In a down economy, fewer are willing to spend on green furnishings

Furniture shoppers are less willing to spend on eco-friendly furniture, says Furniture Today, reporting on the Sustainable Furnishings Council's 2010 Green Home Furnishings Consumer Study. Evidently, big ticket spenders are harder to find these days, and only 4 percent of consumers say they are looking to buy green home furnishings. The survey suggests that educating shoppers about green home furnishings should be a priority, given the current low levels of consumer knowledge.

While in the past about 10 percent of respondents have said they would be willing to spend more on eco-friendly products in general, now that's dropped to just 5 percent.

Myth debunked: Cap and trade does NOT require retrofits

According to Snopes.com, the famed Internet rumor fact-check site, e-mail gossip has it that "the 'Cap and Trade energy bill' requires that all existing real estate must meet new energy standards before it can be sold." And Snopes answers that rumor today with an emphatic "FALSE."

HR 2454 contains no provisions requiring that existing homes "must meet the new energy standards" before they can be re-sold. Likewise, the bill includes no requirements that an existing residential property undergo an energy usage-related audit or inspection and be assigned a "certificate of efficiency issued by a federal building efficiency inspector" before it can be re-sold or rented.

... the bill merely provides for federal funding to be offered as incentives for owners of existing properties to voluntarily improve the energy efficiency of their structures.

Now, all of this is good news for home improvement retailers. For one, even if the cap-and-trade aspect of the legislation is defeated in the Senate, laws requiring efficiency in new construction are still likely to reappear. And for another, the provisions encouraging retrofits -- but not requiring them -- will bring in new business, without alienating those who think the government is forcing action.

But first, your job is to educate your customers, so they won't believe every wild thing they read in their in-boxes.

You know you've hit the mainstream when ...

... they come out with a "For Dummies" book for you. You can buy "Green Business Practices For Dummies" from Amazon for $14.95, or, if you really are a dummy, from the publisher for $21.99.

Amazon also recommends to me "Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies."

Huttig launches green workshop

Huttig Building Products is launching its first Greener Selections Workshop on 17 Feb 2009 in St. Louis at the St. Charles Convention Center. The program, which costs $20, covers "what “green” really means, summaries of key certification programs, resources you need to know, and best ways to sell green."

The full-day event will include several presentations, two keynote speakers, and giveaways and prizes.

Online training program for pro dealers signs two orgs

The Certified Green Dealer Program, an online training site for pro dealers and distributors, has signed on two new clients: the Construction Suppliers Association, serving dealers in Georgia and Alabama, and the Indiana Lumber and Builders' Supply Association. The folks running the program are also proud of their Web traffic.

Full disclosure: The Certified Green Dealer Program is run by LBM Journal, a competitor of my magazine, Home Channel News (I'm the managing editor).

Propane delivers it all

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is jumping on the green bandwagon, offering courses on how builders can sell consumers on using propane as a green energy source. Evidently, propane has been green all along, but we just didn't know it! Here's a link to two free online, AIA-certified courses, part of this series of courses. Three more courses will be available in July. Per a PERC press release, "In addition to delivering imaginative, economical, and practical floor plans, builders must provide their customers with energy sources that are cost-effective, efficient, and comfortable for the life of the home. Propane delivers it all."