December 1, 2007
Articles
Greenbuild packs em in
Chicago - The U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild conference and exposition opened with huge crowds to see and hear former President Bill Clinton...
DOE sets 82% as new AFUE level for boilers
Washington - The U.S. Department of Energy has announced moderately higher efficiency standards for gas and oil furnaces and boilers under the Energy...
Global labor shortage requires new hiring tactics
Anaheim - Contractors are facing a global competition for workers that will only exacerbate a growing workforce shortage in the U.S., Purdue University...
READERS' CHOICE
Following are those products from the past year that generated the greatest number of reader inquiries. THIS SOLAR-POWERED ATTIC FAN helps remove heat...
Green school goes for Gold
Wayne, Pa. Armed with the knowledge from building its first elementary school, Radnor Township School District officials here decided to embark on an...
Part 2: Solar flexes its muscles at Decathlon
Washington We began our coverage of the Solar Decathlon and several of the colleges and universities competing in the biennial competition last month...
Well-crafted bonus plans pay dividends
Anaheim Developing a well-thought-out bonus program can go a long way to increase employee productivity and retain qualified workers, business coach John...
Md. Decathlon students conquer adversity
College Park, Md. I was in the middle of planning and building a solar exhibit for a Boy Scout Jamboree just a few weeks prior to the Solar Decathlon...
PMI helps cut water use 45% in drought-ravaged town
Orme, Tenn. While the City of Atlanta has been in the news for having less than a three month supply of water available, this tiny town in southwest Tennessee...
Green insurance sprouts from sustainable building demand
Novato, Calif. The growing momentum to bring sustainable building practices into the mainstream prompted an insurance company here to offer what it claims...
In Brief
Johnson Controls has announced the acquisition of The Capital Group, a mechanical services company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Specific terms of...
Make your business work for you
As a business manager or owner, do you know how to assess your business and your plan to determine if you are progressing toward success or even traveling...
Looking for the green in green
Bill Erickson started thinking about water conservation and the green building movement a long time before it became The Next Big Thing, before sustainable...
The long journey to conservation
High efficiency furnaces and boilers that can hit 96% or better, inverter heat pumps and A/C units with 11-HSPF and 21-SEER, ground source heat pumps...
Retrofit variable speed pump considerations, Part 4
At the end of last month's column (November, p. 40), I promised that we would look at the bottom line results of retrofitting variable speed pumps on...
Online resource finds, compares software
With a database of nearly 10,000 software vendors, Capterra's interactive marketplace, at www.capterra.com, is an easy-to-use online resource that can...
Sioux Chief holds plant tour for contractors
Peculiar, Mo. The Sioux Chief Co. recently hosted a plant tour for more than 50 mechanical and plumbing contractors here. The event included an invitation...
NY Thermal continues recall
Washington Ny Thermal Inc. continues to recall select models of its Trinity gas-fired hot water boilers due to potential risk that a condensate fitting...
15 tips to peak performance in steam systems
With energy costs at record levels, efficiency is on the minds of homeowners, and contractors are being asked to bring utility bills down. Try this steam...
Doing business with the U.S. government
I started my career with the U.S. government, so it came as a bit of a shock to me, when I went into private practice in the Midwest, to learn that people...
Potpourri of little-known tax miracles
It's easy to lose big dollars to the IRS, almost always unnecessarily. The following are some easy-to-do (tax-saving and wealth-building) strategies that...
My sliding scale of contract value contributions
Certain people or things can add more value to a project than others. While each part of the process to complete a contract may be equally necessary,...
From where you are to where you want to be
No matter how long you've been in business, there's one question that always fits: where do you go from here? The question that refines that thought is...
Is a comp plan needed for small contractors?
One of the most common comments we receive from our small- and medium-sized clients is, We don't need a compensation plan. We are a small employer and...
MSI donates $60,000 to Frontline Outreach
Orlando, Fla. Mechanical Services Inc. presented a $60,000 check to Frontline Outreach Inc. during the 23rd annual MSI-Frontline Outreach Golf Tournament...
PRODUCTS
editor's choice THIS USED-OIL COIL TUBE BOILER is able to burn used oil generating hot water for use in car washes, baseboard heating, in-floor radiant...
Erickson provides green contracting model
I've heard it said that if you read a book on a topic, then you know more than the vast majority of people. And if you read two books on a subject, then...
advertisement
This Month's Products
THE STRATOS ECO HIGH-EFFICIENCY RESIDENTIAL CIRCULATOR
automatically adjusts to system demands by means of ECM motor technology; pressure by-pass valves, balancing, over-pumping and noisy zones are all eliminated...
THE ESPREE HIGH-EFFICIENCY TOILET
exceeds all industry performance standards, saving more than 20% over typical 1.6 GPF toilets.
THE DUAL-FLUSH FLOWISE HIGH EFFICIENCY TOILET
allows users to select either a 1.6 GPF flush, or a 0.8 GPF flush. Available with an elongated bowl, the traditionally styled HET...
THE GRAIL FAUCET
features sleek lines and minimalist styling. It is offered in single- and dual-handle configurations, including wall-mount...
Contractor Opinion Poll
Industry Resources
advertisement
