SACRAMENTO, CALIF. – TSQ & Son Plumbing and Heating, Havertown, Penn.; Gene Johnson Plumbing, Seattle; Roebers Inc. Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, Castro Valley, Calif.; Wallner Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, Redding, Calif.; Plumbing Concepts, Yorba Linda, Calif.; LeDuc & Dexter, Santa Rosa, Calif.; One Call Plumbing, Phoenix; Michigan Plumbing, Lansing, Mich.; Addario’s Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, Boston; and Legacy Plumbing, Rocklin, Calif., recently became licensed by the GreenPlumbers training and accreditation program.
The GreenPlumbers program is partnered with EPA’s WaterSense program, the Alliance for Water Efficiency, the California Center for Sustainable Energy, the California Urban Water Conservation Council, and many other industry programs that bring environmental training to plumbers.
Tom Quagliarello, owner of TSQ & Son Plumbing and Heating, had an interest for environmental issues and attended green training classes. When he was studying for LEED accreditation, he found out about GreenPlumbers.
"I expect that becoming a licensed GreenPlumber certainly won’t hurt my business," said Quagliarello. "It will keep me up-to-date with new technologies and practices.”
Gene Johnson and his wife, Valerie, launched Gene Johnson Plumbing in 1976. Forty-two years later, the company is the area's first licensed GreenPlumber. The company is now run by Johnson's daughter, Kimberly Kean, and son-in-law, Dennis Hamon. They intend to broaden green work and continue to educate homeowners about environmental awareness.
"We have new truck wraps with the GreenPlumbers logo on them, and it's our hope to be out there promoting green products and green living," Hamon said. "People may overlook the idea that the plumber is one of the front-line people in conserving water and energy. We are the ones who make that a reality. If homeowners want to be green, one of the first things they should do is contact a plumber. Conserving water is one of the most useful things they can do."
John Roeber, president of Roebers Inc. Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, is looking forward to helping consumers reduce energy consumption and use more efficient technologies.
"I’m convinced that being good stewards of our natural assets is not only the right thing to do, but it’s an action we are mandated to perform as it affects the lives of many others," said Roeber, in describing what led him to make his company licensed by GreenPlumbers.
Patrick Wallner, president of Wallner Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, believes licensing is a sound business decision.
"The people who are signing up (for licensing) are signing up because they know the increased business is going to far outweigh the cost," he explained.
Legacy Plumbing president, Tom Bennett, plans to have his company focus on water conservation, solar hot water and gray water systems.
“Becoming accredited in green plumbing technology is important,” commented Bennett. "When you can show your customers you’ve taken the additional step of becoming licensed, you bring value to your company and peace of mind to your customers."
John Raya, president of Plumbing Concepts, is committed to environmental issues at his company. Because of his level of commitment, he brought Plumbing Concepts to the GreenPlumbers program.
"We wanted to demonstrate our commitment not just to licensing, but to a cause," said Raya. "We wanted to be tied into a group that not only had a track record for green advocacy, but could teach us to be advocates as well."
One Call Plumbing, a Phoenix-based company with three locations in the metropolitan area, takes its environmental responsibility seriously. "Water conservation has always been our focus," explained Glen Stiener, owner of One Call Plumbing. "We look forward to learning and being able to teach consumers more about conservation, as well as helping to shape future policy. I feel this is the future for our industry."
Bryan Buckhave, president of Michigan Plumbing, believes it is important to conserve.
"Every little bit we do helps to make an impact on our environment," said Buckhave. "I think business will grow with our new knowledge and practices as GreenPlumbers. And by being the first licensed GreenPlumber in our area, we are setting a positive example for all of our customers."
LeDuc & Dexter is a prominent plumbing contractor in the North Bay area of California, and is now the first company in the area with a GreenPlumbers license.
"We have many winery customers who can benefit from solar thermal systems," said Tom LeDuc, partner of LeDuc and Dexter. The company plans to focus their environmental work on water conservation, energy audits and solar water heating. LeDuc & Dexter also has a design/build division, which will focus on "designing energy-efficient water and radiant heating and cooling systems," added LeDuc.
Addario’s Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical is also certified. By gaining certification, the company has taken the first steps to give homeowners on-demand water options to decrease the amount of gas and water usage in the home and is involved with GreenPlumbers’ Urban Dam project in Massachusetts, which is a three-phase program to identify residential water and energy savings on a house-by-house basis.
“We’re proud to be the first green plumbing company in Massachusetts and are committed to giving our customers cutting-edge, eco-conscious information and products,” said Steven Addario Jr., owner of Addario’s. “We are thrilled about doing something really positive for our company, our customers and most of all, our planet.”
Additional information is available at: www.greenplumbersusa.com.