Tim Cahill MBA, EcoBroker

CNN's Money magazine will have its annual rankings in the August 2009 issue. Acton, MA makes number 16! Read more here:

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/snapshots/CS2500380.html

I wanted to pass this information along to my fellow Arlington, MA and surrounding area residents. I've copied it from the Town of Arlington's email notice I got this morning:

Two Recycling Collections in Lexington This Saturday, July 18:

Free e-Waste Collection, 9AM-3PM, Lexington High School

The Town of Lexington, in conjunction with Metech, is sponsoring a free household electronics recycling event on Saturday, July 18, between 9AM and 3PM at Lexington High School. The event is open to the general public, including Arlington residents, and no appointments are needed. All electronic items are accepted except major appliances, dehumidifiers, and air conditioners. Please note, contrary to our last message, microwaves are accepted. Metech is also offering electronics collections for non-profits until the end of August. For a complete list of acceptable items and more information please visit arlingtonma.gov/recycle.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection, 9AM-2PM, Minuteman Facility

The next collection is Saturday, July 18th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Minuteman Hazardous Waste Facility located at 60 Hartwell Avenue in Lexington. Proof of residency will be required to drop off any household hazardous waste. A list of what is considered household hazardous waste and future 2009 collection dates can be found online at arlingtonma.gov/recycle.

Remember - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

--Tim

I'm slightly off-focus in this entry, wanting to talk about purchasing green power as opposed to the more activity-oriented approaches upon which I've been writing. And since I just signed up for this myself today, I can attest to the ease with which you can make the switch yourself to clean energy.

Let's look at some of the reasons people don't go with clean energy already:

• Sometimes homeowners are unwilling to make the technological leap and be one of the first to try out a "new" technology (even though solar has been available for decades).
  
• For others, it's still too cost-prohibitive to have the necessary audits and evaluations done, or they just think it's too complicated to install an active or passive solar system or a geothermal pump (well, I'll give them the pump thing...).
• And let's not forget renters - I have yet to hear of a landlord allowing a renter to install solar panels on the roof and have the hot water heater converted to an on-demand heater connected directly to the panels!

Now let's see what people find so attractive about clean energy:

• Reduction in air pollution
• A chance to reduce your carbon footprint
• No radioactive waste is produced, nor is the earth mined or drilled
  
• You are contributing to environmental awareness and doing your part to help the planet

To allow consumers the opportunity to purchase green power, the EPA has partnered with utility companies across the nation as part of the Green Power Partnership. Depending on your utility company, the alternative forms of enery will vary, from solar to wind to water and biomass (methane gas recapture).

How it works is pretty simple, with a small cost attached. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Green Power Locator on the US EPA web site, click on your state and find your local utility company.
2. Call and tell your utility company you want to enroll in the clean energy program and tell them the percentage of green electricity you'd like to purchase - it can range from 25% - 100%.
3. Depending on the percentage of green power you elect, your per kWh will be increased. For example, with NSTAR in Massachusetts, if you elect 50% to be clean energy, you would pay an additional 0.837 cents per kWh. If you choose to have 100% clean energy, your rate would increase by 1.396 cents per kWh.
4. The alternative energy is then purchased directly by the utility company via the regional grid (in NSTAR's case, they purchase wind power from the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in upstate New York, which connects to the New England grid).

Why does it cost more? Because, at present, it still costs more per kWh for clean energy providers to produce the power. However, as the technology improves, more competitors enter the market, and more people demand cleaner energy alternatives, the prices will eventually come down.

So if you can't invest in alternative power sources right now, why not consider purchasing at least a portion of your electricty from cleaner sources? You'll feel SO good knowing you're doing something to help the planet!

Until next time, Peace!

-TMC

For some reason, I’ve been attracting a lot of buyers interested in finding a rehab property lately. Perhaps it’s because there are so many foreclosures on the market now, it’s the prevalent type of property to grab at a good price. I’m surprised, though, at the number of people who aren’t familiar with the 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage program, available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Here are just a few details on the program:

• 203(k) mortgages can be used for both single family purchases as well as condos. However, there are certain restrictions regarding the condo loans, including the requirement that it be owner-occupied or be a non-profit owner.
• The loans are available for buildings with up to 4 units.
• Mixed-use buildings are eligible, but the mortgage can only be used for rehab to the residential portion of the building.
• Can an investor get a 203(k) Mortgage? No.
• Can a first-time homebuyer get a 203(k) Mortgage? Absolutely!
• Can a 203(k) Mortgage be used to convert a single family or two-family into two or more units? Yes – but it can not exceed the maximum of 4 units.
• Is there a minimum loan amount? Yes – $5,000 is the minimum loan amount you can get.
• What is the time frame for construction requirements? Work must begin within 30 days of the signing of the Agreement and must not continue more than 6 months beyond the first date of construction.
  

These are just some of the highlights of the 203(k) Mortgage Rehab program. For more information, visit the HUD’s web site and their detailed Q & A section on the program. As always, my web site at CyberGreenRealty.com has more information on energy efficient improvements and other programs that may help qualify you for a higher mortgage.

Until next time, Peace!

-TMC

A passive solar home means there are no moving parts or equipment that need to be maintained. Being "passive" means just that - it's all about how your house "lays" there and absorbs or reflects heat.

Heat naturally moves from a warmer material to a cooler material until there is no temperature difference between the two materials. Passive solar homes take advantage of this property to distribute heat in the winter and to deflect heat away from surfaces in the summertime.

Direct heat gain is the simplest passive type of solar system, as it relies only on sun entering through a collector of some sort (such as a large south-facing window with a glazing material of transparent or translucent glass), and being absorbed by a darker material, such as a masonry floor. The floor acts as the "thermal mass" and absorbs the heat during the day. At night, as the floor cools, the heat is radiated back into the room as heat.

Some people use water-filled containers to absorb the heat, as water stores twice as much heat as masonry material. However, these types of systems need to be carefully designed and placed, as the structural support required is high.

In the summertime, if the home has been designed and oriented properly, with appropriate roof overhangs, awnings, or shutters, the sun does not enter through the windows and no heat is absorbed. Think of how the sun is aligned in the winter and summer and this will make sense. In the winter, the sun hits us from a much sharper southern angle. That allows more of the sun into our windows in the winter. In the summer, the sun is higher in the sky and shines down more directly. The sun can therefore be blocked with larger roof overhangs, window awnings, shutters, and even trellises with blooming vines.

An indirect heat gain system is more complex, as it involves installing the thermal storage medium (the thermal mass) in between the south-facing windows and the living areas. In this type of setup, a Trombe wall is installed which consists of an 8-16 inch-thick masonary wall on the south side of the house. A single or double layer of glass is mounted about 1 inch or less in front of the wall's surface. Solar heat is then absorbed by the wall's dark-colored surface and stored in the wall's thermal mass, where it begins to radiate into the house. Because the transfer of heat takes a lot longer, the heat doesn't begin to radiate into the living spaces until the sun has set. It typically will take about 8 hours for the heat to radiate into the home, so this system is very affective in winter-time heating. And as with the direct heat gain method, proper use of roof overhangs, shutters, and trellises will eliminate the summer-time heat gain.

For more information on designing a passive solar heat system for your home, see the Energy Savers web site, part of the U.S. Department of Energy's web site.

If you live in the Massachusetts area, be sure to check my web site at CyberGreenRealty.com for local solar vendors and others who can help you get as "active" or "passive" as you want!

Until next time. Peace!

-TMC