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The Reason for Green Now!

My group and I became green plumbers some time ago because it is good for the planet and my lineage. Being a master plumber and with over 25 years of construction experience helps me to view the total needs for going green not just one side of it. Water and the environment is not just a good thing for one or two but for all people. The amount of drinkable water has not really changed over the billions of years, but the consumption of water has diminished the availability by such a large amount that countries are having extended droughts which have left governments with no choice but to limit water and its uses. Take a good look at recent events in Mexico City, 2009.  They called it roving water shut down. Take a good hard look at Australia over the last 25 years; look at Africa and its droughts; look at the USA see where water has been limited. Look at the law suits that are being filed against companies for polluting the water ways; chemicals, untreated waste directly into the water, look at the streams, lakes and ponds and see how polluted. Look at the lakes you are told not to eat the fish. Guess where your water comes from? The list goes on and on of problems with water usage and condition. Call the city that you live in and ask them how much is budgeted every year for clean water and keeping water flowing to all the faucets. Think, just a 10% reduction in water consumption could save billions on tax payer dollars.

You will find that over the last century it has become common place to have water shortages. The signs of the times are in front of our faces. Look what happened to the USA during the Great Depression and the Oklahoma Dust Bowl; the drought conditions were very sore to say the least in the Midwest. The huge sand storms and crop failure and much more on not only environmental impact, but on human as well. Tree rolls were planted by the WPA to help stabilize the soil and help slow down the winds. Now they are cutting down the tree rolls for more land to farm and uncontrolled uses of water. Do you think that we need to help ourselves?

Well, other places in the world are working on that very thing. Australia started having these problems, so they started learning water conservation and different ways to protect the water. They came up with government organizations. Country, state, and city were all pushed to conserve the resources. They started educating the people and the plumbers to be smart and help. We in our country are learning and working together to help, but it will take more than wishing and hoping, it will take a concerted effort to bring this to fruition. GreenplumberUSA (r) is educating plumbers for free. Eddie Wilcox, in San Antonio, has been one of their instructors and his classes are full of help for everyone. San Antonio has turned its water usage around and has now attracted many companies to their town because of having water available for use, gray water conservation and city help to change old antiqued systems that do not work and install systems that do. Plano TX and Frito Lays puts on green shows that are very proactive with all types of information and encouragement to their employees. Saving water is a smart thing to do and saving money is worthwhile as well. Call a Green Plumber today for a water audit and repairs.

By Kent Milberger-The Tank Yanker

Heating water: A tankless task

11:31 AM CDT on Monday, April 2, 2007

Kim Sinks of University Park chose a tankless water heater in 2002 for the same reason he drives a Prius.

"I've always been intrigued by energy-saving gadgets," he said.

Mr. Sinks was an early adopter – in fact, some of the plumbers he consulted back then discouraged him from "going tankless." But that's starting to change. Tankless water heaters, already popular in Europe and other parts of the world, are beginning to catch on in the U.S.

"With energy costs going up and up, more customers are getting interested in these," said Clinton Pickron, plumbing department manager at Home Depot in Dallas.

"Our business has been growing about 10 to 20 percent yearly, but it's up 40 percent this year," said Kent Milberger, a master plumber and owner of Tank Yanker in Richardson, which specializes in the tankless units. He says many American homebuilders are now choosing tankless technology for new homes, especially for upscale homes with oversize tubs.

Also called on-demand or instantaneous water heaters, tankless units use a gas burner or electric element to heat water as needed, without the use of a storage tank. Because no energy is used to keep hot water on standby, the system saves energy.

Mr. Milberger, who has installed hundreds of tankless units in the Dallas area since 1998, is certified to install units by Takagi, Noritz, Bosch and Rheem, the four main manufacturers of tankless water heaters. He estimates that replacing a conventional water heater with a tankless unit can shave 28 to 38 percent off energy costs.

Homeowners will pay upfront, however, for the chance to save in the long run. A new tankless unit, including installation, will range from $1,300 to as much as $3,500 or $4,000. Some homeowners can offset part of that cost by qualifying for a $300 energy savings tax credit in 2007.

Home Depot sells tankless water heaters for $649 to $999; however, most manufacturers won't warranty their units unless installed by a certified plumber. Most tankless units come with 5- to 15-year warranties.

Another big advantage: space savings. Most tankless water heaters are about one-third the size of conventional units.

Mr. Milberger says it's important for homeowners to purchase the right model, taking into consideration hot water usage, the number of bathrooms and appliances and the temperature of groundwater, which can range from 54 to 80 degrees in Texas. With a low-flow shower and relatively warm groundwater, some units could end up producing too much hot water. Takagi, he says, offers a model specifically for that situation.

Some homeowners opt to install separate units for specific appliances that use a lot of hot water, such as a clothes washer or dishwasher. However, Mr. Milberger says that in about 90 percent of his jobs he installs a single tankless unit to handle all of the hot water needs for a home. Typically, tankless water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2 to 13.2 gallons per minute.

Mr. Sinks, the University Park homeowner, says that his unit, supplying 2.2 gallons per minute, has provided ample hot water for his family of four.

"Now I can have hot water as long as I want," said Laura Sinks, Mr. Sinks' wife. "We can take three showers in a row, then run the dishwasher, and still not run out of hot water."

businessnews@dallasnews.com

Note: Government rebates up to 30% tax credit on the total installation up to $1500.00 has decreased pay back time and has made Tankless Water Heaters more affordable.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)--The amount of water on planet Earth has not changed in the last two billion years - but in the last century, water use increased at twice the rate of the world population. The United States flushes 6.8 billion gallons of water down the toilet every day, while more than half of our states anticipate freshwater shortages in the next 10 years. These are just a few of the facts plumbers learned when they attended one of the workshops held in California this fall to introduce the new GreenPlumbers(R) program. The program, which originated in Australia in 2001, is giving plumbers a new image - and a new mission. "Plumbers have long held their mission to be protecting the health of the country," said Stephen Lehtonen, spokesperson for GreenPlumbersUSA. "Because of climate change and global warming, our new mission is to protect the resources of the planet by training plumbers to be advocates and educators in environmental protection and conservation." Lehtonen facilitated a 15-year agreement that allows the enormously successful and effective GreenPlumbers(R) training program of Australia to be implemented in the United States. "GreenPlumbers(R) is an accreditation program that trains plumbers in water conservation and climate care issues," Lehtonen said. "The program is designed to help save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Intended as a comprehensive industry response to climate and water care issues, the program is open to all plumbers, regardless of affiliation or association membership. GreenPlumbers(R) has developed a five-course accreditation that totals 32 hours of training. The courses are Climate Care, Caring For Our Water, Solar Hot Water, Water-Efficient Technology, and Inspection Report Service. Training workshops debuted in California this fall. The response from attending plumbers and contractors has been very positive. After being trained in Caring for Our Water and Climate Care classes, attendees commented: "Very overdue education. Thank God it's here now," and, "Conserving water and utilizing the new technology will help save my clients money and build my company's reputation." The response from government agencies and conservation groups has also been enthusiastic. "This is a great idea," said Karen Morvay, water conservation specialist at the Santa Clara Valley Water District. "With the direct contact plumbers make each day with residents, I can't imagine a better spokesperson for energy and water use efficiency." The average family of four uses 150,000 gallons of water every year; the toilet alone uses 30,000 gallons. Using a high-efficiency toilet (HET) can save up to 4,000 gallons per year. "An army of accredited GreenPlumbers(R) can make a measurable, significant difference in energy and resource consumption," said Lehtonen. "Once the GreenPlumbers(R) concept is known among consumers, they will prefer, and demand, a Green Plumber, not only to save them money but to protect our environment." The Australian model, upon which GreenPlumbersUSA is based, has been successful in reaching that goal. Since implementation of the program in 2001, more than 5,000 Green Plumbers have been accredited, representing more than 2,300 businesses throughout Australia. Water consumption in Australia has been reduced up to 50% from 1990 levels. The goal for 2008 in the United States is to train at least 8,000 Green Plumbers. A GreenPlumbers(R) accreditation license for contractors supports and protects the integrity of the brand. "In the next 10 years we plan to train 15,000 green plumbers in California and 40,000 nationally," Lehtonen said. "We want to make the training free and available to all plumbers." The GreenPlumbers(R) Training and Accreditation program is run by the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors of California (PHCC) Education Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. While eligiblefor grants and donations, its primary workshop funding sources are government agencies, utilities and manufacturers. GreenPlumbers(R) has partnered with conservation groups, including the Alliance for Water Efficiency. The Alliance's executive director, Mary Ann Dickinson, said, "The Alliance for Water Efficiency is pleased to be part of the GreenPlumbersUSA program. This national partnership with GreenPlumbers(R) will multiply the efforts of both organizations and yield tremendous results for water and energy conservation in the United States."

Call us about saving energy on all fronts

Radiant barrier insulation is a reflective insulation system that offers a permanent way to reduce energy costs. Radiant barrier insulation systems reflect radiant heat energy instead of trying to absorb it. A pure aluminum radiant barrier reflective insulation is unaffected by humidity and will continue to perform at a consistent level no matter how humid it may be. A radiant barrier insulation system is a layer of foil facing an airspace and is installed in the envelope of a building.

Most people are familiar with traditional insulating materials such as fiberglass, cellulose, Styrofoam, and rock wool. These products use their ability to absorb or resist (slow down) convective and conductive heat transfer to insulate (R-value). A third, seldom discussed but dominant form of heattransfer exists: radiant heat transfer. What are the differences among the three forms of heat transfer?

Conductive: Direct contact. If you touch a pot on the stove, this is conductive heat transfer.

Convective: Steam, moisture. If you put your hand above a boiling pot, you will feel heat in the form of steam. This is convective heat transfer.

Radiant: Electromagnetic. Step outside on a sunny day and feel the sun’s rays on your face. You are feeling radiant heat transfer. All objects above absolute zero (-459.7 degrees F.) emit infrared rays in a straight line in all directions.

A radiant barrier reflects radiant heat energy instead of trying to absorb it. What does this mean in your home or business? During the winter, 50-75% of heat loss through the ceiling/roofing system and 65-80% of heat loss through walls is radiant. In the summer, up to 93% of heat gain is radiant. If you are depending on R-value (resistance) alone to insulate against heat gain and loss, remember that thin layers of fiberglass are virtually transparent to radiant energy and are affected by changes in humidity (moisture levels). A 1-1/2% change in the moisture content of fiberglass insulation will result in a 36% decrease in performance (referenced from HVAC Manual 10.6; McGraw-Hill). A pure aluminum radiant barrier is unaffected by humidity and will continue to perform at a consistent level no matter how humid it may be.

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