@Kareem Ghuneim, As far as energy usage, that's all going to be on the package depending on what fixture/bulb you get and the life of the lighting. 

How can I buy my first rental with no money down, no particular skills for the industry (other than listening to BP podcast and reading a few books), by have a lot of hustle and energy?

However I don't say this is career ending in anyways, theres ways out of bad deals if you are smart and have the energy to deal with it. 

At one sale, somebody, not to say the person losing the property, burned the property to the ground. 

Don't for get to research the CA Energy Code. most  garages are not built with the required levels of insulation or other energy code requirements.

Income that doesn't burn principal.  

I've done both, I use other G.C's and I have also used my own crews to do work on my flips, it take to much of energy and time to manage my crews while buying/selling properties at the same time and I have been in the game for 30 years.

I would be very interested to hear from long time investors who have weathered the storms either crashing-and-burning and coming out stronger or simply getting through the cycle bruised but not battered.Having searched for a topic and thread like this one, I don't think there is one quite exploring this aspect of real estate investing where we lay bare all our failures but it would be incredibly instructive to us newbies to learn from those who have gone before and come out the other side weary and with scars to show from the battle.Hope you will find int in yourself to share so those of us who are new can learn.

If you pay cash and get burned you lost all your capital and only 20% if doing a loan.

Energy Tax Incentives: There are many tax incentives available to developers, builders and owners with the two most common incentives being 179D and 45L.