Insurance secrets they don’t want you to know about
You’ll be delighted by what you are about to read. The subject — courtesy of flaws in the tax law — is tax-advantaged investment strategies. ...
1.6 ULF to 1.28 HET upgrade concerns
Mike, a plumbing engineer, writes, "Hello Mr. Yates. I’ve been commissioned to perform water-efficiency audits at several facilities in the area, which is to include recommendations for toilet and urinal replacement/retrofits. Most of these facilities are currently equipped with 1.0-gpf urinals and 1.6-gpf toilets....
Three productivity solutions
Singletouch, www.singletouch.com, is a real-time data capture solution for mechanical and other contractors working on a job that requires materials and workload tracking. ...
BIM: What to watch out for
Last month I discussed in general what Building Information Modeling is and isn't. The term properly applies to the accumulation of all data relevant to the design, construction and operation of a physical plant or facility, so that parties can work out discrepancies and conflicts in a virtual environment (rather than in the field, when work is stopped), and then later use it as a "living history" for maintenance, renovation and other purposes. ...
The customer is always right even when he’s wrong
Scenario No. 1: ABC Plumbing & Heating gets a service call about a commode that keeps on running. The dispatcher assigns the call to “Ramblin’ Rick,” one of his best service plumbers. Rick rolls on the call and arrives at the appointed time to the “Mr. & Mrs. Customer” residence. So far, so good....
Papal permit trumps plumbing code
Hey Gene, I need half a plumbing permit for a double-bowl sink! Gene was Eugene Witmer, the York City plumbing inspector at the time, and we were installing a special plumbing fixture. I wanted to give my friend Gene a bit of a hard time — in a friendly manner — about this fixture. Two drains for two bowls in a single fixture...
It's not going to be a walk in the park
ALTHOUGH WE ran our 2010 forecast story in last month's issue, we have two stories in this issue that continue to mull over what will happen this year. ...
The difference between management and project management
Common sense will tell you that there are many degrees of responsibility between micromanaging a two-man crew as a working foreman and macromanaging a 2,000 employee company as a corporate president....
Major advances in heat pump technology — Part 2
In last month’s column, we discussed some rough basic sizing and cost information. It should be noted that drilling costs fluctuate all over the board, and in some cases where the going gets tough, it may cost upwards of three to four times the cost that I projected last month....
Major advances in heat pump technology
With ground-source heat pump technology being a central focus of the U.S. Congress, allowing a 30% tax credit for residential ground-source heat pump...
EPA finalizes WaterSense for Homes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its version of the WaterSense for Homes standard in mid-December, although in the world of water conservation...
Design programs for HVAC sizing solutions
Rhvac 8 by Elite Software, www.elitesoft.com, is an HVAC design program that calculates peak heating and cooling load requirements for rooms, zones, systems...
BIM and you: know its benefits and risks
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is coming, and as Lee Iaccoca (and many others, probably) put it, you'd better be prepared to lead, follow or get...
Eliminating all of your estate tax burden
I'll bet the farm that this article will save many business owners, who want to transfer the family business to their kids, a ton of taxes. Let's set...
New project management definitions
The job description of what makes a project manager has gradually changed over time. The paper-pushing duties of a working foreman or superintendent used...
Tips to improve your direct mail results
With a gazillion cable channels and the ability to record and fast forward through the ads, satellite radio and personal music players, the increasing...
It's new or improved, but does it work?
Doesn't it seem that there is some new product being advertised every day that you just can't live without? Whether it's a new type of computer, cellular...
New hydronic heating technologies work
There are lots of words buzzing around about hydronic heating technologies radiant, water to air, solar thermal, geothermal and modcon boilers. Do you...
BIM and LPS improve project management
There is some discussion in construction today about which is better to use Building Information Modeling (BIM) or Lean Construction. You need to consider...
One on one with SEIA's president, CEO
During SPI (Solar Power Intl.) in Anaheim, Calif., last October, I had an opportunity to interview Rhone Resch, president and CEO of Solar Energy Industries...
Web-based solutions streamline operations
An online document management application that enables contractors to gather, store and share information with employees and outside project participants...
Are prepaid legal services worthwhile?
Although it may not take as much to keep a good employee as it did when jobs were more abundant, employers are generally always on the lookout for benefits...
Synthetic drywall rots mechanical product
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has confirmed what many people have suspected for quite a while now Chinese-made drywall is causing corrosion of...
Solar hot water sales are hot, hot, hot
Rhone Resch, CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), www.seia.org, recently noted that sales of solar thermal water systems enjoyed a 50% increase...
Going green: how green is your valley?
The new buzzword for the 21st century plumbing/HVAC contractor and just about any other contractor is “green.” What is green? Green is anything that can be perceived as being environmentally friendly. Whether perception and reality are in the same ballpark is a moot point. ...
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