Feng Shui your House?

For some the ancient art of Feng Shui is a living breathing practice affecting their daily lives; for others just superstition.  This article by Carla Hill gives a good oversight of the idea.  Here is the link to the article

Christmas Tree Collection in Radnor up till the 13th Jan 2012

This is from the Radnor Web page

Christmas Tree Collection back

Date of Record: December 28, 2011

The Public Works Highway Department will be collecting Christmas Trees until January 13, 2012. Trees must be placed at your curb for pickup.

Trees must be free of ornaments and trimmings as well as tree stands prior to pickup by the Township.

Delaware Municipality moves away from the use of Fossil Fuels

Another Municipality moves away from the use of fossil fuels in their Waste Water Treatment facility Here is the link to the Article

New Lithium Air batteries could extend the range, and lighten Electric vehicles

I just read this article on a new type of battery being developed to lighten the electric vehicle and also extend the range of electric vehicles by using a different type of lithium battery - to read more click here

1617 Earlington Road offers $8000 to a buyer for closing costs

The Estate of Doris Fischbein is offering $8000 to the successful buyer of 1617 Earlington Road.  There needs to be a fully executed agreement before January 31, 2012.  All the floors have been refinished or have new carpet.  The house has been painted, the HVAC is newer and almost all the windows have been replaced.  This will help the qualified buyer negotiate the mortgage for what a loan is costing for this home.

New Jersey Corporate HQ goes Solar

Wine Company Goes Green with Solar Energy  Click this link to read the story

Increase in Solar Power PV forcasted

Is the Use of Solar Power Growing?  This is excerpted from Solar Thermal Magazine



New IDC Energy Insights Forecast Shows Worldwide Solar Photovoltaic Module Shipments Rising from 22.7 GW in 2011 to 43.8 GW in 2015 Global solar photovoltaic (PV) module shipments are forecast to grow from an estimated 22.7 GW in 2011 to 43.8 GW in 2015 according to IDC Energy Insights’ Worldwide Quarterly Photovoltaic Module Tracker. At [...]

READ MORE

Housing an Issue for the 2012 Election

HouseLogic, the consumer website for the National Association of Realtors has released the results from their latest survey. They found that when it comes to the upcoming 2012 election, jobs and housing are at the forefront of voters' minds.


Full Story: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20111213_election.htm

Energy Saving and Green not always do you need to act right away

Good article - Many of the ideas make good sense - eating further down the food chain, reusing when you can, allowing for less frequent upgrades to wardrobes(fight the fashion industry), upgrading durable goods when they need to be with more energy efficient models.

Excerpt from the article is here
Simple Energy Saving = Money Saving. Don’t think you have to invest expensive home improvements that promise to pay for themselves in energy savings. Always do the math yourself. You will find that many costly energy-saving measures — IE: replacing windows in your home with more-energy-efficient models — often don’t make economic sense unless you’re going to stay in your home for many, many years. In general, it’s smart to upgrade to energy-efficient appliances and other energy saving items only when the time comes to replace a worn-out older model. Most homeowners will save more money and more energy by undertaking simple, inexpensive, do-it-yourself projects first, such as installing low flow toilets conversion, filling gaps around the house that let heat/cooling escape, adding extra insulation in the attic, installing programmable thermostats, and turning down your hot water heater, weather striping and sealing doors and windows, etc… According to the Energy Department, the typical older home has enough easily repairable energy-sucking gaps around windows, doors, etc., to be the equivalent of leaving the front door open all year long! Think about that, and then head out to the garage and get your tool belt and your caulking gun!.

Reaonable fees for yoth sports could be indanger in Radnor

The following is a letter from the president of the sports association to the public and the leaders of both the Radnor Township and the Radnor School Board


The Radnor Youth Sports Groups have been following the developments with respect to the renegotiation of a new grounds maintenance agreement between Radnor Township and Radnor Township School District. We believe that such an agreement is good for our community. However, we understand that the Request for Proposals solicited by the School District has produced some low cost bids which might be a significant cost advantage for the School District’s direct costs associated with grounds maintenance.







We also understand that the current Radnor Township budget reviews are in process and that all costs and revenues associated with a new grounds maintenance agreement have been removed. Also, the Township preliminary budget includes new permit fees for community groups of township residents which are substantial costs to those organizations, and presumably such permit fees do not include any potential School District fees. Consequently, as significant community users of public facilities, Township and School, the leaders of our group have been discussing alternatives to the current grounds maintenance agreement that is scheduled to terminate at the end of next month. There is great concern that the Township and School District are considering adding substantial costs to the community youth organizations despite the input from the leaders of the affected organizations. The use of public facilities should be open to the public without a fee, including non-profit community youth sports programs which are open to all residents and are heavily supported by community volunteers. Fees have never been levied against community youth programs, except for 2010 when the severe economic times led to adding such fees. We have stated that a modest permit fee would be reasonable, something like other townships in the area charge to community youth sports organizations in the range of $100 to $150 per field per season.






The Radnor Athletic Association would like to propose a REPLACEMENT of the current GROUNDS MAINTENANCE agreement with a new PUBLIC USE agreement that does not involve any grounds maintenance services from the Township. Our objective is to establish an agreement with the Township and the School District that preserves and protects public access and public uses of school property, as well as providing for usage of Township property for school events.






This new agreement is intended to benefit the community sports groups, the School District students, the neighbors of the various fields, parks and open space, the Township Recreation programs and all Radnor residents who enjoy recreational facilities and open space.






We recommend the following components in this proposal:






1. Township would provide facilities for school events, if appropriate Township facilities are available, when such facilities are needed for school events and are not otherwise booked for community events. This is nothing new and already exists.






2. Examples under #1 would include use of Township athletic fields when school needs cannot be met on school property, use of Township Building meeting rooms for School Board Meetings or similar public meetings or events, Township police for major events (e.g., July 4th fireworks traffic control).






3. School District would provide public access and public use of recreational facilities located on school property when not in use for school functions. This would be simply a continuation of existing access.






4. Examples under #3 would include tennis courts at Ithan ES, Radnor MS, Radnor HS; running track at Radnor HS; walking paths at Radnor MS, Radnor ES, Ithan ES; outdoor basketball courts at Radnor MS, Radnor HS, Wayne ES; non-scheduled use of athletic fields etc.






5. School District would provide use of school athletic facilities and indoor facilities, including gymnasiums, when such facilities are not needed for school events, for qualified non-profit community groups/programs and township sponsored recreation programs. This is essentially the same as what has been in place for many years.






6. There would be no costs or charges for usage between the Township and the School District, except for certain agreed upon costs that are recovered from user groups. This would be a new arrangement and the details would need to be worked out.






7. Examples under #6 would include the electricity costs for the usage of lights on athletic fields or similar actual added costs that are not normally incurred by the school district for regular school operations, maintenance and repairs.






8. Hours of public use, process for reserving facilities, insurance where needed, etc. would be similar to the current process.






9. Public use and non-profit community users that serve all Radnor residents would have priority over any private or for profit organizations that want to use or rent Township or School District recreational facilities.






9. Scheduling, notices to user groups, costs, fees and other details would be an operational process performed annually or by season. This would be coordinated by one or more administrative people at the School District, Township and representatives of the Radnor Athletic Association, and its member Community Sports Groups, in a similar manner as is coordinated currently. We expect that improvements to coordination could be included as needed to meet the needs and requirements of the user groups, the School District, the Township and the public. We envision a set of written procedures that can be used as guidelines and can be revised as needed, based on experience.






We anticipate that this agreement would not have a significant cost impact on the School district or the Township. It should be structured as a working agreement and allow for input from user groups, particularly the community sports groups. This idea is offered as a beneficial agreement for the community and the public served by Radnor Township and Radnor School District.






We understand that there could be some issues that might need to be aired and addressed for this proposal to be accepted. We would have representatives from the Radnor Athletic Association, and its member Community Sports Groups, meet with officials or administrators to discuss this proposal.






We look forward to the Township’s and School District’s response to this proposal and any suggestions about how to move forward expeditiously.






Bob Miccolis, President


Radnor Athletic Association

FHA Loan limits restored!!!

This news comes from a press release by the National  Association of Realtors
Last night Congress restored the loan limits for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for two years.


As you know, in late September the FHA, Fannie Mae; and Freddie Mac loan limits were reduced in 42 states pricing potential home buyers out of the American Dream of home ownership and holding back the housing recovery.

NAR immediately went to work with the goal to get the loan limits restored in Congress. For weeks that goal seemed unlikely.


The reinstated FHA loan limit formula and cap change will help make mortgages more affordable and accessible for hard-working, middle-class families in 669 counties in 42 states and territories, where the average loan limit reduction after the reset last month was more than $68,000. The provision reinstates the FHA loan limits through 2013 at 125 percent of local area median home prices, up to a maximum of $729,750 in the highest cost markets, the floor will remain at $271,050. However, Congress chose not to apply the loan limits restoration to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie-and-Freddie-backed mortgages will remain at 115 percent of local area median home prices up to $625,500

New Market watch Feature Sales in your town by Month October now Available

Main line home sales now available to see.  Let me know if you are interested in receiving one for your town call 610-909-3432 of send me an e-mail using tom@tomlowy.com  

Here is what they look like ran this one for Wayne Pa 19087  This is available for multiple states as well I am told.

Positive news on the Housing Front

Even though real estate is local and the local real estate market here in South East PA has not had the difficulties experienced by other parts of the country this article from the CRS update news passes along some positive news about housing statistics.......Home Prices Continue to Rebound


U.S. home prices edged higher for the fourth consecutive month, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Both the 10-City and 20-City Composites rose 0.9 percent in July over June, and 17 of the 20 markets surveyed also posted monthly increases. Only Phoenix and Las Vegas posted home price declines for the month, while Denver remained unchanged.

 On an annual basis, the 10-City and 20-Cty Composites recorded home price declines of 3.7 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively in July 2011 over the same month a year earlier. Eighteen of the markets surveyed also posted declines, with Minneapolis experiencing the biggest annual decline of 9.1 percent. Only Detroit and Washington, D.C., posted home price increases of 1.2 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. Tue, Sep 27, 2011

Leaf collection in Radnor begins in November

One of the really nice things about living in Radnor township is fall leaf collection.  Unlike our neighbors in Tredyffrin, Easttown, LM or Newtown, we in Radnor township are lucky enough not to have to bag our leaves and/or pay private trash contractors to come and pick them up.  Curbside leaf collection is another wonderful benefit of being a Radnor resident.  Here is a link to the page on the Radnor Township website for you to look up A-what district your street is in and B When is your district's scheduled pick-up

More Environmental Jobs coming to PA

According to Solar Thermal Magazine today there was an award of a 5 million dollar Pennsylvania grant for Becon Power corporation to build an energy storagfe facility in Hazle Township PA

Another Loyal Client

Testimonial for Tom Lowy 8-19-2011


Tom Lowy is the type of realtor who handles his clients with a high degree of professionalism and at the same time incorporates a personal touch to give you that “peace of mind”. Thank you Tom, for taking care of my real estate needs when I needed a true professional who understands the market. Please know that you will be recommended as the “PREFERRED” realtor to all of my family and friends looking to purchase or rent a home.



Edith Walters.

Housing foreclosure rates decline

This article is excerpted from the CRS Weekely on-line news letter:
Foreclosure Activity Continues to Decline


Foreclosure filings, including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, were reported on 212,764 U.S. properties in July, a 4 percent decline from June and 35 percent from a year ago, according to the latest data from RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosures. One in every 611 U.S. homes had a foreclosure filing during July, marking the 10th straight month of annual decreases in foreclosure activity and the lowest monthly total since November 2007.

“This string of decreases was initially triggered by the robo-signing controversy back in October 2010, which forced lenders to substantially slow the pace of foreclosing, but the downward trend in foreclosure activity has now taken on a life of its own,” says James J. Saccacio, RealtyTrac’s CEO. “It appears that the foreclosure processing delays, combined with the smorgasbord of national and state-level foreclosure preventions efforts — including loan modifications, lender-borrower mediations and mortgage payment assistance for the unemployed — may be allowing more distressed homeowners to stave off foreclosure,” he says.

Default notices fell 7 percent during the month from June and decreased 39 percent from July 2010. Foreclosure auctions fell 5 percent from June and declined 37 percent from a year ago. While bank-owned properties slipped 1 percent from the previous month, they were 27 percent below July 2010.
For the 55th straight month, Nevada posted the nation’s highest foreclosure rate, with one in every 115 homes receiving a foreclosure filing during the month. California had the nation’s second highest foreclosure rate, with one in every 239 homes receiving a foreclosure filing, followed by Arizona, with one in every 273 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing. Thu, Aug 11, 2011

5 Indoor plants which help air Quality in your Office

This is excerpted from the Ecofriend Web site:

Indoor plants are generally grown for decorative purposes and for refining the air too. According to a research carried out by NASA, some plants serve as better air purifiers than others. Here is a list of some commonly grown indoor plants which serve as natural air purifiers:

1. English Ivy

Botanical Name- Hedera helix

English Ivy is an evergreen plant and has a long life span. It is a trailer and can be grown on the sides of wall and fences. The plant needs indirect sunlight and average to cold temperature for its growth. It prefers cool soil, sufficient moisture and good drainage. Use balanced fertilizers for the soil and guard the plant against mites. The plant proves to be dangerous and can cause skin irritation. So, it is advisable to wear gloves while handling the plant. Also, make sure that the plant is kept away from pets. The plant can be propagated by stem cutting.

English Ivy removes some common pollutants, like benzene, toluene and formaldehyde.

 

2. Spider Plant

Botanical Name- Chlorophytum chlorosum

It is a preferred and suitable house plant. The plant produces long stems as it grows. The leaves along with the flowers give the impression of spiders hanging from the strings. The plant is easy to grow and can tolerate extreme conditions of temperature and moisture. But, sufficient bright light is the prime requirement for the plant. The plantlets can be easily propagated and look beautiful when grown in hanging baskets along with other plants. Do not expose the plant to cold draft.

Pollutants removed by Spider plant - Formaldehyde

 

3. Peace Lily

Botanical Name- Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’

This is a popular house plant and can grow in little sunlight. Watering can be done just once in a week. Over-watering can cause browning of leaf tips. Peace Lily can be easily propagated and it blooms in early summer. The plant should be fed monthly with liquid fertilizers in summers and spring season. One plant should be grown in an area of 10 meters square and fertilization should be done only in summer and spring season.

Pollutants removed by the plant - Benzene, formaldehyde and others.

 

4. Chinese Evergreen

Botanical Name- Aglaonema sp.

This is an ornamental and a long-lasting plant. The plant is easy to grow and requires indirect sunlight and high humidity. Keep the plant in warm condition and in heavy and moist soil. The plant should be guarded against low temperatures as it cannot tolerate cold. If the leaves start turning yellow, it might mean that too much sunlight is falling on it. Immediately remove the yellow leaves and transfer the plant to low light area. Aglaonema can be easily propagated. Make sure that you clean off the leaves regularly.

It is a useful plant and removes benzene, toluene and ammonia from the air.

 

5. Reed Palm

Botanical Name- Chamaedorea sefritzii

Another name of this plant is Bamboo Palm. It is a long-lasting, small or medium sized plant and can grow to a height of six meters. The plant can flourish best in medium light and high humidity. The palm should be planted in a pot which has a hole so that the soil is uniformly moist and continuous drainage takes place. Rain water is best for watering this plant. Palms are easily infected by mites and bugs indoor. The plant should be fertilized regularly during its growing season.
Reed plant purifies the indoor air against trichloroethane, benzene and toluene.

Latest newsletter from Ecofriend is out.

Here is a link to the current Ecofriend website where you can sign up to receive their weekly newsletter.

10 eco friendly gadgets that produce water from air

This was reposed fro the Blog Ecofriend

10 eco friendly gadgets that produce water from air

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:52 PM PDT

Balakrishnan Ramachandran:



atmospheric condensationwater vapor in air condenses when it cools below dew point

Water availability has already become a major concern area for humankind. Some UN studies already estimate that some 1 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate drinking water. Water borne diseases already account for over 50% of preventable human ailments in the poorer regions of the world.Even in the more advanced regions of the world, municipal water supply is no longer considered safe enough to drink. This has spawned a $ 50 billion packaged drinking water industry.

The atmospheric air always has water vapor present in it. This is part of the Hydrologic cycle, where water evaporates from the seas and other water bodies, the vapor is carried by air into the upper atmosphere where it forms clouds which then condense into water as rain or snow. The total water vapor in the atmosphere is so large that it can meet all of human water needs.

Scientists and engineers are attempting to find means to extract water from the air without waiting for the natural rain cycle. The two basic processes to extract water from air are cooling condensation and wet desiccation. Cooling condensation is the familiar sight we see of water droplets forming on the outside of a bottle or glass of any cold liquid. The air in the atmosphere is cooled below its dew point by contact with the bottle or glass,causing the water vapor in the air to condense. Desiccant cooling is illustrated by the fact of common salt in a salt shaker becoming damp by absorbing water vapor from the air.Many commercial air-to-water devices have now become available. Some alternative approaches are also being attempted. An air-to-water industry appears to be developing

Condensation cooling

1. Using natural stone structures for condensation

Examples of condensation cooling exist even from early human civilization. In some parts of Europe and the Middle East, there are 10 meter tall beehive-like stone structures dating from the 19th century, called air walls. The stones cool rapidly in the night. When moist air comes in contact with these stones, the condensation yields water that is collected in troughs inside the structure and used for drinking and washing.In France, these structures were also used in some vineyards.

2. Using water nets for condensation

This is the modern adaptation of the ancient stone walls for water harvesting. At a village named Cabajane in sub-Saharan Africa, a team from the South African Agricultural University helped the villagers string up plastic nets across a mountain pass. The clouds and fog through the pass, condensed water on the nets, which ran down through plastic pipes to be collected in a tank. Several hundred liters of potable water became available to the village from this simple device , where they earlier had to walk over 2 km to the nearest stream. This experiment is now being replicated in other villages in sub-Saharan Africa and also in Chile and in some places in Nepal.

3. Foldable structure for water harvesting

Two Israeli architects, Joseph Cory and Eyak Malka have designed this foldable triangular structure, named WatAir, that is said to imitate the leaves of a tree to condense atmospheric water vapor and collect it into a tank. The structure folds into a a package of 1 meter maximum dimension and 3.5 kg weight, that the designers claim can be erected anywhere, to harvest atmospheric water.

4. Max Whisson’s Gust Water Trap

Dr Max Whisson of Perth, Australia has come up with a wind turbine design that produces water by condensation, instead of electricity. The wind turbine has vertical blades and is mounted on a swivel with a wind vane tail, so that it can turn to face the direction of the wind. When the turbine turns, the wind gets forced into the hollow tower. The air passes over a refrigerant compressor driven by the wind turbine and condenses into water, that flows into tanks at the base of the tower. A company named Water UN Limited has been formed to commercially apply this technology.

5. Windmill to make water from air

The company Dutch Rainmakers of Netherlands has installed a windmill Surinam to produce water instead of electricity. In their design, the air is forced through a heat pump, where the water vapor condenses. This heat pump replaces the refrigerant compressor. The wind mill is said to produce 5000-7000 liters a day, a real boon in a place where the groundwater is brackish.

6. Refrigerant based condensation

The modern condensation cooling devices, generally use a refrigeration coil to provide the cooling. Many manufacturers worldwide have come up with condensation cooling machines that work on the following principle.Inlet air is filtered to remove dust and suspended particles using fabric filters. This air is passed over coils containing cold refrigerant gases. The condensate water is collected in a stainless steel tank and exposed to ultraviolet light for about 30 minutes to remove bacteria and then filtered through an active carbon filter. The typical cost for a model that produces 20-25 liters a day is about $ 1500 and these machines consume about 500 watts of electricity. These condensation machines are styled like the conventional water coolers installed in offices and public places, and are intended to be used in such locations.

One of the largest companies in this field appears to be Air Water Corporation of Miami Beach, Florida which makes a range of machines from the 25 liter per day single office type capacity to larger 2500 liter per day trailer mounted machines complete with their own diesel power generator that can be installed at a construction site or even in a village as they have done in Jalmudi in India. Air Water Corporation says that its products are sold in 21 countries through local affiliates.

Another company that has targeted the home user with this technology is Element Four Technologies Inc.,of British Columbia, Canada which has launched an attractively packaged product they have named the WaterMill. The home model is dsigned to produce 11 liters of water per day enough to meet the drinking needs of a small family. The air intake and condensation is planned to be mounted outside the home and the potable water tank inside the home ( like a split air-conditioning unit). An upgraded model for 20 liters per day in planned. However, there are many companies with product variants for this market.

7. DRIPS for growing crops with water from air

Two high school students from San Francisco, with mentoring by professors from the University of California, Berkeley, have proposed this system for water harvesting from air. DRIPS stands for Deep Root Irrigation Precipitation System and is made of a 1 foot diameter, or larger, plastic or aluminum conical surface mounted on a hollow tube that is buried 1.5 feet into the ground. The plastic or aluminum surface cools in the night and in contact with air, causes water droplets to condense. This water, by capillary action aided by small ribs on the cone, drains into the ground. The depth of 1.5 feet prevents this water from evaporating back into the atmosphere and helps nourish the roots of plants. This method of water harvesting has been demonstrated to grow potatoes.

8. Fraunhofer Institute’s brine tower

The Fraunhofer Institute of Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (ICB) in collaboration with the company Logos Innovationen is working on this concept of a tall tower like structure down which hygroscopic brine solution runs down. This brine in contact with air absorbs moisture and runs into a tank at the base of the tower which has a slight vacuum. The tank is heated with solar collectors that causes the brine solution to boil. The vacuum in the tank lowers the boiling point of the brine solution.The water absorbed from the air evaporates and is led out through a tube filled with water. This water column maintains the vacuum in the tank without the need for a vacuum pump. The brine is recovered and pumped up again to flow down the tower.

9.Liquid desiccant for water harvesting from process air

Sciperio Inc., an Orlando, Florida based technology is working on using liquid Lithium Chloride as the desiccant to remove water from air. Their finding is that this is more energy efficient than using refrigerant based water harvesting technology and have proposed using this for water extraction from air in process plants for industrial use, rather than for drinking.

10. Use of solar energy for regenerating the desiccant

One variant of the use of wet desiccation by the company A2WH of Atlanta, Georgia which uses a proprietary desiccant for water vapor absorption. This desiccant is heated by solar energy to expel the absorbed water. The unit, installed outdoors, also has photo voltaic panels to generate the electricity needed for operating the units pumps and valves. A2WH says it has models both for the individual home and for irrigation of farms.