the electric demand.

First, you need to take advantage of high quality insulation in new homes. Use enough insulation to adequately protect your new home from the weather. Ideally, you should insulate your walls, attic, floors and basement to help maintain an even inside temperature. The more consistent the temperature inside, the less often your heating system needs to go on, using energy to level the temperature.

Next, consider your windows. With new construction, you can use higher efficiency windows that reduce drafts, insulate outside cold air and help block ultraviolet light (which can fade fabrics, paint and carpets, requiring you to replace them sooner).

Tight construction is key. Small cracks and holes can create significant air flow points that allow heat to escape in the winter and air conditioning to escape in the summer. When this happens, your heating and cooling systems need to work overtime to compensate. Plugging these holes will significantly reduce your energy expenses. With new construction, tight and solid construction, especially around ducts and pipes leading outside, you will have a major impact.

Finally, as you choose a builder, for example www.EmmyHomes.com on Long Island, be sure the new houses have a verification of their Energy Star rating. This protects you to make sure that you are getting the energy benefits that you should get from your new construction.

Craig Axelrod is one of the senior developers from Emmy Homes. Emmy is which is one of Long Island’s premier real estate builders. Emmy’s Commack real estate features new construction in Commack. Visit EmmyHomes.com for information.

Now and again in life most people suffer the hardship of financial worries. There has never been a time when this has been more relevant than now.

The main reason for this is that due to the recession many people’s jobs and as a result their income has been affected by a number of factors. Many people in numerous industries such as the manufacturing and finance industries have lost their jobs. When one partner loses his or her job there can be less than half the usual amount of money coming into the home.

Even those lucky enough to have kept their jobs have seen reductions in pay due to taking a cut in working hours or the cut in the number of over time hours. Some people have been only too pleased to take a cut in wages to at least have a job when the recession ends.

There is no need to feel ashamed if you find yourself hard strapped for cash . All it means is that you are in the same boat as many other people through no fault of your own.

Do not bury your head in the sand and hope that your debts will simply disappear, as this does not happen in real life, but only happens in the movies.

Tenants ie. non homeowners will find it difficult or nowadays more accurately impossible to obtain any form of loan, and for those who can no longer cope with their burden of debt would have no alternative than to seek the help of a debt management consultant. This is not a step to take lightly as it will seriously affect your credit file for years to come.

Homeowners are in a strong position and can readily obtain a debt consolidation loan which combines all outstanding debts such as credit cards, hire purchase, and so on and replaces all the bits nd pieces of debts with one low interest debt consolidation loan. A homeowner debt consolidtion loan is in fact a secured loan and therefore has a low interest rate.

It can save an absolute fortune every month as even now the interest rates start at just over 8% for homeowners who have a good credit rating. Even homeowners with very bad credit profiles can be granted a bad credit loan although the interest will be higher and the maximum loan amount will be restricted to around 25,000.

Credit cards can have the massive interest rate of 40% and even for those with a poor payment profile a bad credit loan can be most invaluable.

For homeowners with good credit history the savings to be made with a debt consolidation loan can be up to a thousand pounds a month if a number of other debts are being consolidated . This saving becomes apparent when you consider interest rates of 8% compared to 40%.

If you are thinking of taking out a debt consolidation loan you are best to contact a homeowner loan broker who can give you a quote and guide you every step of the way.

Learn more about debt consolidation loans. Stop by Liz Moir’s site where you can find out all about debt consolidation and what it can do for you.

People who become wealthy wholesaling real estate are business geniuses. Fortunately, they’re also generous, and willing to share their secrets with others. It seems that real estate entrepreneurship and philanthropy go well hand-in-hand. In fact, I just recently heard an interview on public radio that sparked my interest. Bruce Marks, a business mogul from New York, has started an entire nonprofit giant. His success is based on the idea that generosity can pay enormous dividends.

As soon as Marks graduated from the MBA program at New York University, he got a job as a regulator at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. With the goal of helping those less fortunate than himself, he soon secured another position as a union activist for Boston hotel workers. By the time he was hired at the Union Neighborhood Assistance Corporation in New York, Marks knew how to run an ethical business. Eventually, he got so good at what he was doing for UNAC that he started his own nonprofit organization, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA).

NACA’s mission is to help prevent home owners from facing foreclosure and repair their credit. He believes that in a healthy economy, people can afford housing and can obtain the credit necessary to own commodities and necessary items like cars. Through NACA’s program, people can refinance their home loans for free. They also offer free credit counseling, and loans for prospective home owners without down payments. NACA has remained successful because they set up agreements that their clients can adhere to. Since they’re not greedy, they maintain their customer base.

Currently, NACA’s biggest campaign is against sub-prime lenders and their greedy practices. Marks is going after banks like Countrywide, who have caused thousands of home owners to foreclose. While NACA’s aggressive campaigns put many financial institutions, others, like Citigroup, have benefited from partnerships that offer affordable lending solutions to prospective home owners.

Real estate investors are so happy with their success, they’re quick to both boast about their deals and share knowledge with others. Bruce Marks’s business follows that model. While he earns money as a financer, he also repairs peoples’ credit and offers them the opportunity to live the American Dream. When everyone benefits, we can all enjoy the REI Lifestyle.

Michael Kimble’s daily blog at Wholesale Real Estate blog has more daily tactics and news, as well as real estate investing videos. He also has 4 free marketing systems that you can download, at : Wholesale Real Estate tips.