Lindy/Rushforth Solar Hot Water Tours
A Solar Hot Water Tour - Dedication – Education – Legislative Media Event – began with pizza.
On a glorious Wednesday, May 11, 2011 in East Oak Lane Philadelphia, at Academia Suites – W Spencer and W Godfrey at 11th - participants toured 2 Lindy apartment buildings that heat water with the sun. Lindy Property Management, of Jenkintown, has invested in Solar Hot Water projects on 7 buildings in 5 complexes with Solar Hot Water (SHW) designer and installer, Rushforth Solar LLC of Bryn Mawr.
Rushforth Solar LLC specializes in commercial scale Solar Hot Water – especially for apartment buildings, and also for hotels, laundromats, nursing homes, fitness places, etc. that use lots of hot water year round. Award winning1 and certified2, Rushforth Solar LLC designs and installs Solar Hot Water for buildings that use lots of hot tap water in the Greater Philadelphia area.
- In 2008, Penn Future honored Rushforth Solar LLC with a Pioneer Green Power Generator Award and The Sustainable Development Fund of The Reinvestment Fund awarded Rushforth Solar with a competitive grant.
- 2 Alan Rushforth was the first Solar Thermal Installer in the Eastern PA, NJ, and DE region to receive the NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) solar thermal certification.
Lindy Property Management deserves acknowledgement for being environmental leaders in the apartment industry. For three generations and over 70 years, Lindy Property Management has built a reputation of excellence on a foundation of integrity and quality services. Alan Lindy is respected within the AAGP (Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia) community, as a Past President, in 1998. Alan’s father Phil Lindy was AAGP President in 1988. The family business goes back to 1933 with Jacob and Feeda Lindy; then next generation: Phil and Annabelle Lindy with a brother Alan in 1961; now 3rd generation, Alan and Frank Lindy; and with the next 4th generation coming along with Jacob Lindy & others. www.LindyProperty.com.
The Solar Hot Water system is featured on both Off Campus Apartment buildings at Lindy’s Academia Suites: www.AcademiaSuites.com serving students for Temple University, Philadelphia Community College and La Salle with free shuttle service. The property offers a new fitness center and community with free WiFi hotspots.
At the May 11 Tour, the program speakers included:
Alan Lindy, Principal, Lindy Property Management and Academia Suites
Ben Schneible, Senior Adviser and founding member of Temple University, Students for Responsible Business: www.SRBonLine.org
Adam Garber, Field Director at Penn Environment, which has published a new report on Solar Hot Water: “Smart, Clean and Ready to Go!” link: http://www.environmentwashington.org/reports/energy/energy-program-reports/smart-clean-and-ready-to-go-how-solar-hot-water-can-reduce-pollution-and-dependence-on-fossil-fuels2/
Bryan Collins, Philadelphia Outreach Coordinator, Penn Future, which is on the forefront on environment/ business/ and legislation: www.PennFuture.org
Kristin Sullivan, Project Director, Solar America Cities / Philadelphia Office of Sustainability/ Mayor’s Office on Sustainability, promoting Mayor Nutter’s pledge to make Philly the number one green city in America - www.phila.gov/green
Alan Rushforth, NABCEP Certified Solar Thermal Installer and President of Rushforth Solar LLC, who discussed Solar Hot Water and how it works.
Good building candidates have sunny roofs, central hot water systems, mid rise and lower building heights, and available space for large hot water tanks usually in the basement near the back-up hot water heater.
Benefits of Solar Hot Water: It cuts fuel use, provides a reasonable ROI (Return On Investment); increases NOI (Net Operating Income) and property value; improves a company’s green image, is a positive step toward a cleaner, greener future, and helps the US become more energy independent.
The Solar Hot Water savings projections by RETScreen on this project follow:
For Powell Hall: Projected Savings:
39% Savings from the Solar Hot Water portion
55% Total fuel savings including new High Efficiency heaters
Over 3,000 ccf of natural gas is to be saved per year
= ~$4,700 Projected Savings per year in fossil fuel
For Spencer Hall: Projected Savings:
44% Solar Savings
Over 49,000 Kilo Watts to be saved each year (electric hot water heater)
= ~$3,900 Projected Savings per year
Jan Marie Rushforth, Partner of Rushforth Solar LLC, introduced an opportunity to help Solar Hot Water policy in Pennsylvania by signing a petition or writing a letter. The excellent 65% subsidies for installing Solar Hot Water are about to decrease by ½. Before all of the subsidy funds are spent in the PA Sunshine Grant Program, there are efforts to encourage PA Dept of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer to set aside $1 million for Solar Hot Water. AAGP’s Government Affairs Director, Christine M Young Gertz, Esq., has written a letter for this effort.. More info is at www.RushforthSolar.com/subsidies.php
Special THANKS to all who helped and participated in this event – the entire Lindy Team - Alan Lindy, Frank Lindy & Carolyn Hirsh, with a big shout out to Adam Levitt and Academia Suites staff: Michelle Pearson and Alisha Morrison. Thanks to all speakers, including the Mayor’s Office with Kristin Sullivan, and to AAGP Government Affairs Director, Christine M Young Gertz, Esq; and to Matt Baker of Philadelphia Weekly, Larry Falkow and Colleen Brown of The Apts Magazine.
ALL are invited to the NEXT event: Lindy – Rushforth Solar Hot Water Tour will be on Monday morning, June 27 at 10 AM at Longwood Manor on 2 buildings in NE Philly, when DEP Secretary Krancer will speak (2400 Benson Ave, Phila, PA 19152).
For more information about this event and ways to help Solar Hot Water, please contact Jan Rushforth, Jan@RushforthSolar.com, 610 520 1968, www.RushforthSolar.com.
In the attached group photo:
From the Left: Eli Holtman, Manager/ Principal, CPM Group LLC (Conscientious Property Management); Jeff Grant, President, Pickett Properties LLC; Jacob Lindy, Corporate Assistant, Lindy Property Management; Christine M Gertz Young, Esq, Government Affairs Director, Apartment Association of Greater Philadelphia; Alan Rushforth, President, Rushforth Solar LLC, Jan Marie Rushforth, Partner, Rushforth Solar; Alan Lindy, Officer, Lindy Property Management; Kristin Sullivan, Project Director, Solar America Cities / Philadelphia Office of Sustainability/ Mayor’s Office on Sustainability; Walker Gilmore, Project Manager, Residential Life; Bryan Collins, Philadelphia Outreach Coordinator, Penn Future; and Ben Schneible, Senior Adviser, Temple University, Students for Responsible Business