Archive for September, 2011|Monthly archive page

Take Some Fall Festivities Tips From a Pro!

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Our good buddy, Genevieve Concannon, Ecobroker at Arbour Realty has put together a list of some fun things to do around Northern Virginia as the temperatures get a little cooler and the days get a little shorter. How about taking a peak at some great leaves out in the mountains that are a short jaunt away, or heading out to the country for some old fashioned family fun at the farm? What spells A-U-T-U-M-N like a hay ride? Well, not much else, but maybe a masked man with a chain-saw running after you- am I right? Yeah… Now that’s a scary hay ride. But, truly, check out what she’s put together and mark down your calendars, because some of these fun events are coming up rather soon!

There are plenty of things to do around Northern Virginia year round, but when Fall rolls around… Get prepared to get busy doing things in the crisp, cool air!

You don’t have to drive all of the way up to Vermont to get that Fall foliage that is so gorgeous! Take advantage of the great vistas and drives that we have locally in our Northern Virginia Real Estate!  Go do the Skyline Drive ride through the Shenandoah Mountains. Fall leaves are best in Virginia from Mid to late October, so plan your trip and figure out a great route, then tell us all about it by sharing on Facebook!

McLean is a sophisticated piece of Northern Virginia Real Estate that we can’t forget about, and Fall festivities won’t be leaving it behind! Check out McLean Uncorked for foodies who follow the Food Network’s Alton Brown fan club! Note that you will need to register in advance for this October 15th food and wine event. There will be a three course meal, wine tastings, art and hors d’oeuvers.

Apple picking isn’t just for those who live in Lancaster County Pennsylvania! Drive on out to Ticonderoga Farm for pumpkin patches, hayrides and good old fashioned Fall fun in our very own Chantilly, Virginia! Know what’s pretty sweet about Ticonderoga Farm? Well, they have their own bee hives and you can get local honey- which is great for Fall Allergies from bugging you. Through the end of October.

Need a kick of hopps’n'barley ye ole beer lovers and you don’t want to go all the way to Munich for Octoberfest action? Check out Shirlington’s Octoberfest put on by Capitol City Brewing Company help rain or shine. Shirlington is dog friendly and apparently beer friendly, too with over 40+ breweries to sample 4 ounce tasters! For those of you not in the know, Shirlington is a South Arlington favorite complete with adorable restaurants, shops and theaters. October 8th from noon to 7pm rain or shine. Let’s take a side bar for a second: Fort Belvoir’s Octoberfest is happening again this year, too. Unlike the Shirlington event put on by Capitol City Brewing Company, Fort Belvoir’s Octoberfest is a 4 day festival that is much more kid friendly with a carnival, and more!

What are your favorite things to do for the Fall in Northern Virginia? Do you do the Pumpkin Patches and corn maizes and drink all of the apple cider you can possible stand? Are you the kind of person who picks out your Halloween costume months in advance to make sure you have the best one at the costume contest? Are you the Halloween Grinch who turns out all of the lights and pretends that you’re not home so you don’t have to interact with the neighborhood? Do you host a pumpkin carving party at your house complete with pumpkin pie tarts and tasty Fall-inspired sun teas? How Martha Stewart is that?!  Whichever Fall you decide to have, I hope it is a good one and that you explore some of the things that Northern Virginia has to offer and if you find something good, share it! – Genevieve Concannon

Thanks again to Genevieve for putting this list of Fall Festivities and events together. We’re sure there are more things going on and we’d love to hear about them as well. Enjoy.

DOE Solar Decathlon 2011

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Come on everybody, get your Solar Decathlon on. Starting tomorrow, September 23, 2011 through October 2, 2011 on the National Mall.

When it started back in 2002, the Solar Decathlon was slated as a biennial event where students from around the country could get together to showcase their talents  for translating topics for energy efficiency to practical uses for everyday homeowners to see in the projects and take home and utilize in their own homes. Now, nearing a decade later, the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon brings in over twenty teams internationally to highlight much of the same things but on a global scale. Homeowners, builders and people who are just plain interested in energy efficiency are able to walk through the Solar Decathlon project houses on display on the National Mall from September 23 through October 2 to check out all of the amazing fetes that these folks have integrated to create homes that are hopefully going to win the competition for efficiency. Because did I mention, this is a competitive thing- hence, Decathlon…

Here are the rules, straight from the U.S. Department of Energy:

In the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, collegiate teams design and build energy-efficient houses powered by the sun. These teams spend almost two years creating houses to compete in the 10 contests of the Solar Decathlon. The winning team produces a house that:

  • Is affordable, attractive, and easy to live in
  • Maintains comfortable and healthy indoor environmental conditions
  • Supplies energy to household appliances for cooking, cleaning, and entertainment
  • Provides adequate hot water
  • Produces as much or more energy than it consumes.

Know what is pretty cool? You think that preparing for a triathlon takes some time and training? The teams who create and build the Solar Decathlon homes take 2 year to plan and build these homes! Now that’s some prep-work.  “Students test their houses to ensure optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. The competition places demands on the buildings’ energy systems to maintain the house within a certain temperature range, to provide lighting, to run appliances, and much more. The houses generate energy with photovoltaic (also called solar electric) systems that produce electricity and with solar thermal systems for space heating and cooling and water heating.”

Did you know that our very own EarthCraft Virginia crew has been assisting the Team New York? Well, they are, and we’ll tell you more about the awesome things that went into this Solar Decathlon house soon!

More to come when we find out who wins the 2011 Solar Decathlon competition.

DIY- Home Energy Audit- The Benefits

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

It took some time, but now you have gone through your home and done your audit. So why did you do it? Check out the benefits.

You know the tools you need, the safety equipment you need, what it means to have a building as a system and what the different elements of the mechanical system are. You’ve waled through how to audit your attic, basement, crawl space and how to manage moisture in  your home. You’ve done it;  we have walked you through the process and you have given your home a basic level home energy audit.

We hope you are thinking about all of the benefits you are going to be able to reap now that you have taken care of the issues you were able to find through this scavenger hunt of a home inspection. So, why did you do it, anyway?  Below are some of the benefits and payoffs for doing your own home energy audit.

Was it for your health? Had you found that you were getting sick all of the time because there was some musty smell in the basement or all over your home for that matter? Getting moisture under control in your home will enable you have a healthier indoor air quality which will contribute to your overall health in general. With asthma at an all time high in our country, having the moisture levels in your home in check and more solid surfaces, rather than carpet and rugs for mold, and dust to get trapped in, the healthier you can be inside your home.

Was it for comfort? Had you been finding little pockets of cold in your house where your toesies were not too comfortable, or where you felt like you needed to wear parka in the middle of the winter, in the middle of your house? That wasn’t comfortable was it? Finding those holes and fixing them will give you the comfort that you need to stay warmer in the winter an cooler in the summer. Don’t you want to live in a cozier home?

Was it for the moolah? Did you do the audit because you wanted to have lower operating costs? Had you been noticing your energy bills escalating and could you literally see dollar signs floating out of your non-weather-stripped windows and doors? That isn’t efficient, is it? Finding those holes in your home and sealing them up will give you the higher performance advantage and energy savings that you had been lacking before. Many homes that go through a home energy audit will see upwards of a 30% return on their energy bills. That’s mighty fine.

Was it for the earth? Were you just one of those folks who wanted to make a difference in the environment? We do exist, you know? Using appliances in our homes accounts for 20% of the green house gasses according to the EPA, so trying to reduce your impact is an admirable thing. Look for Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent or LED lighting and higher performance mechanical systems that are properly sized for your home will reduce your home’s impact on the environment.

Here are 5 quick tips you can do to reduce your impact on the environment, save money in your home and live a healthier indoor air quality lifestyle:

  1. Keep your thermostat set at or below 68 degrees F.
  2. Install low flow faucets and shower heads throughout your home.
  3. Caulk and weatherstrip windows, doors, cracks and holes.
  4. Change your air filter regularly- use a pleated media filter if possible.
  5. Use live plants and air filters in your home; they are not only beautiful, but help keep your home healthy.

No matter what the reason behind your choice to go through with the DIY Home Energy Audit program that we put together for you, you have done it now, and no doubt, you have some questions or concerns. We’d love to be able to help. If you think you may have some deeper issues with your home that you need some diagnostic testing for, give us a shout and we’ll see what we can do to help solve your issues.

Fairfax County- Public Green Building Policy Dicussion

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Come one, come all to the public Fairfax County discussion on Green Building Policy.

Do you have questions or concerns about the current or future Green Building Policies held by Fairfax County? This could be the perfect forum for you to discuss your opinion and ask your questions to the correct public officials. This televised and streamed event will be accessible to the public and will be the perfect place to come and learn about what is going on in and around Fairfax County in the Green Community.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission will hold a public workshop to discuss the draft Green Building Policy Strawman and comments received to date on Wednesday, September 14 at 8:15 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Auditorium, Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22035 (Please note the time change).  The workshop will also be televised live on Cox Cable Channel 16.

To sign up to speak or for more information, please visit the Planning Commission’s web page or contact the Planning Commission at 703-324-2865, TTY 703-324-7951, or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning.

The strawman, a compilation of comments received to date, and other information pertinent to the workshop may be viewed on the Planning Commission’s Web page at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning <http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning/> .

If you have comments you wish to submit ahead of time, please send them to plancom@fairfaxcounty.gov.

This information came directly from Fairfax County officials and was deemed reliable.