March 1, 2010
Top Story
AHR Expo features sustainable products, technologies
More than 28,000 contractors attended the 62nd 2010 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition in January to learn about green products and technologies....
Feature
West Coast Solar
This month let’s venture out to Southern California for the Solar Power International Conference, put on by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)....
Articles
Builders' Show contains a few gems
LAS VEGAS — Approximately 55,000 builders, remodelers and other members of the home building industry crowded the aisles of the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show....
Kennedy Associates receives LEED volume pre-certification
SEATTLE — This January, Seattle-based Kennedy Associates, an institutional investment advisor, completed sustainable enhancements, including upgrades to HVAC and plumbing systems...
2010 Winter Olympic facilities exemplify sustainability
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — With the 2010 Winter Olympics taking place this month here, Vancouver is the center of attention, as well as the Vancouver Convention Centre, Richmond Olympic Oval and Vancouver Olympic Village — all LEED certified buildings built specifically for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games....
PVC maker sued for pipe failures
LOS ANGELES — Nevada, Virginia, Delaware, Tennessee, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and 39 other California municipalities and water districts have joined a whistleblower lawsuit seeking millions of dollars in damages from JM Eagle and its former parent company, Formosa Plastics Corp. (USA), for supplying PVC water and sewer pipes that the suit alleges the manufacturer knew were substandard....
Commercial water heater has unique features
MONTGOMERY, ALA. — Rheem Water Heaters has released a new commercial water heater under the Rheem-Ruud name with some interesting features in terms of the heat exchanger design and controls. ...
Off-grid, solar home doesn’t scrimp on comfort
WEBSTER, WIS. — Comfort was the only demand that Michael Sperry’s wife Judy made when he proposed building an off-grid, solar-powered home in northwest Wisconsin....
Twins’ Target Field to reuse rainwater
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins baseball club and Pentair, the Minneapolis-based worldwide water solutions provider, are partnering to spotlight the global issue of water by setting a new standard for water use in sports facilities. Pentair will donate......
Uponor holds training center grand opening
APPLE VALLEY, MINN. — Uponor hosted a grand opening for its newly remodeled Factory Training Center here. ...
Columns
Five keys to higher profits
Contractor Dan invested in expensive, graphic-wrapped vehicles and a state-of-the-art warehousing system with a stockpile of all the major brands. He also invested vast amounts of time, money and energy in his Yellow Page ads and Web site. ...
Be a role model for your employees
Leaders are made, not born. Occasionally an extraordinary person comes along who can inspire lofty performance by sheer charisma or overpowering intelligence, but these folks are very much the exception. You don’t have to be Alexander the Great or a Winston Churchill to be a strong effective leader....
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. ...
A day in the life of a project manager
Big breakfast at McDonald’s at 6:00 a.m. Some time to relax and read the newspaper before heading down I-55 to the jobsite office trailer. A lifetime in project management and I’m still not used to getting up so early so I can be there when my guys start coming in. I’m the first one in, the last one out. ...
The color of heat — Part 1
Since its inception, FLIR has made huge leaps and bounds as it pertains to its potential application in the industrial and mechanical fields. Energy in general, has different “ranges” in the spectral field. They now have infrared detectors that can actually “see” gas vapors escaping into the atmosphere, making visual inspection of large mechanical complexes a virtual snap. ...
Three nifty software programs
Taking advantage of GPS and biometric technologies, SHARCC Time and Attendance, www.ueven.com, is a remote field service time clock solution that uses GPS coordinates to verify that a registered employee is on the job by requiring his or her biometric finger identification to clock into a customizable task or phase. ...
How to improve the collection process
Most plumbing and HVAC contractors are not bankers, and do not want to be in the financing business. Yet more than ever before, I see them turned into bankers — cash-flowing projects to keep owners, developers and general contractors afloat. This is happening everywhere, on the smallest remodels to the largest new construction projects. If you don't want it to happen to you, then you will need to take some pro-active steps to protect yourself....
Business card marketing
One of the simplest and lowest cost forms of marketing can be surprisingly effective. It’s the business card. It’s amazing how many companies underutilize business cards. ...
Is there a silver lining?
The current state of the national (and international) economy is anemic, at best. The prolonged recession (depression?) has sapped almost every ounce of life from the construction trades. I am amazed and dismayed at the toll it has taken here in the Southwest, and can imagine that the rest of the country is faring just as poorly....
The risk of bidding green jobs
Going “green” is a top priority for many owners, and contractors are rushing to bid these jobs. Even with a U.S. Green Building Council LEED certified in-house expert, one may not be aware of all the potential risks associated with bidding a green project. Contractors need to be aware of the risks and account for them, so profits are not at risk....
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....
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