Golden Real Estate Has a Phone-In Show Saturday at 3pm on KHOW

By JIM SMITH, Realtor®

As an extension of my YourHub column, Golden Real Estate is launching its own weekly radio program, “Real Estate Today,” every Saturday at 3 p.m. on KHOW (AM 630), starting July 8th.  I’ll be the host of this program, which will typically consist of two or three segments, at least one of which will be an extension of the previous Thursday’s column topic. Typically, I’ll be joined by one or more of our broker associates plus relevant guests such as inspectors, lenders, appraisers, etc. 

It will be a live program, and we’ll take phone calls from listeners. In the picture, I’m shown on Barry Miller’s program a couple years ago (before I lost 25 pounds!) talking about real estate and answering listeners’ questions.

 

For our inaugural program, I’ll have one or more guests who were present at the founding of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in 1977, when it was called the Solar Research Institute.  We’ll discuss not only NREL’s contribution to the “New Energy Economy” but also about how homeowners (or tenants) can make their own homes more energy efficient, saving money while reducing their “carbon footprint.”

 

As you may know, Golden Real Estate has been honored for its sustainable practices and commitment to energy efficiency.  Indeed, our “for sale” signs (right) have two slogans on them, one of which is “Promoting and Modeling Environmental Responsibility.”  We have done that by installing 20 kilowatts of solar capacity at our South Golden Road office, by installing Velux sun tunnels to bring daylight into our office, and by super-insulating our building so that it costs far less to heat and cool than it did when we bought it 10 years ago.  With all the excess electricity from our solar panels, we are able to charge our own electric cars as well as offer free charging to the public at two ChargePoint stations in our parking lot.

 

We also accept block white polystyrene (aka “Styrofoam”) for recycling, keeping over 200 cubic yards of that material out of landfills every year.  Drop off yours 24/7 at the “Styrofoam Corral” located behind our South Golden Road office.

Our Favorite Sustainability Practices & Improvements

By JIM SMITH, Realtor®

   Golden Real Estate is known for its sustainable practices. Indeed, we were recognized as early as 2010 with the City of Golden’s Sustainability Award for Business.

   Here are some of the practices and improvements which earned us this award, plus some measures we’ve taken since 2010 to deepen our commitment to sustainability.

   Recycling of Styrofoam: We have a “Styrofoam Corral” behind our office where anyone can drop of their block white polystyrene (aka Styrofoam, which is a brand name) 24/7.  At least once a month, we take a truckload of this material to a reprocessing center in Denver, keeping over 200 cubic yards of it out of landfills annually.

  Solar Power: Our office (and my own home) have enough solar panels to power not only our office, but our electric cars. In addition, we have two ChargePoint charging stations for EV’s that are free to the public.

  Reusing trash bags: I can’t remember the last time I purchased trash bags. We dump our trash and recycling materials loose into the trash carts, then reuse the plastic bags over and over again.

  Super insulation of home and office: Insulation is the smartest way to save on energy — and has the biggest return on investment (ROI). By hiring GB3 Energy to do an energy audit and install basement, crawl space and attic insulation as well as caulking windows, we have significantly reduced our heating and cooling costs.

  Driving electric cars:  I have driven nearly 200,000 miles on electricity in my Chevy Volt and Tesla cars. The lifetime MPG for the Volt (which has a range-extending gas engine) is over 200 mpg. Back in 2015 I drove my Tesla round-trip to Connecticut, and the only cost was the wear on my tires thanks to the free Supercharging. New Teslas don’t have unlimited free Supercharging — unless you’re referred by a current owner. Use my referral code to get a $1,000 discount and that free charging: http://ts.la/james6985.

  Solatubes: The generic name for these alternatives to skylights is “sun tunnels.” (Solatube is a brand name; my favorite brand is Velux.)  By installing Velux sun tunnels in our office and at home, we use less electricity for lighting — saving us more electricity to power our automobiles!

Published June 29, 2017, in the Denver Post's YourHub section.