  Our local environment at $r<10$ Mpc expands linearly and smoothly, as if
ruled by a uniform matter distribution, while observations show the very clumpy
local universe. This is a long standing enigma in cosmology. We argue that the
recently discovered vacuum or quintessence (dark energy (DE) component with the
equation of state $p_Q = w \rho_Q c^2$, $w \in [-1,0)$) from observations of
the high-redshift universe may also manifest itself in the properties of the
very local Hubble flow. We introduce the concept of the critical distance $r_Q$
where the repulsive force of dark energy starts to dominate over the gravity of
a mass concentration. For the Local Group $r_Q$ is about 1.5 Mpc. Intriguingly,
at the same distance 1.5 Mpc the linear and very "cold" Hubble flow emerges,
with about the global Hubble constant. We also consider the critical epoch
$t_Q$, when the DE antigravity began to dominate over the local matter gravity
for a galaxy which at the present epoch is in the local DE dominated region.
Our main result is that the homogeneous dark energy component, revealed by SNIa
observations, resolves the old confrontation between the local Hubble flow and
local highly non-uniform, fractal matter distribution. It explains why the
Hubble law starts on the outskirts of the Local Group, with the same Hubble
constant as globally and with a remarkably small velocity dispersion.
