Buying Recreational Property – Philippe Daigle Has the Advice You Need

Summer’s here, and many Canadians are taking a look at the investment and lifestyle benefits of recreational property. Whether your perfect place is a cottage by the lake or a cabin in the mountains, you should be able to obtain financing on a second home with the same terms as financing on your principal residence.

How much you can afford to borrow depends on the size of your down payment, your income, mortgage interest rates, as well as your other financial obligations. A mortgage consultant can obtain a mortgage pre-approval, which will give you a clear sense of how much you can reasonably spend.
With a growing number of mortgage options on the Canadian market, as a prospective borrower you should understand your financing options. Emotion shouldn’t trump common sense when it comes to buying vacation property. Buyers need to do their mortgage homework, and the advice of a mortgage consultant can help them get the most for their vacation home dollar.

Philippe Daigle
250 801 1279
philippedaigle@invis.ca
http://philippedaigle.blogspot.com

Homeowners In The Okanagan Are Going Solar Together

As taken from the BC Solar E-news June 2009

The Okanagan is heating up – and not just literally! The interior is now home to the first official solar hot water bulk buy in British Columbia, headed by Roger and Susan Huber of Swiss Solar Tech. The 24 homeowners on board are taking advantage of the additional incentives for groups of 20 or more.

"We didn’t expect to bring in the first official batch," said Susan Huber of their accomplishment. "But it feels great and we truly hope we can repeat this soon with another appeal to homeowners in the Okanagan." According to Susan, they managed to gather the homeowners by advertising, and by phoning up those who had an interest in solar hot water – some who had expressed their interest up to ten years ago.

Read more.....

SAVE WATER, TIME, MONEY!! SYLAWN

SYNLawn is hosting an Open House this Saturday, June 6th at our showroom located on McCurdy Corner.

This is a FREE event! SYNLawn will be supplying cold beverages, hot dogs, hamburgers and snacks with any proceeds going towards this weekend's 'Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life'.

With a variety of applications from landscape grass to putting greens to playground systems, SYNLawn is a great fit for any project.

This is a great chance to get out of the house, learn a bit about SYNLawn, and help us raise funds to further support a great local event!

For more information contact:
Rene Bourgault at 250.765.4032

SYNLawn Showroom
#140-948 McCurdy Rd
Kelowna, BC

Mortgage Rates - 5 year fixed may rise - Laurie Baird

The following information was forwarded to me by Laurie Baird

5-year bond yields have jumped to 2.27%--up 40 basis points in the last 30 days. As a result, mortgage funding costs are spiking (fixed mortgage rates are generally linked to bond yields).

A few smaller lenders have already raised, or plan to raise, their 5-year fixed rates. As reported a few weeks ago, this may be a precursor to further, more wide-scale, rate increases.

Laurie Baird
(250)469-1611
1405 A Richter St, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 2L9
mtggal@telus.net
Visit our Blog: http://okanaganmortgageteam.blogspot.com

New pool pump technology cuts noise and energy consumption by 75%..

Here is some interesting information from Gene Brown of Valley Pools

Greetings,

I don't know if "pool equipment noise" has been a concern for you on any of your projects. Some municipalities are getting so fed up with complaints of noisy pool pumps that they've mandated sound enclosures for all pool equipments. My partner Skip and I laugh at the ridiculousness of these efforts, when such an easy solution is available.

At least one of the leading pool equipment manufacturers has come out with a new "Variable Frequency Drive" pump design that has brought pump noise down to a whisper. By no great surprise, the electrical consumption has dropped dramatically as well. We've been using these new pumps for more than three years now, and getting outstanding results.

Admittedly, these new pumps aren't just "plug & play. The overall success of this new technology is dependent on three things. It requires:

An intelligent hydraulics design
Highly efficient, oversized plumbing
Proper programming for slightly longer running times at significantly lower amperages
If "noise abatement" and/or "energy efficiency" have been a concern for you on any of your projects, you may want to take a closer look at the attached article, where Skip describes the concepts and challenges in greater detail. Or give us a call. We're happy to help you with any pool-related design or construction challenges.
Till next time,



Gene Brown
President, Valley Pool And Spa

Solar BC - Kelowna Solar Workshop

On May 15 Kelowna will be hosting a Solar Hot Water Workshop for community members, developers, builders, contractors, architects and building inspectors.

Location - Capri Hotel from 7:30 to 4:30

Register at www.civicinfo.bc.ca/Conference/kelownasolarbc.asp

Between a luncheon and networking session workshops will cover everything from Kelowna as a Solar Community to homeowner incentives for solar hot water installations.

Keynote speaker and reknonwned solar expert Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, will be receiving a 2009 Solar Leader Award during the event.

Gerhard Stryi-Hipp is Managing Director of the German Solar Industry Association. He is a senior expert in solar market development and also a board member of the European Solar Thermal Industry Association, chairman of the European Solar Thermal Technology Platform, and member of the European Photovoltaic Technology Platform.

Panel members will include Mayor Sheppard, BCSEA president Guy Dauncey, SolarBC's Nitya Harris, members of NRCAN, Fortis BC and the Provincial Government.

Fore more information contact: Carol Suhan (250 469 8116/carol.Shuhan@fortisbc.com) or David Mayes (250 762 4746 or david@completehomeenergy.com)

Geothermal - GeoExchange Conference and Workshop

The 3^rd Biennial International GeoExchange Conference and Trade Show May 13 – 15, 2009 is being held by GeoExchange BC in partnership with the Thermal Environmental Comfort Association (TECA). Through the collaboration of these two key organizations the conference aim is to bring you the latest news, knowledge and innovation in GeoExchange from the earth energy source to the point of use supply.

The 2009 conference will be held at the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in Kelowna. This newly developed campus, featuring a state of the art GeoExchange heating and cooling system, will host the trade show, technical sessions and delegate accommodation. Fabulous scenery, excellent recreational opportunities and an exciting conference social program will ensure the 3rd Biennial International GeoExchange Conference and Trade Show remains an unforgettable experience.

For more information contact
Rachel Bolongaro, P.Eng.
Telephone: (604) 308–4805
Email: geoexchange2009@advance-group.com

Okanagan Institute - Clean Tech Funding Workshop

CleanTech Funding Workshop

Monday, May 11, 1-5pm
Okanagan College, KLO Campus, Kelowna
This is a free event but registration is required.

Presented by the Okanagan Science and Technology Council in association with the Okanagan Institute and Okanagan College.

Invited Agencies making presentations include: CMHC, SDTC, Community Futures, NSERC, ICE Fund, NRC-IRAP, Clean Tech Venture Capital Program

The Okanagan Science and Technology Council has been working with its regional partners to develop a cluster for "Clean Tech Construction." This initiative recognizes the fact that construction has been a driving force in the Okanagan Valley and that designing and constructing green buildings is the most efficient and cost-effective means of reducing greenhouse gases and other negative environmental factors. This is based on the fact that it far easier and less expensive to conserve a kilowatt of energy than it is to generate a new one.

Nonetheless the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is not always thought of as "Clean Tech" and many practitioners are not aware of the significant funding opportunities that they could access in the Clean Tech sector. While adding alternative energy sources such as solar panels to buildings is an obvious example, improved building envelope design and even the metering and monitoring of buildings for energy efficiency would both have significant impacts.

Following a template developed for the CleanTech Innovation Workshop held in March of this year, each presenter make a 5 to 10 minute overview of their programs and then we will provide break out rooms for representatives of each program to meet with interested parties.

Format and Schedule:
1 - 2 pm - 5-10 minute presentations by each agency
2 - 4 pm - Agency Breakouts - each speaker to meet with individuals
4 - 5 pm - Panel discussion and wrap up

For more information visit or contact Angela Hapke, OSTEC Projects and Events Director:
p. 250.712.3341
e. ahapke@ostec.ca

A Sustainable Kelowna - 2030 Greening our Future

What will Kelowna be like in 2030? How can we make sure our children will still want to live here when they grow up?
How can we be more sustainable? How can we protect the environment, eliminate gridlock, and enhance the economy, all at the same time? They're important questions, and they're really best answered by you, the people who live here.
As part of the City's new public planning program called Kelowna 2030: Greening Our Future, they are looking for input from a wide range of citizens and groups.

Window PST exemption extended to 2011

t was announced in today's budget that the exemption for energy efficient windows will be extended until 2011.

This correspondence describes how the Ministry interprets the relevant tax provisions for information purposes only. This ruling and interpretation may be impacted by variations in circumstance, subsequent changes to legislation or subsequent court decisions. This ruling and interpretation is provided as an aid to understanding the legislation and is not intended to replace the legislation. The Ministry is not responsible for updating this ruling and interpretation if there are any subsequent changes to the law.

Policy and Legislation Branch (Consumption Tax Team)
Ministry of Finance
http://www.fin.gov.bc.ca/rev.htm
__________________________________________

Certification Requirements for BC House Inspectors

STTBC and BCIPI Respond to Requirement for House Inspectors to be Licensed

The BC Minister of Public Safety John van Dongen announced on Friday January 30, 2009 that effective March 31, 2009 all house inspectors MUST be licensed in BC, a first in Canada. The Regulation provides that those certified by ASTTBC will qualify for a license. CAHPI(BC) and the National Certification Program are also named. House inspectors certified with ASTTBC will be able to apply to the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority for a license. The fee will be $100 and will be valid for 3 years. “This is an historic day in BC. I congratulate the Minister for his leadership in getting this done. ASTTBC and BCIPI have been calling for licensing for years so this represents a great step forward,” said ASTTBC’s Executive Director, John Leech. “ASTTBC will prepare full information for its members in the next week or two to make sure ASTTBC-registered house inspectors are able to get licensed without delay once the processes are fully defined.” BCIPI President Noel Murphy added that licensing is a first step to a higher quality of service for all British Columbians seeking house inspection services. “On behalf of BCIPI I am pleased that the Government has acted on their promise to license inspectors. Because of the high standards established by ASTTBC in partnership with BCIPI our members are the best qualified in BC and will most certainly be sought out by consumers to offer services as a house inspector.” For full details please go to http://www.bpcpa.ca

The regulation goes a long way to ensure the public has access to qualified, registered and accountable professionals, but it is not without some challenges going forward. “There are a couple of issues that will need to be addressed as we work together with the BPCPA to ensure the most effective Regulation and professional regulation: (1) there will not be one common standard for licensing; and (2) the complaints and professional regulation framework varies between the organizations identified in the Regulation. We need to move quickly to a level playing field to ensure best practices in this field,” said John Leech. “I have assured the Minister, Ministry staff and the Director of BPCPA that ASTTBC will continue to work cooperatively toward the highest standards of professional regulation in BC. Information will be made available to all ASTTBC-registered House Inspectors as needed to meet the requirements of the Regulation. Information will also be posted to ASTTBC and BCIPI web sites: http://www.asttbc.org/docs/govpressrelease.pdf