Today I got a chance to see the inside of Fresco Green Scene, a hot new shop in Lancaster City at 104 West Chestnut Street 1st Floor, right near the corner of Chestnut & Prince in the heart of Gallery Row. This store is the product of the imagination of Rick Frescatore and his team at Fresco, a growing brand that focuses on sustainable living.

A few months ago I interviewed Rick at his first store, located on Commerce Drive in Manheim Township. Here’s the interview:

http://www.youtube.com/user/yourlancasterhome#p/f/39/9xgANb9W2Lw

While the Manheim Township store is primarily geared towards remodelers, building trades and homeowners looking for green product alternatives, the Fresco Green Scene charts new territory for Fresco by focusing on “the things you fill the shelves with” in your newly green built home, as Rick comments. The product line is a wide variety of cleansers, bath oils and soaps (some of which are available at a very cool refill bar, where you can buy the glass dispenser, fill it up and then return when you need refills). In addition Fresco Green Scene has a nice selection of crafted fashion accessories, art pieces and decor, all developed along sustainable lines.

To see the whole story check out http://www.facebook.com/frescogreenscene

They opened on “First Friday” in August and the traffic “was incredible” according to Rick. They will hold a grand opening celebration on First Friday in September, using Art Park across Prince Street to have music and more. Be sure to come out ant support this great addition to the vibrant downtown Lancaster scene!

_____________________

Thanks for watching! Please take a moment to subscribe here athttp://tv.yourlancasterhome.com and pop over to our facebook page to “like” it at http://www.facebook.com/lancasterhomes

Choose Jeff Geoghan for you next home sale or purchase in Lancaster! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

You may not know it, but if you are still in the PP&L electric generation program after deregulation, you have a good option to potentially discount your bill. It’s called the “Time Of Use” option and you can see it at the PP&L website here: http://www.pplelectric.com/time-of-use/option/

The way it works is by breaking up the day into “peak” and “off-peak” time brackets. This is obviously not a new concept but can be effective if your usage is primarily outside of peak times, which are 1-6pm this summer. How do you find out? Great Question!

PP&L also has a VERY handy “Energy Analyzer” available to users once you create a login profile on their site. You can view and download your hourly usage for any time period. I did this and created a spreadsheet to compare the two programs and found I would have saved an average of 16% over my current “flat” rate of 9.205 cents per KWH.

Switching to the “Time Of Use” rate plan was one click and an “enroll” click to do. I would suggest that if you are with PP&L it may be worth looking at your bill – you may see a way to “find” energy cost savings right at your fingertips!

Any questions – love to hear them at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com.

Thanks for watching! Please take a moment to subscribe here athttp://tv.yourlancasterhome.com and pop over to our facebook page to “like” it at http://www.facebook.com/lancasterhomes

Choose Jeff Geoghan for your next home sale or purchase in Lancaster PA! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

In November the Department of Energy (USDOE) released a long-anticipated pilot program for formal testing in ten locales across the U.S. The program is entitled “Home Energy Score” and it signals the official dawn of a new era of energy awareness in the real estate industry.

Some of you may still remember the dawn of the era of home inspections in the 1970’s, as homebuyers and real estate agents began hiring contractors to verify the condition of homes prior to purchase.  The increasing public awareness of potential home defects and the desire for liability management by the real estate industry caused the spontaneous creation of an entire class of business – the home inspector.  Today, few can imagine entering into a purchase agreement without the benefit of a home inspection.

For the past ten years, another industry has been quietly gathering steam – the home energy auditor.  With the increasing public awareness of the economic and environmental ramifications of poorly-performing buildings, these auditors are finding a friendly reception by government and educated homeowners.  The primary tools in the home energy auditor’s toolbox are the HERS (Home Energy Rating Score) evaluative software and the boots-on-the-ground diagnostic equipment to analyze the home’s relative weak points.  Here in Central PA there are already several established companies offering energy audits.

With the advent of a national home energy scoring tool, I believe this industry will come into its own.  My prediction is that we will see the inclusion of home energy audits and energy scores into the real estate transaction within five years – maybe 3.  And, just as home inspections inevitably burgeoned and become a bargaining chip for buyers, I envision the home energy score to also become a point of negotiations over price and repairs.

Change is inevitable.  Remember the fuel economy stickers on cars?  No one debates anymore (if they ever did) whether they are a good thing or not – a prospective auto buyer wouldn’t have it any other way.  With the USDOE’s full rollout of the Home Energy Score a reality coming this summer, expect to see energy labels on homes within just a few years and energy efficiency components added to the real estate purchase process.  And within a few more years homebuyers will wonder how people did without for so long…

If you are building or renovating a home to high-performance/green principles, or have already done so, I would appreciate hearing about it at jgeoghan@lancasterpagreenhomes.com.

Today I stopped in at Fresco Green Building Supplies along Manheim Pike near Lancaster, PA (right off the route 30 exit at Commerce Drive) to chat with Rick Frescatore, one of the owners of the store.

Fresco Green has been in business at the Commerce Drive location for a little over a year, and Rick & his team have been updating and tweaking their product lineup in response to demand and customer feedback. Their basic mission is to provide alternative products (and ideas) that focus on sustainability, quality & economy.

Most homebuyers and remodelers don’t have access to good information about the alternatives that are already in the marketplace that promote healthy indoor and outdoor environments. Rick’s passion is reaching both pros and owners with this message, and the store has been a great vehicle for that. Fresco hosts teaching events, demonstrations and organizational events to that end.

If you’re interested in looking at, touching and talking about your options for wall, ceiling and floor coverings, new materials and technology be sure to stop in at the store. You can learn more at http://www.frescogreen.com and email their team direct at showroom@frescogreen.com

Thanks for watching! Please take a moment to subscribe here at http://tv.yourlancasterhome.com and pop over to our facebook page to “like” it at http://www.facebook.com/lancasterhomes

Choose Jeff Geoghan for you next home sale or purchase in Lancaster! Thanks.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Keystone HELP Energy Efficiency Loans are fast, simple financing for your customers who are installing energy efficient HVAC, Insulation, Windows and other measures, with even lower rates for whole house improvements. Interest rates as low as 2.99% (0.99% in southeastern PA through EnergyWorks)

Keystone HELP Geothermal Loans offer even lower rates and special incentives for the installation of qualifying geothermal heat pump systems.

Please visit keystonehelp.com for full details

The ReStore is about 11 years old and has a wide variety of items for sale, from tile to paint to entire kitchens and outdoor landscaping materials. The store depends on a steady stream of donations so don’t be shy if you’re doing work and have items to give, or if you’re a business with extra product, either “firsts” or “seconds”. For a list of suggested items to donate to the ReStore check this web page: http://www.lancasterhabitatrestore.org/index.php?pID=3

The best part is that your donations and purchase monies all go to help provide homes and a stable family life for our fellow Lancastrians. Kate’s passion for the outreach was awesome and she would like to show us some of the work Lancaster Habitat For Humanity is doing right now in 2011 – so stay tuned for a follow-up episode!

If you would like more information please visit http://www.lancasterhabitatrestore.com or find them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lancrestore . As always you can email me with any real estate or home questions at jeff@yourlancasterhomecom.

(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Today I’m with Scott Pusey of EverydayGreen, a Pennsylvania energy efficiency expert who talks about “home energy audits” – what they are and how they can help homeowners save money, particularly during remodels and retrofits. Scott and I talk at a home in Lititz, PA that was remodeled following the recommendations from his energy audit that is expected to reduce the energy costs by over 50%, all while increasing the square footage by 700.

Home energy audits in Lancaster & elsewhere in central PA follow the guidelines set by BPI (Buildiing Performance Institute) if the auditor is certified through that group, that Scott recommends. The audit consists of 3 phases:

1) Analysis of utility billing and usage to spot trends
2) 4-hour onsite inspection and measurements
3) Written report with specific recommendations and outcomes

Scott details each of these steps and gives helpful tips on what to look for with a home energy audit. You can reach out to Scott at scott@everydaygreendc.com with specific audit questions, or myself at jeff@yourlancasterhome.com for any real estate question.

Visit our homepage for Lancaster PA Real Estate
(c) 2011 Jeff Geoghan

Fall’s here… and there’s one part of the house that’s often overlooked when people are getting their homes ready for the cold of winter: the attic. Proper insulation upstairs will help keep the cold out and the heat in during those blustery winter nights. Heat rises of course, so having proper insulation in the attic of your home can save your furnace a lot of work, and you a lot of money, during the winter months. Also, particularly in older homes, this measure will help keep upstairs bedrooms cooler or warmer at night, depending on the season.

It’s true that a lot of recently built or remodeled houses already have insulated attics, but living in one of these homes doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. The insulation that was sprayed into your attic could be a variety of different materials, some of which work better than others, and over time, the insulation in your attic can settle and begin to lose its insulating properties.

Also, many newer materials provide a great deal of flame resistance, which is something many of the older insulating materials did not do. It never hurts to have someone come and evaluate your homes’ insulation. This upgrade could save you a lot of money on your energy bill, plus make your house more resistant to fires. In the long run, it’s greener, cheaper, and safer to have the insulation in your attic done or redone sooner rather than later.

1) I’ve started a new blog focusing on Lancaster PA green home projects – remodels and new homes in the county where the owners are pursuing a high-performance and/or green methodology. I get asked often about this topic and thought it would be great to help promote the leaders in the area who are out there contributing to residential projects. My first article series is on a Lititz PA LEED gut-rehab currently underway by Scott & Kati Pusey. Scott is a certified home energy auditor with EverydayGreen, and I sold them a foursquare in Lititz this past summer that they are redoing this fall.  They expect to be done by the holidays and my blog will chronicle their progress and the process they follow to do the home to LEED green building standards.  You can follow that project here: http://www.lancasterpagreenhomes.com/tag/lititz-pa-leed-gut-rehab/.  I’ll be following other projects and posting relevant articles & links that will be helpful to Pennsylvanians looking for inspiration in their home building or remodel projects.  The website is www.LancasterPAgreenhomes.com

2) Lancaster has a new sustainable lifestyle publication – Lancaster NetZero! It’s a magazine in both Ereader and print format published by Dave Hessan, a local entrepreneur formerly with Worley & Obetz’s biofuels group.  Dave has put together a great concept; bring folks pursuing sustainability of all stripes together as an inspiration to others and to educate on the various projects, concepts and initiatives taking place in Lancaster County.  The first issue came out this past Monday!   Dave approached me a while back to serve as a columnist looking at the green homes movement, and you can read my first column on page 1.  There are great articles on all sorts of events and people in the county.  I encourage you to check it out and also go to their Lancaster Netzero Facebook page to show your support.  The website for the magazine is www.Lancnetzero.com

Look forward to lots of new content on Lancaster County happenings in the sustainable and green homes movement, and if you have a home or project you want me to write about or share please contact me!  I would love to hear about it.

Geothermal heat pumps in Lancaster County, PA and elsewhere use the constant temperature of the earth as an exchange medium for heat. Although many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes—from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter—the ground a few feet below the earth’s surface remains at a relatively constant temperature.

Depending on the latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). So, like a cave’s, the ground’s temperature is warmer than the air above it during winter and cooler than the air above it in summer. Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of this by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger.

Geothermal heat pumps are able to heat, cool, and, if so equipped, supply homes and buildings with hot water. A geothermal heat pump system consists of a heat pump, an air delivery system (ductwork), and a heat exchanger—a system of pipes buried in shallow ground. In the winter, the heat pump removes heat from the heat exchanger and pumps it into the indoor air delivery system. In the summer, the process is reversed, and the heat pump moves heat from the indoor air into the heat exchanger. The heat removed from the indoor air during the summer can also be used to provide a free source of hot water.

There are four types of geothermal heat pump systems. Three of these—horizontal, vertical, and pond/lake—are closed-loop systems. The fourth type is open-loop. Which is best depends on the climate, soil conditions, available land, and local installation costs at a particular site. All of these approaches can be used for residential and commercial building applications.

Closed-Loop Systems

Horizontal

This type of Lancaster PA geothermal heat pump is generally most cost-effective for residential installations, particularly for new construction where sufficient land is available. It requires trenches at least 4 feet deep. The most common layouts use two pipes, one buried at 6 feet and the other at 4 feet, or two pipes placed side-by-side at 5 feet in the ground in a 2-foot-wide trench. The Slinky^™ method of looping pipe allows more pipe in a shorter trench, which cuts installation costs and makes horizontal installation possible in areas that would not be viable for conventional horizontal applications.

Vertical

Large commercial buildings and schools often use vertical systems because the land area required for horizontal loops is prohibitive. Vertical loops are also used where the soil is too shallow for trenching, and they minimize the disturbance to existing landscaping. For a vertical system, holes (approximately 4 inches in diameter) are drilled about 20 feet apart and 100–400 feet deep. Into these holes go two pipes that are connected at the bottom with a U-bend to form a loop. The vertical loops are connected with horizontal pipe (i.e., manifold), placed in trenches, and connected to the heat pump in the building.

Ponds or Lakes

If a site has an adequate body of water, a water-source heat pump may be the lowest-cost option. A supply line pipe is run underground from the building to the water and coiled into circles at least 8 feet under the surface to prevent freezing. The coils should be placed only in a water source that meets minimum volume, depth, and quality criteria.

Open-Loop System

This type of system uses well or surface body water as the heat exchange fluid that circulates directly through the heat pump system. Once it has circulated through the system, the water returns to the ground through the well, a recharge well, or surface discharge. This option is practical only where there is an adequate supply of relatively clean water and all local codes and regulations regarding groundwater discharge are met.

More Information

Learn more at the US DOE website about selecting and installing a geothermal heat pump system for your home or building.