“Rinnai has decided to change its approach in the North American hearth
(fireplace) market. It is Rinnai’s intent to stop selling hearth
products directly in the USA and Canada. As such, Rinnai will
discontinue importing its own hearth products (RHFE750ETRA indoor
fireplace and ROF4500 series Impression outdoor fireplace) for resale
here.
Please note before you purchuse.
Rinnai may not be stocking parts for these units.
Recent Updates RSS Hide threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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Rick Grout
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Zibby Bujno
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Sam Wieczorek
How do we update our own website? I read on a search of MyPointNow and it states it has the ability for us to change or update our own pages. Anyone know how?
Tags: Mypoint
Let me know.
Thanks,
Sam
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Sam Wieczorek
Has anyone had any issues with the Fan Motors on the Rinnai Condensing Water Heaters?
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
The units are really loud and vibrate if you are having this issue. We have a fix for it but want to know if this is a somewhat isolated incident or possibly a future warranty issue. Let me know.
Note: These RC80HPi and RC98HPi units are really incredible and we have installed well over a hundred of them in the last few months.
Thanks,
Sam
http://www.TheRinnaiGuys.Com
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Bosch Thermotechnology has Growth Prospects for Eco-friendly Technologies
Chris Wade
2009 sales revenues only 4% below record level of the prior year
· Renewable energies account for 15% of total sales
Wetzlar/Stuttgart – Bosch’s Thermotechnology division had a good start to the year 2010. While the effects of the economic crisis can still be felt, there have been clear signs of a recovery. Sales revenues in the Asian emerging markets and the key Western European markets picked up in the first three months of the year. Moreover, the drop in demand in Central and Eastern Europe has been halted since the beginning of the year. “Our performance in the difficult year 2009 shows that our fundamental positioning is right,” Uwe Glock, President of the Board of Management of the Thermotechnology Division, said at the press conference in Stuttgart.
Positive result generated
At EUR 2.87 billion, sales revenues in 2009 were down by approx. 4% (2% in exchange rate-adjusted terms) on the record level of the previous year. As Bosch Thermotechnology anticipated the economic downturn at an early stage, the division initiated a number of counter-measures and therefore generated a positive result in spite of the moderate decline in sales. At over 13 000, the headcount slightly exceeded the prior year level at the end of the year as a result of the acquisitions made in 2009.
Tags: Bosch, Buderus, Mypoint
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Server Outage
Chris Wade
We host all sites on The Planet, based in Houston TX. This morning their system went down for about 30 minutes and was restored at about 10:10 edt. The Planet is the largest hosting service company in North America.
Tags: Mypoint
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Bosch, Buderus Join MyPointNow
Chris Wade
We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Bosch Thermotechnology that brings this array of product lines into the MyPointNow system.
Buderus Boiler, Bosch Water Heaters and Boilers, Buderus Solar, Florida Heat Pump, and Ariston product will all be integrated into the MPN network.
We will be bringing technical support systems, product registration, contractor and supply chain management, and rewards systems to the Bosch Thermotechnology lines. In addition, any product registration data generated on MyPointNow contractor websites will be seemly integrated with manufacturer warranty registration and contractor management systems.
Bosch joins Fujitsu General, Eternal, and several other high quality manufacturers, and over 200 trade contractors in the MyPointNow system.
Tags: Bosch, Buderus, Mypoint
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Sam Wieczorek
How do you post photo’s, I got a great service call picture for you guys where a guy went above and beyond…
Tags: Mypoint
Sam
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Floyd Parker
Hi, Sam,
This is great!! We love photos and will probably post it on the website. If you have a comment you’d like to go with it, send it along with the photo.
This is what you do— It will have to come to us at PPS and we will forward it up to our Webmaster.
Whereever you have your photo saved, pull it up, RIGHT click on it and on the drop down you will see an option to SEND. Click SEND – Click on Email Receipent – An email page will pop up with the photo as an attachment. Put in the address elizabeth.parker@bellsouth.com – fill in Subject line (add your comment) and send
This should do it. If you have problems with it call me at 318-455-4762 and I’ll walk you through it.Thanks ever so much!!,
Elizabeth Parker
Sales & Customer Service
ParkerPointe Systems, LLC
318-455-4762
elizabeth.parker@bellsouth.com
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Brad Chirnside
Yes, We have been having problems with code ten vent issues. We have had at least five condensing units out of the 10-12 we have installed crashing and burning. I am taking one off the wall today and replacing it with a brand new RC98. I called tech support and talked with David Sellers at length and then they pulled in a Jananese Tech and put me on speaker phone. I had static pressures of 10.9 Low fire 1.10 High Fire 3.3 The had me adjust low to .95 High to 2.3 and it still had the issue. This was supposed to be the cure all. Didn’t work its coming off the wall. We have installed at least 7 hydronic air handlers on the new RC98 and every one has dip switch 1 flipped because of code ten. I believe we only have two running in the field without dip switch one flipped. Not one has a vent length over the standard 12″ up and out vent. They are saving our customers a boat load of money. 35% minimum gas usage drops when used with Hydronic and less dry air. The condensing models are performing amazing, but at our altitude or strong north winds? We have no idea, but we are crossing fingers any time we install. We installed a hydronic yesterday and the first thing we did was flip dip switch number one. It seems to handle everyone but one.
Tags: Hydron, Mypoint
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Sam Wieczorek
Hey Brad,
Great talking to you. One thing we did not discuss was altitude. We are at sea level. What are you at? This may be the dfifference?
Sam
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Sam Wieczorek
Hi Brad,
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
Are you saying no matter how long the vent you are flipping number 1 dip switch? We have installed dozens of these new Rinnai condensing units and have not had one issue whatsoever. We are also on an Island 6 miles out in the North Atlantic Ocean and have been getting nailed by severe Nor’easters every few days and have not received any calls with problems. Where are you located? Maybe I can figure this out for you. We are the top ASP’s in NJ and have a lot of experiance in diagnosing and servicing all of Rinnai’s units. I can tell you this, We have never once had to repair a problem with a Rinnai water heater. Every service call we have ever been sent to by Rinnai was due to installation mistakes. Mostly under sized gas lines or improper venting.
Let me know.
Thanks,
Sam
“TheRinnaiGuys.Com”
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Brad Chirnside
RINNAI RC98’s. Make sure dip switch one is flipped to a long vent length. Even in standard installs we have had problems with wind tripping a code 10. This has happended at least five times. Call backs stink, flip the switch.
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
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Leon R Clayberger
I have installed a few of the RC80 units. So far have not had a fan problem making noise. What is the fan noise cure in case i run into this problem.
I have had 2 R75s with a loud fan. Removed the fans, looked inside. Found bumble bees, leaves, dog hair (dog tied near vent), etc Check for “junk” in the fan housing first if it is makinga noise.
Please respond on the RC80 fan noise. I am installing another today.
Thanks.
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Tim Fitch
Chris, did you see who is the Rinnai Authorized Service Provider of the Year for the Southeast Region?
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
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Ground Source Heat Economic Benefit vs. Mini-Split Heat Pumps
Chris Wade
Despite being highly efficient at turning kilowatt-hours of electricity into heat or chilled air, ground-source heat pumps have a significant drawback and usually aren’t the best heating system choice.The most common configuration of a ground-source heat pump has tubing laid in a horizontal trench–often as a series of coils.
For the past month, I’ve examined various home energy improvements for which one can earn a 30% federal tax credit. The last of these opportunities I’ll cover is ground-source heat pumps. A ground-source heat pump (GSHP) is also referred to as a “geothermal” heat pump, though I prefer the former terminology, to avoid confusion with true geothermal energy systems that rely on elevated temperatures deep underground from the Earth’s mantle. GSHPs are eligible for the 30% tax credit with no cap on the dollar amount that can be received. But this system may not be the best choice for home heating, and I’d like to offer some warnings about the potential for exaggerated claims and outright scams.
GSHPs are pretty amazing systems. Like all heat pumps, they extract heat from one place (in this case, underground) and deliver that heat–at a higher temperature–to your house. That may sound impossible, but it’s how your kitchen refrigerator works. In the summer, heat pumps can be reversed to remove heat from your house, providing air conditioning.
Tags: geothermal heat pumps, minisplit, Mypoint
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Vinnie Smedick
Chris,
Noritz has changed their model numbers recently. Could you please update the Noritz page to show the new model numbers?
Thank you,
Tags: Mypoint, Noritz
Vinnie Smedick
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Chris Wade
We updated the models tables – we will also update the documents links today.
Thanks!
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Vinnie
Thanks Chris,
Your company is the best!
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Rinnai Combines Heat Pump and Gas Water Heater
Chris Wade
Rinnai Corp developed what it claims is the world’s first domestic water heater that combines an air-to-water heat pump and a gas water heater.The water heater, which the company calls “hybrid water heater,” will be released April 2, 2010, in Japan. Because the heater has the same air heating function as the company’s “Eco Jyouzu” gas water heater, it can be used not only for heating water but also for floor heating and bathroom heating.
Click to read the rest of this post.
Tags: heat pump water heater, Mypoint, Rinnai
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Rick Grout
Is anyone doing water heating with a ductless split ??
Tags: Mypoint
getting geared up to put one in place and wondered if you might be able to give me the Do’s and Dont’s before installation day .
Could you help me out ?
Thanks
R
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Rick Grout
Not sure if the link on my last post come with the cover story
Tags: Mypoint
For those who would like to look at what the feds are willing to give and what we have to do to get it. This link should help http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/70022.html
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Rick Grout
This year may be to residential equipment buyers what 2009 was to car buyers: time for government rebates.
Modeled after the popular Cash for Clunkers program, a federal appliance rebate program is launching in early 2010. It offers a boost to people buying “Energy Star” energy-efficient appliances, water heaters, and heating and air conditioning equipment.The program has only $300 million, one-tenth as much money as Cash for Clunkers, or about $1 per U.S resident, so it could run out fast. States are receiving roughly the same amount per capital, with California getting the most at $35.2 million, but what’s eligible varies by state.
To review the funding levels and eligible equipment in your state click this link.
Tags: Mypoint
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Rick Grout
For the 5th year in a row, China has doubled its installed wind power capacity. Wind power capacity in the world grew 31% in 2009.
The Global Wind Energy Council released a report on new global wind power statistics this week and these are some of its main findings.
In total, 37.5 GW of wind power were added in 2009, bringing total worldwide installations up to 157.9 GW. One third of these new installations were in China.
The US, despite projections that wind power would drop due to the recession, continued to see growth and remains on top in total installed capacity (but who knows for how long).
“The continued rapid growth of wind power despite the financial crisis and economic downturn is testament to the inherent attractiveness of the technology, which is clean, reliable and quick to install. Wind power has become the power technology of choice [for] a growing number of countries around the world,” said Steve Sawyer, GWEC’s Secretary General. “Copenhagen didn’t bring us any closer to a global price on carbon, but wind energy continued to grow due to national energy policy in our main markets and also because many governments in [sic] prioritised renewable energy development in their economic recovery plans.”
The global market for wind turbine installations was worth about $63 billion (€45 billion) in 2009 and employs about half a million people now, GWEC estimates.
Top Countries in 2009
Tags: Mypoint
1) US: 35.2 GW of installed capacity (up from 25.2 GW in 2008, 26.5% increase)
2) Germany: 25.8 GW of installed capacity (up from 23.9 GW in 2008, 5.1% increase)
3) China: 25.1 GW of installed capacity (up from 12.1 GW in 2008, 34.7% increase)
4) Spain: 19.1 GW of installed capacity (up from 16.7 GW in 2008, 6.6% increase)
5) India: 10.9 GW of installed capacity (up from 9.7 GW in 2008, 3.4% increase
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Rick Grout
The Austin, Texas, city council has approved Austin Energy’s solar incentive program, which includes a new approach for commercial, multifamily and nonprofit customers. The new approach saves $2.4 million over the life of the program, according to the utility.
Rather than provide an up-front rebate on the installation of solar systems, Austin Energy will pay for each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced over a 10-year period. This fixed, performance-based incentive (PBI) achieves two goals: First, it provides a fixed payment flow to a system owner by which payback can be calculated, the utility explains. Second, it encourages proper design and maintenance of systems to maximize their production.
Over the next five years, the PBI program is expected to pay, on average, $0.08/kWh of solar energy produced with program funding sufficient for almost 260 solar systems, each up to 20 kW in size. Total PBI payments over the next 14 years under the plan are projected to be $4.8 million.
Austin Energy residential customers can apply to receive rebates at $2.50 per watt, with annual rebates limited to $15,000 and maximum rebates set at $50,000 over the life of installations at a single property.
SOURCE: Austin Energy
Tags: Mypoint, solar
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Rick Grout
Thank you charlie
Tags: Mypoint
I think this is a wonderful piece of equiptment and should make a possitive inpact on many home owners and the electrical consumption they are trying to stableize. It all starts at home. We can’t all wait for our government to tell us whats best only because every home has a differant personality on how they use not only water but heat as well.
Thanks again for the quick response
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Rick Grout
I just read an artical that it looks like China is going to clean the US’ clock on large-scale clean energy projects. But, as we all know, clean energy doesn’t need to be from (super) large projects to provide people with power. In fact, that is one of the hopes many of us have, that “power” will be more decentralized.
However, something that would combine those two approaches — large-scale, centralized power and small-scale, decentralized projects — might be ideal, providing the best advantages of both approaches. That’s exactly what large-scale distributed energy power purchase agreements do.
Additionally, it looks like they are here!
Recurrent Energy and Southern California Edison (SCE) signed an agreement today to have SCE buy 100% of the energy from three Recurrent Energy solar power projects.
The three projects that Recurrent Energy is building will be in Kern County and San Bernardino County and will have a peak output of 50 MW in total. Two projects will have a peak output of 22 MW and one will have a peak output of 6 MW. They should all be completed by 2013 and construction is expected to begin in 2012.
What are the Big Advantages of Distributed Power Projects?
The main advantages of these projects are quicker implementation, better ability to upgrade or innovate to more efficient technologies, and much more flexibility in siting.As David Roberts of grist lists, in more detail, these are some of the big pluses for Recurrent Energy and distributed power, in general:
*It’s easier to find land, because solar panels are modular (they can be scaled to any size/shape of land parcel) and they are quiet and non-polluting (they can be located next to homes and offices).
*For the same reasons, distributed solar doesn’t require environmentally sensitive land; it can be placed on already developed land or industrial rooftops. That makes for a much easier and faster permitting process.
*Distributed solar doesn’t require new transmission, since it can be located next to existing lines. There’s no waiting for transmission permits or construction. Interconnection to the grid can happen almost immediately, and some of the value of avoided transmission can be built into the power price.
*Because it avoids many permitting and interconnection hassles, Recurrent can build projects faster, in the range of two to three years. (The SCE projects will go online in 2013.)
*Because it has many smaller investments rather than one big one, Recurrent is more able to adapt to delays or setbacks at individual projects.
*Because it has a steady stream of new projects rather than one every 5-10 years, it is better positioned to take advantage of iterations in technology. (And solar panel prices are descending quickly.)
While providing all of these advantages, a large total supply can also help to keep the cost down.
More large-scale power purchase agreements using distributed energy could be the US’ special juice to get ahead in clean energy.
Along with leading technological development and innovation, this could help put the US in a better position than we might expect just looking at the eye-dropping mega projects
Tags: Mypoint, solar
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Rinnai Products Featured On HGTV
Chris Wade
Rinnai Corporation, manufacturer of the No. 1 selling brand of tankless gas water heaters in North America, is proud to announce that four products from its energy-efficient, lifestyle-enhancing portfolio are featured in the HGTV Dream Home 2010. Located in Sandia Park, N.M., the HGTV Dream Home 2010 showcases superior home technologies as well as high-style decor. Rinnai’s Q205S condensing wall-mounted boiler (http://www.rinnai.us/boilers/), RC98HPi condensing tankless water heater and R75LSi tankless water heaters provide energy-efficient home heating and water heating to the HGTV Dream Home, while two of the company’s Impression (TM) outdoor fireplaces (http://www.rinnai.us/fireplaces/outdoor) bring a sense of character to the home’s extensive patio areas. In addition, as a celebration of the company’s third consecutive year sponsoring the HGTV Dream Home, Rinnai is hosting a “Win a Tankless (http://www.rinnai.us/hgtv-dream-home-2010/)”; online sweepstakes for consumers. The company is giving away one tankless water heater each week through Feb. 19 at http://www.rinnai.us/hgtv-dream-home-2010.
To Read The Rest Of This Post Click Here.
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
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Rick Grout
does anyone know if air generate has moved to the 410a refrigerant guidlines or are the still working off the stock of R22 ?
Tags: Mypoint
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Vinnie Smedick
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Chris Wade
Hi Vinnie-
Do you just want the ProRadiant – radiant heat. Ither items might be the ProPress copper pipe system or the PureFlow potable pex manifold.
Let me know.
Thanks, Chris
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Vinnie
Chris,
Just the Pro-Radiant stuff with Manifolds and controls. Thanks
Could you also put some tips on the tools page?
Example like timetable for replacing air filters?
Don’r forget to call to schedule your annual tune-ups? -
Chris Wade
Hi Vinnie-
We added Viega Radiant to your site.
http://www.smedickheating.com/products-tabs.php?pln_id=408
Thanks
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New Technology at AHR in Orlando
Chris Wade
A great place to get an idea of what technologies are becoming important to both homeowners and service contractors is the AHR Show held in Orlando Florida this week. This year over 800 companies from all over the world displayed new or important technologies to an estimated 25,000 attending engineers, building professionals, and plumbing, heating, and air conditioning contractors.
A few years ago new technology made tankless water heaters a terrific new choice for reducing the energy consumed by domestic water heating. At the show this year over a dozen companies displayed tankless water heating products and it’s clear that this technology is here to stay.
Mini-split heat pumps are also a prominent trend. A number of manufacturers displayed inverter based multi-zone heat pump systems that offer unparalleled flexibility and operating performance. Manufacturers represented included a number of Chinese manufacturers joined by better know brands such as Fujitsu, LG, and Daiken. After looking at the capabilities of these systems you might wonder if US HVAC manufacturers will suffer a similar fate as the North American auto industry when facing Japanese imports starting in the late 1970’s.
Click to read the rest of this post.
Tags: AirGenerate, fujitsu, Mypoint, Rinnai, tankless
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New Eternal 98% Hybrid Gas Water Heater
Chris Wade
Grand Hall USA Inc. is introducing its new 98% efficient Condensing Water Heating line at the AHR show in Orlando Florida on January 25, 2010.The new “Eternal Hybrid Condensing” line features a compact size that allows for either wall or floor mounted applications. With efficiencies of up to 99%, and an Energy Factor rating of .96, this new line sets a new efficiency standard for the gas water heating industry.
Two models are available. The GU145 has a maximum firing rate of 145,000 BtuH and can fire on most typical existing 1/2″ gas lines. The GU195 fires from 31,000 to 199,000 MbtuH.
Eternal Condensing water heaters operate of very wide flow rate without the pressure drops typically associated with tankless water heaters. All models meet NSF standards and can be used for residential or commercial applications.
For more information visit Eternal’s water heating website. You can add these Eternal models to your website by accessing your backoffice product manager.
Tags: eternal hybrid, Mypoint, tankless water heaters
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Rob Ryf
I have benefitted, as I am sure the rest of you have, from Chris’s services in brining in more work from the website contacts. But I received a call from a 69 yr. old woman looking for information on tankless heaters. I asked where she got my name and she said the website. But what I want to share is that she had said that the website was easy to view and very pleasing to look at. But most importantly she told me that she came away with a feeling of confidence in my company based on the site. She felt comfortable calling me and certain I would be the right choice to do a good job for her. I think the website sold the job before I even met her. thanks Chris, Rob Ryf
Tags: Mypoint, tankless
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R-22 Phase-out Guidelines
Chris Wade
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced final rules regarding HCFC-22 equipment installation and servicing as well as production allowances of HCFC refrigerants. This ends almost 12 months of waiting since the rules were first proposed. The rules take effect Jan. 1, 2010.
The final rules reflected many of the changes the HVACR industry had asked for after the proposed rules were first published Dec. 23, 2008. Those changes were initially addressed in an EPA clarification published last Jan. 14 and the final rules pretty much fell in line with the clarifications.
Tags: Mypoint, r-22
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New MPN Calendar Integrates With Google
Chris Wade
Today we are updated our backoffice calendar systems for all contractor sites. You will find the new calendar much easier to use.
More importantly this calendar system fully integrates with the Google calendar system so you can now synchronize your website events with any other pda, pc, or web based calendar system.
Let us know if you need more details about how this new system can help your business.
Tags: backoffice, Mypoint
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Home Automation – Talking The Same Language
Chris Wade
The advent of communicating equipment in the residential HVAC market has allowed homeowners to achieve better comfort and energy efficiency from their high-end systems. Contractors have also benefited, as the use of intelligent controls often speeds up installation time and troubleshooting in the field.
Manufacturers who have incorporated communicating technology into their new residential heating and cooling products have seen a huge demand for these smart systems. That increasing demand is the main reason why the ClimateTalk™ Alliance was formed earlier this year.
Tags: home automation, Mypoint
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Cash For Caulkers Could Mean Big Business
Chris Wade
President Obama proposed a new program Tuesday that would reimburse homeowners for energy-efficient appliances and insulation, part of a broader plan to stimulate the economy.
The administration didn’t provide immediate details, but said it would work with Congress on crafting legislation. Steve Nadel, director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, who’s helping write the bill, said a homeowner could receive up to $12,000 in rebates.
The proposal is part of the President’s larger spending plan, which also includes money for small businesses, renewable energy manufacturing, and infrastructure.
Tags: energy rebates, Mypoint
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New MyPointNow Available Site Features
Chris Wade
We have several new capabilities that can be incorporated into you site:
Integrated front-side calendar: potential customers can click on a available date, give you their details, and request a service time. You will be notified of this request and can use a new backoffice calendar system to view you crew schedules, and create a work appointment.
Full backoffice calendar integration with Google calendars: This will allow you to synchronize with icalendar, Quickbooks, and many other calendar systems. This also will allow the easy use of PDA based calendar systems.
Tags: backoffice, Mypoint, search engine
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Most People Won’t Do Sh*t
Chris Wade
By: Chris Wade
More than any other single strategy, energy conservation offers the greatest potential to reduce or eliminate our dependence on foreign energy sources and bring down our carbon footprint. Most of us have now spent years or decades promoting the use of higher efficiency heating and cooling systems, domestic water heaters, and plumbing fixtures. We are all pretty knowledgeable about the value of techniques that sharply reduce a given building envelopes energy requirements.
Tags: energy conservation, green plumbing, Mypoint
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Buying a tankless water heater 101
admin
Buying a tankless water heater isn’t too difficult if you watch a few main concerns;
professional work will look professional!
1. size the unit properly – too small a unit will result in a large pressure drop & some times erratic temperature due to improper mixing. The unit will flow the correct temp. but the pressure drop will affect anti-scald valves and cause some cold water intrusion into the hot side occasionally.2. make sure the gas supply is adequate for the larger flow requirements of the tankless heater. Otherwise the heater will become lower in flow capacity to the btu’s available.3. make sure the heater is plumbed for your future service, primaPost Source : Buying a tankless water heater 101 from http://www.renopowerinc.com- Just another WordPress weblog
Tags: tankless water heaters
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A View On Cap and Trade
Chris Wade
If you’re like me you are pretty confused about “Cap and Trade” and it is something that we all need to learn about. This is an interesting perspective.
Tags: cap and trade, Mypoint
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David Roberts
The video contains four basic arguments against cap-and-trade:
1. Allowance giveaways are bad. This is true. It would be better to auction 100% of the pollution allowances and use the revenue to invest in clean energy and protect consumers. The bill in Congress gives away too many allowances (Leonard elides the fact that the bulk of them are devoted to consumer protection, though it’s open to debate whether they’ll be used that way, and some Senators are pushing for more giveaways).
The most obvious solution to this is to give away fewer allowances. Yet Leonard and crew imply that allowance giveaways are inherent to cap-and-trade and the only solution is to ditch it. They imply that other “real” solutions would somehow be immune to polluters seeking loopholes and special favors, but never explain why.
The allowance giveaways in the climate bill reflect the power of the fossil fuel lobby. Switching policies would not diminish that power. Reduce that power and any climate policy gets better. The policy isn’t the problem; the power of the fossil fuel lobby is.
2. Offsets are bad. Leonard’s “argument” against offsets, if it can be called that, is fairly typical for this genre. She highlights a few ridiculous-sounding projects from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), implicitly conflates those projects and the CDM with offsets generally, and then concludes, based on the anecdotes, that offsets are bad and they make cap-and-trade toothless.The reality is far more complex. The quality of offset projects varies widely, as do enforcement mechanisms. The bill in Congress actually contains some fairly stringent measures for policing offsets. Many people close to international policy negotiations believe that high-quality offsets are a vital measure enabling a stronger international treaty. (See Glenn Hurowitz.) Many think that emissions reductions will prove cheap enough that offsets won’t be extensively utilized in early years. Others think that moving emission reductions overseas short-sells the clean energy revolution needed here in the U.S.
These are complex topics, and they’re not well-served by the simplistic, hand-waving dismissal of offsets in Leonard’s video. Regardless, if you think offsets are a problem, the obvious solution is to reduce the number of offsets. But again, Leonard and crew pretend that offsets are inherent to cap-and-trade and the only solution is to ditch it. Again, they pretend that “real” solutions would be immune to similar loopholes and giveaways.
One more time, from the top: The number of offsets in the climate bill reflects the power of the fossil fuel lobby (and the common impression that reducing emissions will be costly). Switching policies would not diminish that power (or that impression). The policy isn’t the problem; the power of the fossil fuel lobby is.
3. Carbon markets are bad. I hesitate to call this an “argument” in the video, since it mainly consists of using the words “Enron,” “bubble,”“Wall Street,” and “scam” suggestively, without saying anything at all specific about why this commodity market—which would be one of any number of commodity markets, most of which work perfectly well, including the carbon market in Europe—would be uniquely evil. I’m with Kevin Drum: there’s no meat here. I’ve never seen anything to this argument but the kind of suggestive handwaving that’s in the video. I don’t know why the green left has decided that markets are bad, in and of themselves, but it seems both politically unwise and substantively thin.
It’s certainly true that certain financial instruments should be eliminated or regulated more heavily; this is true for financial markets in general. There’s some fairly strong language in the bill about regulating carbon markets; that language will likely be folded into the larger financial market reforms that the Senate will address soon. But no one, outside this narrow topic, is suggesting that markets should be abolished!
Remember, trading of allowances is the feature of cap-and-trade that makes it more flexible than a flat tax that applies to all entities equally. This was always the argument for C&T over a tax. Instead of rebutting that argument, Leonard et al. seem instead to have decided that “market Goldman Sachs derivatives bugga bugga!” suffices.
4. Cap-and-trade is a “distraction” from “real solutions.” Of all the arguments, this is, forgive my bluntness, the silliest. The idea is that cap-and-trade has (for reasons never explained) magically come to dominate the policy conversation and made people forget about other options. “Cap-and-trade makes citizens think everything will be OK if we just drive a little less, change our light bulbs, and let These Guys do the rest.” Whaaat? It does? Any empirical evidence for this? Polls? Surveys? Anything? Honestly, it’s a depressing hallmark of liberalism to view progress—or the impression of progress—as a deflating force. Over on the other side of the aisle, they’re constantly declaring victory. Why do we think they do that? Does it seem to be de-motivating the conservative base?
First of all, there are reasons cap-and-trade has garnered the most support, but C&T bashers are so busy attacking a caricature they can’t see them. Second of all, what is the sociopsychological theory here supposed to be? If we just stopped talking about cap-and-trade, everyone would wake, as though from mysterious trance, and start talking about “real” solutions? The only reason the world hasn’t come together around tough measures that would financially damage fossil fuel companies is that the world’s citizens are, like kittens, distracted by the shiny cap-and-trade bauble?
This is the worst feature of the C&T bashers (and carbon tax advocates): their utter political naivete and Romanticism. There’s no plausible story about power here, and no real effort to tell one. It’s just: “Once everyone hears our clever arguments, the world will unite around Real Solutions!” It’s irresponsible.
The video concludes by saying, “the next time somebody tells you cap-and-trade is the best we’re going to get, don’t believe them.” But why not? Literally nothing in the video even addresses that point! It’s a fundamentally political point that the video just wishes away. At this point the green left desperately needs less Mead and more Machiavelli. Unless greens get serious about identifying the loci of political and financial power, identifying ways to block or leverage that power, and building power of their own, they’re going to lose. Policy arguments are more-or-less orthogonal to that important undertaking, not a substitute for it.
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There are also some straight-up errors in the video. Europe’s trading system is working, despite relentless hype to the contrary. Any program that caps and reduces CO2 would help those hurt by climate change, even if the money was distributed inequitably. The Clean Air Act does not enable EPA to “cap” carbon the same way cap-and-trade does, and would not serve as an equally effective substitute for a cap. Etc etc.
But my larger critique is that the video, and the bashing of cap-and-trade generally, just misses the point. I’ve got longer posts on this coming up, but here’s a capsule summary: it’s clear that politics as currently constituted, particularly in the U.S., will not tolerate a high price on carbon. So we’re going to end up with a fairly low price, hopefully with mechanisms to automatically raise it over time. A different carbon pricing mechanism won’t solve that problem.
The smart response would be to secure the low-and-rising carbon price and then start pushing other emission reduction policies, namely sector-specific regulations, industrial policies focused on capacity building, and large-scale investments in RD&D. If all the C&T bashers would turn their energy in that direction, we’d be having a much more productive conversation. Instead they’re echoing arguments from Exxon and Don Blankenship, vaguely hoping that if cap-and-trade is politically destroyed, a herd of ponies will thunder in to replace it. Once and for all: there are no ponies.
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Short Sighted Homeowners
Chris Wade
Selling energy efficiency will be less effective this year. A new national survey released today finds Americans once again prefer aesthetic home improvements – a refinished kitchen or bathroom – over money-saving improvements, such as energy-efficient windows or a high-efficiency furnace.The survey, the fifth annual Energy Pulse survey conducted by Shelton Group of Knoxville, Tennessee, found that consumers are reverting to their old priorities as the recession wanes – perhaps at the expense of the environment.“Energy efficiency is back to playing second fiddle, competing with more visible and exciting home improvement projects,” said Suzanne Shelton, whose firm conducted the study. “Anyone selling energy-efficient products must either focus heavily on the aesthetic or comfort aspects of their products or play up their environmental benefits in a big way.”Click To Read The Entire Article
Tags: Mypoint
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Steven Flocker
Having discussed our desire to attract & capture new commercial facilities for their repair & installation needs in the water heating area, I was wondering what you thought are the best ways to get Restaurants & Hotels, etc. to our website & blog.
They do not seem to go to the tankless water heater sites as the residential customers do.
Tags: Mypoint, tankless
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Chris Wade
You currently don’t use the word “commercial” or “restaurant” in the service or registration posts on your site. I think it would help if as you were doing service work on commercial installations you post every work-order online and use the terms “commercial” and or restaurant” in your short descriptions of the work. The search engines will pick up those words on your site pretty quickly which should bring more of those business to you when they need repair work done.
The other thing I can think of is to start using our broadcast email program to keep you name in front of past commercial customers.
What do you think?
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Ed Sanders on Eternal Water Heaters
Chris Wade
Ed Sanders of Extreme Makeover Home Edition recently posted a review of the Eternal model GU32 being installed in his new home.
Tags: Mypoint
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Online Employment Applications
Chris Wade
We have expanded the capabilities of online employment applications. You now have the ability to post or edit job listings. Prospective employees can fill out job applications online and their application is captured in the database to be accessed by management at any point in the future.
It you are would like this capability added to your site let us know.
Tags: employment application, Mypoint
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Vaillent Solar
Chris Wade
We ave added the Vaillent Solar products to the database. This German company provides both flat plate and evacuated tube systems.
To view an example of this information click here.
Tags: Mypoint, solar, Vaillent
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Chris Wade
Johnson Controls commissioned a survey of nearly 800 American adults who work in an office setting. According to this new survey of office workers, 69 percent said they would be willing to sacrifice their preferred ideal temperature in the office to help their company conserve energy. However, the survey also found that nearly four in five participants (78 percent) said they are less productive at work when they are too hot or too cold.
According to Johnson Controls, the findings indicate that many workers think their employers could be doing more to be energy efficient. The challenge to business owners is avoiding a negative impact on office productivity and the possibility that workers may take action to circumvent their discomfort, including the use of portable heaters or fans, if temperatures are not ideal, said Johnson Controls.
Tags: Mypoint
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Canadian Standards
admin
The day Jan. 1, 2010 will bring many changes to the HVAC industry. As of that date, R-22 will no longer be available in new cooling systems manufactured in the United States or Canada, and our neighbors to the north will have a new national minimum energy performance standard for gas furnaces. After the New Year, gas furnaces manufactured for most Canadian residential applications must have a minimum fuel efficiency level of 90 percent AFUE.
This is a significant jump from the current Canadian minimum standard of 78 percent AFUE for gas furnaces, but the new regulation was not a surprise, as the government has discussed raising minimum furnace efficiency standards for more than 10 years. The reasons given for the new efficiency standard are to improve the environment and reduce greenhouse gases; in addition, the more efficient furnaces will reduce energy bills for consumers.
To view the complete article click here.
Tags: Mypoint
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Twitter, Facebook, and What Really Counts
Chris Wade
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are getting a lot of attention these days, However PHVAC contractors should be more concerned with web technology that allows online customer reviews of their products and services. Customer reviews have taken word-of-mouth marketing online, and strangers are becoming referral sources for each other.
Customers are posting reviews of your service online right now. The problem with Web 2.0 is that every single customer has his or her own printing press.
To read the rest of this post click here.
Tags: customer feedback, Mypoint, search engine
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August DHW, Furnace, AC and Heat-pump Shipments
Chris Wade
U.S. factory shipments of gas-fired, warm-air furnaces in August totaled 171,539, a 10.6-percent drop compared with the same month a year ago. Oil-fired, warm-air furnaces for the same month totaled 4,611, a 32.1-percent drop compared with August 2008 totals. Year-to-date, gas-furnace shipments totaled 1,228,454, a 14.3-percent drop compared with the same period last year. Oil-furnace shipments year-to-date totaled 26,137, a 21-percent drop compared with the same period last year.
Storage Water Heaters
Tags: Mypoint
Residential gas-water-heater shipments totaled 275,048, a 18.7-percent drop compared with shipments for the same month last year. Residential electric-water-heater shipments for August totaled 284,079, a 18.8-percent drop from the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, about 2,458,848 residential gas and 2,493,811 electric storage water heaters have been shipped, a 12.2-percent drop and a 14.5-percent drop compared with the same period a year ago.
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Paul Rieck
Now here’s something we hate to see. We’re working with a customer who wants air-sealing and insulation and who just had a furnace replaced by a competitor. Of course, the competitor talked them into a low-efficiency furnace to save a few hundred dollars. I’ll concede that. But that’s not the whole story. With the inefficient furnace, the masonry chimney had to be lined to meet current code–at a cost which bumps the total up to more than the high-efficiency furnace would have been (which because it’s sealed combustion and vented through the sidewall, doesn’t need to touch the chimney). Right off the bat, the high-efficiency furnace would have been the less expensive option!
Tags: Mypoint
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Rob Ryf
You’re right on. I run into the same thing with solar estimates. People get estimates on solar from contractors and want to buy. I come in and tell them to replace the old nat. draft or 80 gal electric first. Air seal the home. especially where the daylight comes through the fieldstone walls in the crawlspace. Get rid of the 40 yr. old oil furnace that draws 12 amps and replace with a new 97.5% eff. modulating gas furnace drawing less than an amp on low. Then look at the bills. If you still want to add solar give me a call. But other contractors are just looking for that sale because that is all they do. They can’t sell the tankless/hybrid water heater, the furnace, the air source heat pump, or air sealing. So they get in get a signature and get out leaving the homeowner with inefficient equipment in a leaky home.
One customer had a bid for he and his wife for a solar water heating system for $8650.00. I looked at his gas bill. It was $20.00/mo. I told him we could put in a hybrid or tankless and cut the bill in half. So now he’s down to less than $10.00 a month. The solar will save 50% year round here. So he’s only saving $5.00 /mo. with the solar. I run into this all the time, a new solar with an old water heater still sitting there.
The right equipment for each customer. We are not furnace guys, or plumbers etc. we are professionals in an industry where customers are more than ever not only seeking information but options. We should look at all the equipment in the home and come up with a total package for each customer. This is a long term approach for not only sales each year as customers can afford these changes but savings for them. This approach leads to more referrals and return customers as they see the bills decrease. As the bills decrease the trust they have in you goes up. And the easy part is that all you need to do is be honest with the customer. Yes the equipment is expensive but they are usually willing to spend more if you can show them the value. So I try to take it in steps with the homeowner, solar last. Some never get solar. Rob
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Fujitsu Heat Pumps In Penn State Solar Decathlon
Chris Wade
The 2009 Penn State Solar Decathlon team utilized two Fujitsu Halcyon 26 SEER heat pumps to provide efficient heating and air conditioning.
To view the details of Penn States 2009 Solar Decathlon team click here.
Tags: fujitsu, minisplit, Mypoint
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Rheem Heat Pump Water Heater
Chris Wade
Certainly the heat pump water heater segment is being validated by significant investment in this technology by the major US tank manufacturers. We have posted information about Rheem’s new entry in this field to the product database.
To view and example of this information click here.
Tags: AirGenerate, Mypoint, Rheem. product database
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Can you spare a couple minutes?
Chris Wade
We currently work with a few hundred-contractor websites. Some of our MyPointNow members get over 1,000 visitors each week to their site and generate a very substantial portion of their revenue from site operations. That’s more than 80 times more traffic than a typical (non-MPN site) and more than many manufacturers sites enjoy. Other MPN contractors may only get 180 visitors each week.
What’s the difference? Your registration and feedback system.
From the yellow pages, pay per click, truck identification, and any of a hundred other options most service businesses spend hundreds or thousands of dollars each month on advertising.
You will generate more leads and more business than any other option at your disposal if you spend a few minutes each day utilizing the feedback and registration system. It updates the site, broadens your search engine profile, improves customer loyalty and generates third party certified customer feedback.
Absolutely your lowest cost and most effective sales and management tool is MPN registration and feedback and its worth the time each week necessary to utilize it.
We have developed automated data upload systems that work with your customer management software and help you efficiently ad new customer records to your site. The backoffice systems are PDA compatible so your crews can update the site from anywhere.
New leads and better customer retention for only a few minutes a pay – you bet its worth.
Tags: backoffice, Mypoint, search engine
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Can Someone Help Me Out?
Chris Wade
We recently posted information about a new photovoltaic solar energy project that has just been installed right here in Vermont. The project consists of 36 AllSun Tracker panels installed on an acre or two of land. The installed cost of each of these panels is said to be about $31,000 and on average each panel generates about 470 kwh per month. This is really pretty cool stuff and the cost of this type of installation is becoming more affordable and can be justified at least to some degree based on the energy saved and the environmental benefits.
What I don’t get is why it makes sense to put this type of financial resources into technologies that offer what have to be called pretty abominable rates of return. I know they are aided by very significant tax credits but those credits unfortunately don’t grow on trees – they come from all of us in the form of higher taxes, higher deficits, or both.
I am not saying that investing in solar technology doesn’t make sense. This type of subsidy will allow costs to produce this type of equipment falls it can play a large roll in reducing our dependence on carbon based fuels and the tax credits hopefully will give solar and wind energy the boost they need to become viable.
What I am saying is that we are enamored with the concept of wind and solar energy, and like most romantic relationships you think with your heart and not your head. Unfortunately I recall a time in our industry during the Carter administration where government subsidies help create a vibrant solar and heat pump industry, which promptly died in the early 1980’s as these subsidies where removed and it became obvious that the technology could not stand on its own.
Tags: AirGenerate, Mypoint, solar, tax credits
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Todd Hallock
I installed a Lochinvar Knight a that keeps howling, but rarely when I’m there. The venting includes about 5′ of 3 inch pipe and 2 90’s on the intake and exhaust and it is terminated with the wall cap included with the boiler. i also added a 3×2 reducer to the exhaust to try to add some restriction after talking to Lochinvar tech support. This boiler is converted to propane and I did set it up with a combustion analyzer. The last time I was out there, I increased the gas pressure a little bit and it worked great for 3 days, then it howled all day long on the fourth day. This seems to happen at low fire, and once it starts, it will not stop until the boiler shuts off. I need to get this fixed as the customer is starting to loose patience, and I don’t blame him. I would appreciate any ideas. Thanks.
Tags: Lochinvar, Mypoint
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Jack White
I used to have that same problem with some of my TT installs… The fix was to bring the O2 on low fire up which will also lower you CO2.. Is this a Honeywell gas valve? if so you may want to Adjust your Offset screw just a little bit as well to get your values from high to low fire tighter.
Good luck.
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AGA Analysis: Natural Gas is Most Effective Energy Source
Chris Wade
Washington, DC – The American Gas Association (AGA) today released the results of a recently conducted analysis showing that the direct use of natural gas in residential applications, when evaluated on a full-fuel-cycle basis against fuel oil, electricity and propane, results in significant reductions in energy production, consumer energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.
Tags: Mypoint
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Kent Riggs
Seems like they’re getting worried about heat pump technology… given the improvements in technology lately they should be.
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admin
Google Meta Tag Key Words Straight From The Horse’s Mouth
We work for a lot of people in the service industry utilizing websites as a operating and marketing platform. Every time we start talking to someone about developing a website for them inevitably the idea of search engine optimization and meta key words comes up. Although the video below only represents how google’s algorithm works with meta keyword description tags, we think its valuable information.
Tags: Mypoint, search engine
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AirTap Heat Pump Waters Heater Team Wins!
Chris Wade
The University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) won the hot water contest at recently concluded Solar Decathlon by being the only team to get a perfect score in the category. They were ranked second overall and was the best American team in the contest.
Their winning design used heat pump water heater technology from a Houston-based company, AirGenerate. Their flagship product AirTap™ can be retrofitted onto any existing water heater tank to reduce the water heating bill by up to 70%. It runs on a regular 110V outlet so can be powered by solar panels as well.
“We are excited to win the hot water contest. AirTap™ heat pump water heater played a pivotal role in that. We looked at several technologies but made the right choice with AirTap™. Besides being extremely efficient and capable of running on solar, AirTap™ also helped us with its cooling and dehumidification capabilities.” said Alan Mellovitz, Solar Decathlon team member from University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).
To see the full post click here.
Tags: AirGenerate, Mypoint
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Brad Chirnside
Scott, I just put in two RC98s The venting is a concentric vent similar to the alloy exaust. The nose (termination piece looks different) the center is Poly and the outer is PVC. Other than that they are similiar.
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
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Chris
Hi Brad-
Overall what did you think of the RC series? How is the noise level compared to the LSi units? Do you think a lot of your customers will move toward the condensing units or will the business stay with the older 80%+ units?
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Brad Chirnside
Man I loved the new RC 98s, I put two of them in last week. I hooked both of
them up to Hydronic Air Handlers. One unit I installed a two stage 16 seer
ac unit. They are a huge success. My suggestion to Rinnai would be to
change all of the venting to the poly interior and pvc exterior. -
Leon R Clayberger
The RC series runs much quieter in comparison to the R LS but that does not mean the R LS series is loud. They are “quiet” but the RC is quieter. As to selling more of the RC series, if there is an easy way to get the condensate to a drain because they do put off a lot of condensation, they are worth the difference in price for the efficiency. When I find an easy drain situation I highly recommend the RC series.
LeonOriginally Posted By ChrisHi Brad-
Overall what did you think of the RC series? How is the noise level compared to the LSi units? Do you think a lot of your customers will move toward the condensing units or will the business stay with the older 80%+ units?
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Solar Energy In Vermont
Chris Wade
Vermont is know for skiing, maple syrup, fall foliage, liberal politics, and to some – cloudy days. In an average year Burlington Vermont only enjoys sunshine 49.4% of available daylight hours. It is no surprise that other areas of the country are considered better suited for solar energy such as Phoenix, Arizona which receives 85.4% of potential sunshine.
However solar energy is a growth industry in Vermont. The latest and largest example has just been installed adjacent to a former maple sugarbush and has been commissioned in Hinesburg, Vermont.
Tags: Mypoint, photovoltaics, solar
For the rest of this article click here.
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Scott Oberlander
Rinnai Venting-
Whats with the venting on the new water heaters – does anyone know why we can’t use PVC on the condensing units like you can with Noritz and the boilers we use like NTI?
Tags: Mypoint, Noritz, Rinnai, tankless
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Chris Wade
Updated Rinnai Condensing Water Heater Product Information
We have updated the product information in the product database for Rinnai’s new condensing water heaters.
To view an example of this information click here
Tags: Mypoint, product database, Rinnai
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SEO - Search Engine Optimization
Chris Wade
By Chris Wade
So lets talk about search engines. They’re what the yellow pages used to be. You need to be there.
There are really three ways to get your site to the top of the local search engines. One is commonly used, very expensive, and is like the sugary candy my kids used to crave. This is external site pay per click. Maybe you’ve used this type of service. A company sets up a special website for you (that they own) and guarantees a certain number of leads per month, or agrees to a specific budget. And they do generate leads by placing sponsored links for your goods and services on Google and other search engines. The problem with these services is that you are paying to develop traffic on a website that someone else owns and as soon as you stop paying any longer term value you would have certainly retained if this site where yours, is gone. And like my kids after the sugar buzz where’s off, your just left feeling a little tired and a little guilty. It really makes no sense.
Tags: Mypoint, search engine
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Regal Oil Furnaces
Chris Wade
Regal Variable Speed Oil Furnaces have been added to the database.
To view a sample of this data click here.
Tags: Mypoint, Regal Furnaces
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Chris Wade
Too Big To Fail Bank Profits
Elizabeth Warren is the chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel. In a recent interview she said she was “speechless” over record-high bank bonuses scheduled for later this year, and the behavior of large banks. As small buiness people who depend on the banking system I think its important that we keep up with these issues.To view this 5 minute interview click here.
Comments on this important issue would be appreciated.
Tags: Mypoint
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Ray Edison
On of these banks cut my credit line by 80% after I had used them for 8 years. They are greedy and selfish that care more about taking care of themselves than making a reasonable profit our community. It is incredible that Washington just gave them all this money and less than a year later they are back to this behavior. Elizabeth Warren for President.
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Jeff Lane
Truly a double standard – the government and huge businesses with influence live by one set of rules and the rest of us have to live with another. Its amazing how big business influences regulation to the detriment of small business. Too big to fail should mean too big to exist in our economy. Why are we letting these enormous businesses continue to consolidate and make it increasing impossible for small businesses to compete?
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Vinnie Smedick
Chris,
Tags: Mypoint
Are you going to add mulitple equipment spots to the registration page? I think it would be good to have an add another choice. I have several jobs where I install a hydro-air system that includes a boiler, indirect water heater, 3 air handlers and 3 condensing units. That is a lot of re-typing the current way and sending multiple survey questions could seem annoying to a customer. Thanks, Vinnie
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Chris
HI Vinnie-
Multiple unit registration on a single job is coming out within the next few weeks. We have it in late development / early testing right now/
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Carbon Monoxide Alarms Proposed for ASHRAE Standard
Chris Wade
In a change that would bring its residential ventilation and indoor air quality standard closer in line with that of the 2009 International Residential Code, ASHRAE is proposing that carbon monoxide alarms be required in homes.
Under proposed addendum l to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, carbon monoxide alarms would be required to be installed outside of each sleeping area. The proposed addendum is open for public comment until Oct. 26, 2009.
Nine other addenda, unrelated to CO, also are open for review. Steve Emmerich, chair of the Standard 62.2 Committee, said that as the standard becomes more widely used as a result of its adoption into building codes and green building programs, several clarifications are being addressed through proposed changes.Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning leads to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries each year in homes. Such poisoning results primarily from automobiles left running in attached garages but also from portable generators, power tools and heaters, according to Emmerich. A small fraction of poisonings also result from failed central heating combustion appliances.
“Residents have very little ability to sense the presence of CO without detectors, unlike many other indoor polluting events,” he said.
Whether to include CO alarms as a requirement in the standard has been discussed since the standard was first proposed. Debate has focused on the unreliability and cost of alarms. But Emmerich said the committee believes the time has come to make this change, noting that it will bring the standard into closer alignment with the 2009 International Residential Code, which requires alarms if the house has combustion appliances or attached garages, and with many states that have passed laws requiring CO alarms.
“This proposed requirement goes a step further, expanding the protection to all homes, regardless of fuel type or garage configuration, reflecting the fact that many CO exposures occur due to causes completely independent of these factors,” he said. “It also requires that alarms be hard-wired with battery backup to address an increased likelihood of high CO exposure events during power outages.”
Also open for public comment is proposed addendum s, which would give credits for different types of residential ventilation systems. The proposed change increases mechanical ventilation system flow rates for systems that are unbalanced or not fully ducted, unless they have a provision for mixing. Emmerich said this is a fairly significant change that has been under extensive study by the committee.
Standard 62.2 addenda open for public comment until Oct. 11 are addenda j, l, o, p, q and r while those open until Oct. 26 are m, n, s and t.
Tags: Ashrea, carbon monoxide, Mypoint
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Bouchard Robert
System 2000 Timer
Has anyone ever attempted to install a timer on the domestic tank on a E K system 2000 oil boiler. Any info would be helpful. Thanks
Tags: Mypoint, System 2000
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Tankless Views
Steve A. Thompson
I here people in my area badmouthing tankless. I agree Tankless may not be for everyone. A customer must be aware of the things that make “special”. In my area water quality is not a problem but I can be in other areas.
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai, tankless
Now non-skilled people installing them is a problem sometimes. I always tell a customer during the estimate process “you will get endless hot water but just not with every appliance in the house running”. Here with a Rinnai a customer can run 2 showers at the same time and no problems. Some situations we install a 4 gallon electric tank to combat the “cold Water sandwich”
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Leon R Clayberger
I have found that my thorough education of the potential client about how the Rinnai tankless water heater functions dispels the potential for badmouthing. You must know fully how the unit functions to explain it so there are no surprises when the installation is complete and you leave. The tempering tank to combat the “cold water sandwich” is seldom needed and in only some very isolated instances. When the “cold water sandwich” has been properly explained, the client learns how to very easily not have it as an issue.
Leon
Google Search - This use of programmed keywords.
Chris Wade
In the past web designers have programmed “meta tags” or “keywords” in the code for a site’s homepage. These are lists of words that many site owners believe help the search engines find and rank a website.
Well because of the abuse of this tags by programmers a couple of years ago it became clear that the search engines no longer use this type of marker to rank a site so they are a wast of time.
To view more information on this topic click here.
Tags: Mypoint, search engine RInnai DV Heaters
Chris Wade
The Rinnai DV Gas space heaters have been updated on the database. If you handle these products you should update them on you site from the product database.
View an example of the new info here.
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai The Electric Grid
Chris Wade
Often referred to as “the world’s biggest machine,” the North American electricity grid as a whole is an integrated network of generators and millions of miles of wires that crisscross the United States and Canada. It snakes across fields, over mountains, through tunnels, along highways, beneath sidewalks, under rivers and seas. If you live anywhere in Canada or the continental United States, this mega-machine “reaches into your home, your bedroom,” as one writer put it, “and climbs right up into the lamp next to your pillow.”
The grid is designed as a hub-and-spoke system, in which large centralized generators supply electricity to thousands of end users. All told, the U.S. grid has about 300,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5.2 million miles of local distribution lines. When one cable in a network short-circuits, others nearby will automatically pick up the burden. But if the surrounding cables are also overstressed, they too can fail, causing a cascading effect that can knock out major portions of a network.
In recent years, the U.S. power grid has become increasingly prone to such interruptions. Average temperatures have risen, homes have gotten bigger, and so have air-conditioning demands. Thanks to our technology-rich lifestyles and the inefficiency of our buildings and power plants, Americans consume, per capita, at least 50 percent more electricity annually than the citizens of Europe and Japan.
See the full article by Amanda Little here.
Tags: Electric Grid, Mypoint
Fujitsu Condensate Pump Question
Jim Campbell
Does anyone have any ideas about dealing with a noisy pump? We love our mini-split, but unfortunately did not have the right set up to install it on an outside wall. Therefore, we had to add a small pump at the bottom of the indoor unit, and it has an “aqua sensor” which must be ULTRA sensitive. It runs for a few seconds several times a day, even when the unit has not been used for several days. It even pumps when the heat is on. Any advice?
Tags: fujitsu, Mypoint-
Dan Clark
Jim, What type of pump are you using? Little giant has a mini pump which can be installed inside the indoor unit and makes no audible noise. We have over 100 of the EC series condensate pumps working with Fujitsu equipment in server rooms and residences and never had any problems.
Noritz 0842 Models
Chris Wade
The Noritz 0842 condensing tankless water heaters are now in the database.
Tags: Mypoint, Noritz, tankless Nortiz adding N-0842MC Model
Chris Wade
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIF. – Noritz America Corp., the official tankless water heater of Brad Pitt’s Make It Right project in New Orleans, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 2008-09, and Leonardo di Caprio’s rebuilding effort in Greensburg, Kan., has introduced the N-0842MC condensing unit for residential use.
For more information click here.
Tags: Mypoint, Noritz, tankless Rheem Heating and AC
Chris Wade
We are adding Rheem HVAC equipment to the database.
You can view example of Rheem products available here.
Tags: Mypoint, Rheem
Uponor RTI Fitting Failures
Froilian Diaz
Plumbing fittings sold by Uponor, Inc. (Uponor) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Radiant Technology, Inc. (RTI) are defective and fail prematurely, causing extensive water damage to homes, commercial buildings and other property, according to allegations in a putative class action lawsuit filed May 15 in the United States District Court in Minnesota.
Minnesota-based Uponor has admitted in court filings that fittings it sold for its plumbing systems are “defective” and “unreasonably dangerous.” However, the company refuses to replace all affected plumbing systems or otherwise reimburse all property owners as required under warranties it issued, according to the complaint.
Tags: Mypoint, Pex, Uponor
James Graham
Hi, I was wondering if anyone has come across the following problems with a rinnai hot water heater. Basically the temp of th e water fluctuates quite drastically. Temp drops to almost cold water and will then get hotter than the specified temp, making for a very unpleasant shower experience.
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai, tankless-
Leon R Clayberger
Some shower controls have a built in 120 degree maximum temperature limit. When the temperature gets to 120 or higher, the control adds water to the hot side to maintain no more than 120 degrees. This causes a flow rate to be less than 6/10 gallon per minute which the Rinnai needs to keep fired. If you set the temperature on the Rinnai to 115 degrees it will not dump the temperature limiting cold water to the hot side. To use the Rinnai to its proper potential, learn what water temperature you like for showering (for example 102 degrees) and turn the shower control to full hot. You will get the 102 degrees consistently without variation. If this does not correct it you may call 717-994-7293. Leon Clayberger
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Keith Bohall
is this a new installation or older one? gas always plays a part in proper performance, if it is older install, call me and I will walk you through correcting problem..720-934-8711 http://www.yourtankless.com
william wierzgac
R-600: I have a product to replace r-22. It is the best refrigerant I have ever used. 100% enviromentally friendly,lowers energy cost by about 30%,lowers head pressure,use less refrigerant
call or e-mail 870-688-2373 usppartners@yahoo.com
Smith Boilers
Chris Wade
Smith Series 8 oil fired water and steam boilers have been added to the database.
Tags: Mypoint, smith boiler Softlaunch - Site data upload
Chris Wade
We are in the process of final testing for a very exciting new feature. We are testing a system that excepts your customer data from programs like Quickbooks and Wintec and uploads it to your backoffice system.
This might not sound exciting to you, but it is a pretty big deal. The NUMBER 1 thing you need to do to get more leads from is to use your online registration and feedback system, but we all know that some days you just don’t have the time to work with your online database AND your accounting system.
Well now you’ll be able to use your accounting data as usual, and very efficiently send your job info to your online database.
We are looking for a few more test cases. If your interested please let us know.
Tags: backoffice, Mypoint, quickbooks
Paul Guzman
This is a website we developed to promote water conservation in Marin County, CA. This has been a terrific opportunity to impact water use in our community and hopefully eliminate the need for a huge desalination plant that is proposed.
http://marinwaterconservation.com/
Tags: conservation, Mypoint
Steven Flocker
We want to be able to move pictures in / out to create change and updates to cause people to revisit our website to view the “latest”. We’re playing on twitter to get people to our site. Pictures & captions on new products / installations will hopefully bring new potential customers to our website.
Tags: Mypoint-
Chris
We will post our new photo management system on your site this afternoon. I’ll be in touch.
Chris Wade
Gould GS Series submersible pumps have been added to the product database.
To view the Gould GS products pages click here.
Tags: gould, Mypoint Grundfos Circulators
Chris Wade
The data on Grundfos circulators has been updated and the Magnum and Alpha series pumps have been added to the product database.
You can view an example of this information here.
Tags: Grundfos, Mypoint Spacepak
Chris Wade
We have updated the content for Spacepak mini-duct AC & heating systems. Similar to Unico.
To view these updates click here.
Tags: Mypoint, spacepak, Unico
Rob Ryf
Just out of curiosity how have the Bioheat wood gasification products worked – Are you pleased with their performance?
Tags: bioheat, Mypoint-
Sheltra Tom
The Innova and the Turbo are great units, we have had a few minor issues with the Solo Plus but Bioheat resolved the issues. The Innova and Turbo need to be operated with storage tanks.
Vinnie Smedick
Bioheat Solid Fuel Boiler Systems
Chris Wade
We have added Bioheat solid fuel boilers systems to the product database. This is pretty insteresting technology for northern and rural climates.
To view this product information click here.
Tags: bioheat, Mypoint, solid fuel, wood heat
Thermoflo Centennial Low Furnaces Now In System
airgenerate
We have added Thermoflo Centennial Oil Furnaces to the product database.
You can review an example of these product pages here.
Tags: Mypoint, thermoflo
Joy Leblanc
airgenerate
DOE to Fund up to $454 Million for Retrofit Ramp-Ups in Energy Efficiency
This is great news for AirTap supporters. If you have a huge retrofit project with any government agency (federal, state, county, or city) that uses AirTap™ to save on utility bills, you can apply for a grant from DOE. The application is due in two weeks (Sept 28, 2009). Please take advantage of this great opportunity. Feel free to contact us at AirGenerate if you need any assistance.
To view the US DOE Proposal Request Click Here
Tags: Mypoint Chris Wade
We have added Viessmann Solar Systems to the product database.
Tags: Mypoint, product database, Viessmann Therma-Stor Dehumidifiers
Chris Wade
Therma-Stor Santa Fa and Ultra-Aire dehumdifiers hav been added to the product database.
You can view an example of this product data here.
Tags: Mypoint, ThermaStore
Terry Ruch
I have a “view employment application” tab on the back office. A Great Idea! How do I advertise on my front page to accumulate applicants / resumes? How do I toggle it on or off, set requirements etc?
Tags: employment application, Mypoint-
Chris
We actually have to turn it on for you. I’ll do that and send you the link…. if you like it we can post in on your site.
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Chris
HI Terry-
This is the link. When someone fills out the application it store the information in the database and it can be recalled at any time from your dashboard.
If its of we can make a link from your site.
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Vinnie Smedick
Hi Chris,
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your co-workers and family. I’d like the application link added to my page. http://www.smedickheating.com thanks,
Vinnie
Vinnie Smedick
Can you add EWC steam humidifiers to the product info – they are all I use.
Tags: EWC Controls, Mypoint Chris Wade
Burnham MegaSteam
Burnham Megateam Oil Boilers have been added to the product database.
You can view an example of this product data here.
Tags: Burnham, Mypoint
Dennis Wissner
This is a pretty cool rebate program – a “cash for clunkers” idea. Utility support and good support from Amana.
Take a look at this program online.
Tags: Amana, Mypoint
Sam Wieczorek
Hey Chris,
I am unable to register my Rinnais today. The button is gone after you complete the info. Are you working on this?
Sam
The RinnaiGuys.Com
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Chris
Hey Sam-
I take it you can enter the model, serial, and customer information ok? There is a bottom at the bottom of the page that says “Complete” – can you see this button on your screen?
Rinnai New Q and E Series Condensing Boilers
Chris Wade
We have posted preliminary product information on Rinnai’s new condensing boilers.
You can view an example of these pages here.
To post these pages to your site click your backoffice products tab.
Tags: backoffice, Mypoint, Rinnai, tankless Rinnai Condensing Tankless Models
Chris Wade
We have posted preliminary product information on Rinnai’s new condensing water heaters.
You can view an example of these pages here.
To post these pages to your site click your backoffice products tab.
Contractor finds Success through Fujitsu's Dealer Dashboard
Chris Wade
Alex Orlik of New Hyde Park, NY runs HVAC firm Cool Guy, Inc. He has owned and operated this business for many years, bringing heating and cooling solutions to homes in the Long Island area. As a one-man company, Alex must be on top of all aspects of his business including sales, installations, book keeping and customer satisfaction, therefore he was very pleased when Fujitsu introduced it’s new, contractor-friendly Dealer Dashboard.
Click here to read the entire article in .pdf form
Tags: fujitsu, Mypoint
Linda Cahill
Rinnai’s new condensing heaters are coming out this month. Can you please add an announcement to our banner and the new products to our products page. I have attached the brochure. Can the brochure be added somewhere too? Thanks much!
Tags: Mypoint, Rinnai
Leon R Clayberger 5:18 am on March 15, 2011 Permalink
Hi Sam,
I would appreciate knowing your fix in case i run into the problem on the ones we have installed. Thanks