Similar concessions on loan applicants' incomes would be extended for properties located in areas close to employment centers or near mass transit lines. No concessions would be made on dwellings located in far-flung subdivisions that eat into family incomes through long commutes and add to carbon emissions.

-- Real estate appraisers would be required to take energy improvements and the money they save into account as they value houses. As a hypothetical example, if you spent $30,000 on a series of major upgrades, an appraiser would need to consider the annual cost savings in energy produced and the impact -- if any -- on market value. States would require licensed appraisers to undergo additional professional training to equip them for their new energy-efficiency valuation responsibilities.

-- Federal financial regulators would be directed to support the establishment of privately run "green banking centers" inside banks and credit unions across the country. The centers, which presumably could be anything from unmanned kiosks to staffed offices, would help consumers understand how best to obtain financing for energy-conserving home improvements, second and primary mortgages, and energy audits and ratings. HUD would also be authorized to conduct "renewable energy home product expos" to educate the public about the latest technologies and financing concepts.

-- State governments would be required to ensure that homeowners whose energy technologies allowed them to get "off the grid" -- no longer fully dependent on utility companies to provide them power -- are not denied property hazard coverage by insurance companies.

With all this emphasis on home energy efficiency and reduction of real estate-related emissions, is there any evidence that buyers will take part? Will they use energy-efficient mortgages or even pay more for houses that are highly efficient, loaded with the latest energy-saving technologies? The jury is out since a lot of this is prospective, and hasn't yet been signed into law.

But a Seattle-based real estate firm, G2B Ventures, which is raising $50 million for a Efficient Real Estate Fund to buy up and rehab houses, says green-certified, high-energy conserving homes in its area sold for 7.5 percent more per square foot and 24 percent faster between 2007 and 2008.

So maybe there's going to be some extra green in green -- better financing, higher property values, and faster selling times -- more money in your wallet.