Smart thermostats are on the shopping list for nearly 15 percent of U.S. households that have broadband connections in the next 12 months devices that not only keep your home warm, or cool, but can be controlled through a smartphone, hub or other Wi-Fi connected device like a smart speaker.

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The data about smart thermostats comes from Parks Associates, a research group that follows and tracks the adoption and usage of smart home products in U.S. broadband homes.

Smart thermostats can be controlled through other smart devices Getty Images/iStockphoto

Smart thermostats may be a popular addition to a living space, but as an added feature they can be complicated to install, far more difficult than a smart speaker that just needs to connect to your Wi-Fi and into an electrical socket. Putting in a smart thermostat requires handling electrical wiring, often breaking into walls, or at the least removing an existing thermostat a process that many people have never encountered in their lives.

Still, more than one-third of people have plans to install a smart thermostat on their own, handling the details like a C-wire, the common wire, which makes sure that power continuously flows to the smart thermostat. Knowing whether you have a C-wire among the slew of wires behind an existing thermostat can also be confusing.

Smart thermostats connect over W-Fi and not only control the hearing and cooling in a home, but can be scheduled at certain times, turned on automatically or frankly whenever you want. Being able to manage when a house is heated or cool not only adds toHn the comfort of the way someone lives but can certainly also save people money, heating and cooling at optimal times.

Smart thermostat's like those from Honeywell can help home owners save moneyGearBrain

The majority of people who are buying smart thermostats, according to Parks Associates data, still do want some professional advice, with 67 percent choosing to buy these products at a store. Further, 18 percent of those buyers will also opt-in to have the retailer install the smart thermostat as well.

However, a quarter of people will instead turn to a home security company to install a smart thermostat likely as part of a full service offering.

"Smart energy solutions deliver immediate value propositions in cost and energy savings, so smart thermostats have long been a leading device in the smart home ecosystem, although growth in adoption has stagnated recently," said Chris O'Dell, research analyst for Parks Associates, in a statement.

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People are buying smart thermostats, and installing them on their own - Gearbrain

HAMPTON With the cold weather season upon us, one local family no longer has to worry about enduring frigid temperatures at home thanks to a nationwide community program.

The Korver family, residents of Hampton, were named the 2019 winners of the Feel the Love campaign, organized locally by R. Poust Heating & Cooling. The initiative provides heat and/or air conditioning systems to individuals or families, either to support them during difficult times or to simply recognize their service in the community.

Dave and Leah Korver fall into the latter category, with both volunteering their time as members of Hampton Township Fire and Rescue and often delaying plans with each other to respond to emergency calls. Having seen the couples involvement up close, Vera Rumsey, a fellow volunteer with the organization, decided to nominate them for the campaign.

Debbie Poust Johnson, co-owner of R. Poust, was struck by the Korvers dedication to their non-paying positions, noting that both come from families who were similarly committed to the rescue squad.

They were very passionate about what they were involved in, Johnson said. It was just something that, as they grew up, they became a part of.

In addition to their volunteer work, the family stood out to Johnson because of a cracked heat exchanger in their home a concern with winter looming. A visit to the Korver house by R. Poust also revealed improper chimney work and electrical wiring, meaning the appliances were not only ineffective but potentially dangerous as well.

After a series of questions over the phone as well as the home visit, the panel from R. Poust which consisted of Johnson; her father, Robert; and her brother, Ryan selected the Korvers as the local Feel the Love winners. The news came as a surprise to the family, who, true to their nature, assumed some other nominee would have been more worthy.

"It really was a shock," Leah Korver said. "We're humble people. We don't necessarily think we're the most deserving."

The nomination called for the winner to receive only a new furnace, but R. Poust decided to install a new air conditioning unit as well after seeing the state of the Korvers appliances.

They made it a point to say, You will not have to worry about this, Leah Korver said.

The installations took place on a Saturday in October, when several R. Poust employees arrived at the Korver home around 8 a.m. In addition to putting in the new heating and cooling systems, the crew spent the day learning the Korvers story and interacting with their two children, Elizabeth, 7, and Andrew, 5.

This year marked the second Feel the Love campaign organized by the Lennox Heating and Cooling company, for which R. Poust is a dealer, and the first open to New Jersey residents. The contest was available for all residents of R. Pousts service area, which includes all of Sussex and Morris counties and parts of Warren, Passaic, Essex and Union counties.

According to Lennox, 230 homeowners nationwide received new HVAC systems from the company this year, with more than 200 dealers donating their time to install the equipment.

Johnson said she and her fellow employees had a difficult time choosing from the 10 submissions they received this year and are hopeful to see an increase in nominations as more people learn about the initiative.

Leah Korver called the campaign an amazing experience for her and her family, who were helped by others for a change instead of being the ones to provide help. For that reason, Johnson was happy to be able to reward the Korvers with the new unit.

I felt really good that a family was getting it who really deserved it, Johnson said. All of us had a really good day, and we all left with smiles on our faces.

Kyle Morel can also be contacted on Twitter: @KMorelNJH, on Facebook: Facebook.com/KMorelNJH, or by phone: 973-383-1292.

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Hampton family feels the love from nationwide campaign - New Jersey Herald

Greece has published a document that lays a path for national energy and climate policy over the next decade, while outlining plans to facilitate significant PV development through 2030.

Greeces new strategy for its energy sector and the climate builds on an earlier version of the plan that was published in January by the previous government. However the authorities have tweaked the plan significantly to provide for the new governments pledge to phase out coal by 2028.

The plan now requires renewables to supply 35% of Greeces final energy consumption in 2030, up from 31% in the previous plan. Of this, renewable energy systems are set to account for a staggering 61% of Greeces electricity consumption by 2030. Renewables will also provide 43% of Greeces heating and cooling and 19% of its transportation needs by the end of the coming decade.

New target

Greeces new national energy plan mandates 7.7 GW of cumulative solar PV capacity by 2030, up from approximately 2.7 GW of installed capacity at present. Specifically, the plan calls for the nations total installed PV capacity to increase from 3 GW in 2020 to 3.9 GW in 2022, 5.3 GW in 2025, and 6.3 GW in 2027.

For Greeces other renewable energy sectors, the new plan says that the country should also have 7 GW of cumulative wind power capacity by 2030, in addition to 3.7 GW of hydropower, 300 MW of biomass and biogas, and 100 MW of geothermal capacity.

Greeces latest statistics, published in November, show that it has already installed 2.7 GW of PV, 3.4 GW of hydro, 3.2 GW of wind, and 85 MW of biomass and biogas capacity. The country does not have any offshore wind power capacity, but the new plan does not set a time line for offshore development, other than stating that 250 MW of offshore wind capacity is feasible by 2030.

Tenders, net metering

The vast majority of the new PV capacity will be large-scale, ground-mounted systems awarded via auctions and supported by premium tariffs. The government is expected to publish a review of its tender scheme next year.

Both the competitive auctions and premium tariffs are going to remain a part of Greeces energy policy. However the new energy plan states that the auctions need to take place under a strict time schedule.

Eventually, the goal is for Greeces tender exercises to produce tariffs that are similar to other European states, so it can build subsidy-free renewable power plants, according to the new national energy plan.

The biggest challenge for Greek tenders thus far is that theyve been undersubscribed, despite high interest from domestic and international investors. This is due to a lack of fully licensed projects that are eligible to participate in the tenders. Greeces energy regulator (RAE) also appears unable to process the steadily growing number of license applications in a timely manner.

The government is now seeking to simplify the licensing process, so the regulator doesnt have to deal with the cumbersome task. Thus, RAE published recently a simplified structure for Greeces licensing regime, which was also open to public consultation. The sector is now eagerly anticipating the publication of the new policy, which is imminent.

Greece will run its next tender for solar PV and wind power on Dec. 12.

Small systems are also a part of Greeces new national energy plan, which envisages 1 GW of net-metered and self-consumption distributed systems by 2030. Together, they will be capable of meeting the electricity needs of at least 330,000 households.

Storage, interconnections and islands

Greeces uptake of renewable energy to date has happened without the inclusion of any new energy storage facilities. This has to change, according to the new plan, which argues that the countrys phase-out of lignite will require a more flexible electricity system, which can be achieved with new energy storage systems and new interconnections. Therefore, the plan identifies the establishment of a policy framework for energy storage as an immediate priority for the country.

With regard to new interconnections, the plan also provides for a second grid line to Bulgaria, upgrades to an existing line to North Macedonia, and the construction of a new line to link Greece to Cyprus and Israel.

One very important point for the renewable energy sector is the plans clear mandate for island interconnections. Greek islands that are not already connected to the mainland grid should either be connected soon or they should embrace new hybrid power systems that use renewable energy and storage. Interconnections are already being built, with a new electricity link between the mainland and the Cyclades Islands now partly operational.

However, the architects of Greeces new national plan want small islands to develop hybrid systems, so the country can stop subsidizing polluting diesel generators by building storage systems, as on the island of Tilos.

Greeces new energy plan also provides for greater energy efficiency, electric mobility, and a competitive electricity market that could potentially bring the countrys energy system on par with the latest technological and market developments throughout the world.

See more here:
Greece aims to install 5 GW of PV by 2030 - pv magazine International

SALISBURY, N.B. -- When staff at the Salisbury Royal Canadian Legion realized one of their heat pumps had been stolen, they were unsure if they could afford to replace it -- but then a total stranger warmed their hearts.

The branch celebrates its 85th anniversary later this month, but just weeks before Christmas, it was the target of a real-life Grinch.

"Someone went out around the building and came back in and said 'the machine is gone' and she couldn't believe it," said legion president Susan Dryden. "So she messaged me and said 'we have a problem.'"

Six heat pumps were installed two years ago at the legion with the help of a financial grant.

Dryden says she was devastated to learn that one of the pumps had been stolen off the back of the building.

"We really try and involve ourselves in the community and for things like this to happen, it's very disheartening that they would do this to anyone but especially to someone that is there for everyone else," said Dryden.

But thanks to a kind stranger, the legion and its members weren't left out in the cold for long.

"I instantly sent Sue a message saying I'd like to help out, and then after that I called my local wholesaler that we buy LG heat pumps from and I asked them if they'd step up and donate one and they gladly did," said Rob Fillmore, who owns Fillmore Heating and Cooling. Fillmore offered to install the brand new heat pump, free of charge.

"I wanted to help out and I actually said to my girlfriend last week that I wanted to do something nice for someone for Christmas, so this just fell out of the sky, and I was more than happy to help," Fillmore said.

"I was speechless, I just didn't even know what to think, and other companies have also offered but, you go with your first angel that has arrived," Dryden said.

Fillmore, whose grandfather served in the Second World War, says the incident really hit home.

"Stuff like this, it bothers ya because who would steal from a legion?" Fillmore said. "To cause $2,000 in damage to get $20 in scrap metal? It's unnecessary."

With the installation of the new heat pump complete Monday afternoon, Dryden says she can't thank her group of "angels" enough.

"It's been a whirlwind few days, but it's good to know there's still kindness out there and people will step up and help when it's needed," said Dryden.

Visit link:
Theft of heat pump from Salisbury legion has heartwarming ending - CTV News

Mormonisms iconic Salt Lake Temple, in the heart of Utahs capital, will close Dec. 29 for renovation, but the square surrounding it as well as the historic domed Tabernacle and nearby Assembly Hall will remain open during the four years of construction.

Make no mistake, though, the experience for visitors to Temple Square, one of Utahs most popular tourist draws, will change.

There still will be Christmas lights on the square in the winter and tulips adorning the churchs downtown campus in the spring, but their location and number will shift as the new landscape takes shape.

The South Visitors Center will be demolished and the North Visitors Center, while remaining open, will be used for guest services, including restrooms and overflow seating for Tabernacle events.

The giant Conference Center, across the street, will become the main venue for the Temple Square guest experience, Tanner Kay, manager for guest services, said at a Wednesday news conference.

The massive building, used mainly for the twice-yearly General Conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kay said, will be the new home of art exhibitions, temple artifacts, a cutaway model of the sacred structure and an orientation film about the temples history.

1 of 8 View Caption

A replica of the Christus, a marble statue of the resurrected Jesus by Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen, will remain in the North Visitors Center, Kay said, and a second one will be installed in the Conference Center.

The centers balcony and roof, he said, also will give visitors a perfect vantage place to view the ongoing renovation and seismic-retrofitting of the temple.

As to the temple interiors, Andy Kirby, director of historic temple renovations, promised that they would be enhanced and improved but remain essentially the same.

The hand-painted murals in ordinance rooms will be cleaned and repaired, leaving the colors brighter and more vivid.

The temples annex added in the 1960s will be torn down and replaced by an architecturally sympathetic addition, he said, which will be compatible with the original building materials, forms, millwork and windows.

The original baptistry, where Latter-day Saints do proxy baptisms for the dead, was much larger until it was downsized to accommodate 1960s heating and cooling elements, Kirby said. This renovation will restore the baptistry to its original spacious area.

Thats because todays mechanical needs can be accomplished in a more compact, less-intrusive way, he said. And those are among the elements that most need upgrading wiring and plumbing while adding ramps and elevators for wheelchair access.

The granite exterior will get a significant seismic upgrade to help the building withstand a large-magnitude earthquake, explained Brent Roberts, managing director of special projects.

Digging around the base will have to be done in careful stages to ensure the temples stability, Roberts said.

The finished work will look more like the 19th century, said Emily Utt, curator of the church history department.

The expense and care to renovate the Salt Lake Temple are worth it, she said. It is the symbolic center of the church and the community.

The temple was begun by Mormon pioneers in 1853 and dedicated 40 years later. It is slated to reopen in 2024 with a public open house allowing outsiders to view for the first time since 1893 what previously only faithful Latter-day Saints have ever seen followed by a rededication.

And that golden Angel Moroni, which sits atop the temple, blowing his horn? He will be taken down and spruced up but, in the end, will be back on his perch in perpetuity.

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Visitor experience about to change at Salt Lake City's Temple Square. Here's how and why. - Salt Lake Tribune

There are many ways to raise your homes value. From a small paint job to a complete remodel, homeowners have numerous options at their disposal. The value increase, however, should not only aim at potential buyers but also assist in saving money eventually, like when solar panels lower your electricity expenses.

The kitchen is the heart of your home. Its where the family loves to hang out, and the place where guests leave with a memorable impression. Its always wise to engage a professional before you embark on a remodeling project and give proper thought to the size and layout of your house.

The lists of available designs are as diverse as the different people who will be looking to buy your house. For instance, some people are into a spacious kitchen, while others naturally want a small space to fix their meals in peace.

Nowadays, energy efficiency has a tremendous push on the way homebuyers make their choices. For instance, in extremely cold environments, buyers may avoid homes that do not have measures to cut heating costs. Even if you are not planning to sell any time soon, there are many reasons why you should strive for energy efficiency. Such measures can be as little as replacing the light bulbs or as large as changing the HVAC system.

Installing ENERGY STAR rated windows can eliminate some of the waste that goes into heating and cooling. If you have a bigger budget, you can go ahead and install solar panels.

If you live in a property with an expansive garden, a little landscaping can increase its value by a large margin. Landscaping is also easy to do, and you can get started with a few basics and some level of patience. Your first step to creating an attractive garden should be to figure out a style that complements your home. For instance, what you do for a house with a traditional design should be different from that with contemporary architecture.

Many real estate agents now agree that homes with brighter rooms will sell quicker. Besides, light has a way of making a space look more spacious and attractive. When properly done, lighting can be used to highlight the best features of the house. Lighting up the garden will also be a significant boost. You can set the lights to highlight your plants and to guide visitors along the walkway. However, you do not want to spend too much on lighting fixtures, since the next homeowners may want to replace them.

Start with a fresh paint job to change the overall style and look of the house. You can also change the flooring, move the furniture, and update some of the fixtures. If you have two smaller rooms, you can break down the walls to create more space. In this case, you will need to consult a structural engineer to avoid damaging the rest of the house. You can convert the loft into an office or an extra bedroom depending on your intended buyers.

After all, the number of bedrooms is a major deciding factor for many prospective homeowners.

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5 Money-Saving Upgrades That Will Increase Your Homes Value - Pulse Headlines

Global Ductless HVAC System Market was valued US$ XX Mn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ XX Mn by 2026 at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period.

Global Ductless HVAC Market

Ductless HVAC is easy to install and consume low energy as such systems do not require duct for cooling process. This is estimated to drive the ductless HVAC system market during the forecast period. Ductless split systems also offer targeted cooling and heating comfort when conventional HVAC equipment is too costly to install. This system continues to gain importance during the forecast period owing to its various features like multiple heating and cooling stages and variable fan speeds. Furthermore, increasing environmental temperature and rising disposable income is projected to trigger the demand for ductless HVAC system. High initial cost of installment and negative effect on environment restrain the growth of ductless HVAC system market.

The split system is the widely used type of ductless HVAC system. The split system allows the operator to control the temperature of individual zones according to need, giving the user the flexibility of operation and savings in operating cost. These advantage of split system helps to increase the global ductless HVAC market. The major advantage of the split system is the low noise level of the system. In the split system, compressor and fan are kept in the outdoor unit so as to reduce the indoor noise level.

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Residential buildings include all kinds of residential structures like houses, town houses, cottages, condominiums, and apartments. In residential buildings, ductless HVAC systems are used for heating and cooling indoor air. Ductless systems use less energy as compared to ducted systems and are easy to install in residential buildings, and these factors drive the market for ductless HVAC systems in the residential building segment. The air conditioning capacity offered by the ductless HVAC systems is the added advantage for this application segment.

Faster-growing construction markets in the Asia-Pacific region and other emerging economies are the result of rising populations, rapid urbanization and strong economic growth. Mini split ductless HVAC systems are the most commonly used type in residential buildings as of their lower capacity and lower operating cost required in residential buildings.

The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. The report also helps in understanding dynamics, structure by analyzing the market segments by type, End User and region and, project the global market size. The report also provides a clear representation of competitive analysis of key players by product, price, financial position, product portfolio, growth strategies, and regional presence in the Ductless HVAC System market. The report also provides PEST analysis, PORTERs analysis, SWOT analysis to address the question of shareholders in arranging the efforts and investment in the near future to a particular market segment.

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Scope of the Report for Global Ductless HVAC System Market

Global Ductless HVAC System Market, By Type

Split-System Heat Pump Chilled Water System Window Air Conditioners OthersGlobal Ductless HVAC System Market, By Application

Residential Commercial IndustrialGlobal Ductless HVAC System Market, By Region

North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa South AmericaKey players operating in Global Ductless HVAC System Market

Whirlpool Corporation Daikin Industries Ltd. Hitachi Ltd. LG Electronics United Technologies Corporation Johnson Controls Electrolux Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Trane Heating and Air Conditioning Services & Systems Eberspaecher MAHLE Hanon Systems Calsonic Kansei Keihin Sanden Valeo Subros Auto Air-conditioning Systems

MAJOR TOC OF THE REPORT

Chapter One: Ductless HVAC System Market Overview

Chapter Two: Manufacturers Profiles

Chapter Three: Global Ductless HVAC System Market Competition, by Players

Chapter Four: Global Ductless HVAC System Market Size by Regions

Chapter Five: North America Ductless HVAC System Revenue by Countries

Chapter Six: Europe Ductless HVAC System Revenue by Countries

Chapter Seven: Asia-Pacific Ductless HVAC System Revenue by Countries

Chapter Eight: South America Ductless HVAC System Revenue by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Africa Revenue Ductless HVAC System by Countries

Chapter Ten: Global Ductless HVAC System Market Segment by Type

Chapter Eleven: Global Ductless HVAC System Market Segment by Application

Chapter Twelve: Global Ductless HVAC System Market Size Forecast (2019-2026)

Browse Full Report with Facts and Figures of Ductless HVAC System Market Report at: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/global-ductless-hvac-system-market/28305/

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Global Ductless HVAC System Market -Industry Analysis and Forecast (2017-2026) - The Market Expedition

Using local energy sources such as lake water, wood waste or even garbage to heat and cool buildings is one way for communities to cut their greenhouse gas emissions the goal of this week's UN climate summit.

In district energy systems, instead of having an individual heating and cooling system for each building, multiple buildings are hooked up to a central system similar to how buildings are connected to the municipal water service instead of each one relying on individual wells. Heat is distributed to buildings via pipes that typically carry hot or chilled water.

It's an idea endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme, or UNEP,which calls district energy a "key measure for cities/countries that aim to achieve 100 per cent renewable energy or carbon neutral targets."

Once the distribution is set up, almost any energy source can be plugged in, depending on what's available locally and what will benefit the community.

Here's a look at what six communities across Canada have done.

Location: Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Technology: Waste-to-energy/biomass

Year: 1986

This system, run by Enwave Energy Corp, supplies 125 buildings, including Queen Elizabeth Hospital, with heat and also generates 1200 kW of electricity from burning "black bin" waste (garbage) and wood waste. The wood waste used to come from a sawmill, but that shut down so now the wood is from forestry and land clearing.

It was originally built to address a shortage of landfill space.

The local landfill doesn't have systems to collect methane, a powerful greenhouse gas produced by decomposing organic waste. So by sending garbage to be burned in this system, it both prevents the methane from going into the atmosphere (burning generates carbon dioxide, a less potent greenhouse gas, instead) and displaces natural gas that would otherwise be burned to generate electricity, says Carlyle Coutinho, president and chief operating officer for the Canadian region for Enwave Energy Corp.

Because P.E.I. relies heavily on power imported from New Brunswick, the availability of a local source of power and heat also makes the island more resilient in case of natural disasters.

The company plans toexpand to take more of the province's waste and generate more electricity.

Location: Toronto

Source: Deep lake water cooling

Year: 2004

Toronto sits on the edge of Lake Ontario, allowing this system, also run by Enwave Energy,to draw cold water from its depths to cool 85buildings in downtown Toronto, including hospitals, educational campuses, government buildings, commercial and residential buildings. In January 2019, the federal government announced an expansion to an additional two million square metres of floor space the equivalent of 40 to 50 buildings.

Coutinho says the system saves electricity that would have been used for air conditioning and water that would have evaporated from cooling towers.

He admits working in a built-up environment like Toronto, where distribution pipes need to be installed deeply in order to avoid other underground infrastructure and many buildings need to be retrofitted, is more difficult than installing in a new building. But the high density makes it easier to reach many customers.

Location: Okotoks, Alta.

Source: Solar thermal energy/borehole thermal energy storage

Year: 2007

Description: This was a federal pilot project designed to see whether a solar thermal heating system, which has been testing in milder climates in Europe, would work in Canada, which gets most of its sun during the summer, but requires a lot of heat during the long, dark winter months.

The system provides more than 90 per cent of space heating needs for 52 homes by collecting solar energy with solar-thermal panels on garage roofs and storing it underground during the summer. The heat is then distributed to homes during the winter.

Lucio Mesquita, senior engineer of solar thermal renewable heat and power group at Natural Resources Canada's CanmetENERGY group, says there was even one year when the system provided 100 per cent of the heat.

Because it requires very little electricity to run the pumps, it's also very resilient in case of extreme weather or natural disasters, he said.

All the infrastructure is underground and has a park on top of it.

Mequita says the pilot project shows this technology could work in any community in Canada, even in northern communities.

However, it's currently not cost competitive with traditional heating because of the low price of natural gas.

"The technology works. It can be competitive," he said. "But you need a scenario that helps with that."

Location: Rural Municipality of Ritchot, Man.

Technology:Geothermal

Year: 2011

Description: While the density of big cities is often required to make district energy projects cost effective, it can be installed in smaller communities, as this rural community of 5,000 shows. A district geothermal system connects an arena, a fire hall, a community centre with a daycare and banquet hall that can hold 500 people, and an ambulance garage.

It warms the buildings using heat from deep in the ground, which stays around 18 C even in winter.

The arena alone used to consume $40,000 a year in electricity to make ice. By using the geothermal system, it saves $15,000 a year and the quality of the ice is higher (less "chippy" during the shoulder season), allowing for a longer season, says Roger Perron, who was the economic development officer of Richot at the time the system was installed.

Perron, who is still president of the community centre, says the geothermal system also displaced two gas furnaces.

The muncipality needed a new community centre to replace its previous 70-year-old building anyway and managed to fund the initiative largely with government grants.

Perron says the key is convincing local governments to take on a project like this.

"I think it's doable in all communities."

Location: Teslin, Yukon

Technology: Biomass

Year: 2018

Description: This is a project of the Teslin Tlingit Council, a self-governing First Nation surrounded by boreal forest near the B.C.-Yukon border. It consists of several biomass boilers that burn low-grade waste wood products, such as sawdust, chips and leftover wood from cut trees, but also whole trees felled as a result of construction work.

It currently heats 18 buildings, including a school, an administration building, a cultural centre and some multi-residential buildings. Eight more will be added soon, says project manager Blair Hogan, president and CEO of Gunta Business Consulting.

The district energy system makes it possible to use biomass a locally produced renewable fuel that couldn't be used by individual households, Hogan says.

While it's not necessarily cheaper than the diesel boilers that heated buildings in the community before, that diesel was imported. The biomass system generates local jobs and keeps the money in the community.

Hogan says it's also an opportunity to make the community more resilientby removing wood that could put the community at risk in case of wildfires. The council plans to build a fire break by clearing more forest.

"This is kind of a proactive measure as well to protect our community."

Location: Vancouver

Source: Waste heat capture from sewage

Year: 2010

Description:

The system provides space heating and hot water to 36 buildings, or 5.4 million square feet of space, including the Science World Museum, Emily Carr University of Art and Design and at least 30 condominium buildings.

The goal is to provide 70 per cent of the energy from waste heat captured from sewage, with the rest being made up by renewable natural gas.

The sewage is warm because of all the hot water that goes down the drain from showers, dishwashing and laundry, says Alex Charpentier, acting manager of the False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility, owned by the City of Vancouver, which runs the system.

The heat is normally wasted, but a heat exchanger next to the sewage pumping station allows the utility to extract the heat and provide it to local buildings.

While a system like this is normally hard to install in a city that's already built, False Creek was a brownfield site redeveloped for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

The utility has since proposed a huge expansion that could quadruple its generation capacity and allow it to connect with more offices and a hospital.

See original here:
Solar? Geothermal? Garbage? 6 climate-friendly ways to heat and cool buildings - CBC.ca

In this episode: A story about trash and dirt flowing from one side of the U.S.-Mexico border to the other, and two guys plan to stop it.

The state of California spends $1.8 million annually on a system that keeps trash and dirt from clogging up the estuary in Border Field State Park, a park that butts up against the U.S.-Mexico border fence.

The agency that takes care of the park, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve, says the system has stopped approximately 2 million pounds of debris from entering the environmentally sensitive estuary.

But the trash just keeps coming and coming, pouring through a culvert under the border that's connected to polluted canyons in Tijuana. And perpetually managing the pricey problem instead of actually solving the problem seems like the forever plan.

That is, unless Steven Wright and Waylon Matsons idea gets funded. The environmentalists want to use re-purposed trash from the canyon to build retaining walls and other structures in Tijuana's Los Laureles canyon that would prevent the trash and dirt from reaching the U.S. in the first place.

The hills bleed trash.

At least, thats what it looks like from Jorge Ibaez nursery.

Clip 1 Nursery Dude"were one of the small nursery that works with native plants, and thats the plant thats used a lot so the canyons don't erode.

Standing on Jorges plant-filled perch on a hillside of Los Laureles canyon in Tijuana, theres a clear view of about a half dozen illegal dump sites. People who live on the mesas above have for decades dumped trash into the canyon below.

Music bump

In the beginning, Los Laurels was a slum where waves of migrants unable to cross to the U.S. have taken up shelter in shoddy shacks they hastily build for themselves. Those dumping the trash from above care little about those below who are forced to live in it.

Over the years, the slum has grown into a recognized Tijuana neighborhood, with water pipes and electricity lines connecting it to the city that once pretended it didnt exist. Theres even trash pickup now, unreliable, but its there.

Nicer houses, taco shops and small businesses like Jorges have popped up here, too.

Adela Pinata Clip 0

Adela Bonilla runs a pinata and craft shop near the bottom of the canyon.

Adela Pinata Clip 1 "This is a studio/workshop for recyclables. I work with recycled things. I make artisanal crafts, artistic piatas.

And yet, no matter how much the neighborhood grows and gets better, the flow of rainbow-colored trash keeps coming plastic bottles and bags cascading down the hillsides and flowing through the center of town Other peoples junk cutting deep gullies into the eroding earth beneath it.

Natsound: rain

When it rains, the trash is swept up in a swelling stream that runs right through the middle of Los Laureles canyon.

Natsound: flowing water/creak

The flow pushes through the neighborhood, then under the six-laned highway leading from Tijuana to Ensenada.

Natsound: Highway traffic

From there, it cuts through a culvert running underneath the international border fence.

Once the trash and sediment-filled water hits the U.S., its in a wildlife reserve.

Natsound from Border Field State Park

The state of California spends $1.8 million annually on a system that keeps that trash and dirt from slipping too far into the park. They use small ponds to catch the sediment and a fence stretched across the ponds catches the plastics.

The Tijuana River Research Reserve, the agency that takes care of the park, says the system has stopped approximately 2 million pounds of debris from entering the environmentally sensitive estuary.

Natsound: Border Field State Park

But the trash just keeps coming and coming... And perpetually managing the pricey problem instead of actually solving the problem seems like the forever plan.

That is Unless Steven Wright and Waylon Matsons idea gets funded. The environmentalists want to use repurposed trash from the canyon to build retaining walls and other structures in Los Laureles that would prevent the trash and dirt from reaching the U.S. in the first place. ****Fourwalls 3 Clip 53...This this tire retaining wall. You see here. This was a really good but I retaining was a really good example of the economics behind it. Right? So the this tire wall has I believe it's 450 or 500 scrap tires in it and about 67 cubic yards of sediment and we built it for $3500 true cost that's including wailing in time if that same quantity of material had crossed into the sediment ponds. It would have been 9,500 to clean up. So therein lies the relatively simple math. ***Fourwalls 3 Clip 54This is you know, the Border. Yeah, so Why spend dollars if you can spend pesos. Good question.Im Alan Lilienthal, and youre listening to Only Here, a KPBS podcast about the unexplored subcultures, creativity and struggles at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Today, a story about trash and dirt flowing from one side of the border to the other, and two guys plan to stop it.

More after the break.

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When it rains, ginormous flows of raw sewage from Tijuana often overwhelm the sewer system and end up flushing through the canyons and tijuana estuary, eventually dumping into the Pacific Ocean, washing up on beaches in San Diego. Newsclip on sewage Its a huge problem. But its not the problem Steven Wright and Waylin Matson are trying to solve. The two are laser-focused on solving something different, but intertwined -- the cross-border flow of trash and sediment from Los Laureles canyon. Natsound of driving in vanSteven and Waylins old van kicks up billows of dust as we drive up a steep dirt road in Border Field State Park, a park at the southwestern-most tip of the united states.

Natsound of Border Field State Park Were at the place where the border fence dives into the Ocean. And once we get to the top of the hill, Steve points out the views of Los Laureles canyon on the south side of the fence, and the sediment ponds on the north side. 180 View Clip The Mexican side is densely populated and bustling, filled with people and cars. In stark contrast: The American side is empty, except for a few birds and one border patrol agent sitting in a truck parked below. Fourwalls 1 Clip 3 Steve: because Spooner's Mesa is the spot where you can. Show people visually geographically why and how work Upstream in Tijuana would directly benefit California in the United States, San Diego.Steven and Waylin are both tan and leathery from working out in the sun. Their hands are calloused. They look like they work in construction, but sound like Southern California surfers. They love being outside. Natsound of driving in vanWhile we drive, Waylin constantly scans the horizon, looking for American kestrels, small falcons that call the park home.

Fourwalls 1 Kestral SightingThere's one right there.

Waylin named his baby daughter Kestrel. Thats how much he loves the birds. Natsound of driving in vanSteven and Waylin have spent a lot of time in Tijuana, tromping around Los Laureles canyon. The neighborhoods residents are now close friends. And there are some things they can't unsee after their time here. The dead pig floating through the middle of the neighborhood, so bloated the little guy looked like he was about to explode. The kids playing next to water so green it looks like its glowing. Hypodermic needles and other biowaste washing through the neighborhood. The migrants losing their homes and all of their belongings when it rains because the hillsides cave in. They finally -- finally -- they think theyve pinpointed a real, lasting solution. But It took them some time to get here. Music bump Steven and Waylin met on a rugby pitch at college in Riverside, California. They were immediately struck by their similarities. Fourwalls 1 Clip 23Steve: Yeah, we're Star Brothers for sure. It's pretty cool. Born on the exact same day, the exact same year, thousands of miles apart, the two grew up chasing critters and running through forests -- hardcore nature boys right from the start. Both knew early on that they wanted to save the world. They were early environmentalists.And the border region hit Steven and Waylins radar early, too. Both took family trips to Mexico when they were young. And Stevens first-ever trip south with his family pressed a firm imprint on his brain. It was one he could never shake. ********Fourwalls 1 Clip 22Steve: . my dad's a geography teacher. They challenged me, if I memorized all the state capitals that give me 40 bucks to go buy a whip and some cowboy boots down in Tijuana. And maybe six and so yeah, so I memorized them. I got it. I got the money we went down and that was really the first time I'd ever seen like just crushing poverty. There's a lot of folks on the street. I never really seen anything like that seen a lot of kids my age around the street, and so long story short. I gave all my money away and then my parents thought that was good. They bought me the Whip and the boots anyway,Those two things -- their love of nature and the border -- would end up shaping the rest of Steven and Waylins lives. They just didnt know it yet.MUSIC BUMPThe two became close friends in college, but went separate ways after graduating. Almost a year went by, and then Waylin called up Steven on a whim. They got to talking and found out they were both thinking about starting environmental nonprofits. They met up at a coffee shop with some colored pencils, drew up a logo and wrote down the four pillars of their future nonprofit -- shelter, self-reliance, sustainability and community. And that was the start of their new thing -- a nonprofit they called 4 Walls International. At first, they focused on building single-family homes for people in need in places like Mexico and Columbia, teaching themselves and their volunteers how to turn trash into sustainable building materials. ****Fourwalls 1 Clip 26Steve: And really it's a hell of a thing to unite a whole community and sweat and bleed together and work together and one of the things we've learned, you know, is that well when you're doing that together for a project. Potentially only is benefiting one family. Did it can kind of lead to splintering within those groups are those Community groups of them Community. It's really better as far as a leverage point of entry point if it's a public and that's really where the experimentation with the binational placemaking program.That right there - the splintering some of their projects were causing in the communities in which they were building -- it led to a big pivot. They started focusing on public instead of private projects. And they really started involving the community through the entire process, from identifying the need, to planning the design and then actually helping build the thing. They built a few small public parks. One right near the border fence in Border Field State Park. For that project, they used about 4,000 plastic bottles filled with trash they collected from the sediment basins, plus 250 old rubber tires.

The repurposed trash is covered in plaster that makes it indistinguishable from more traditional building materials.Fourwalls 1 Clip 2 Steve: It used to be really foreboding place there was two black chain link fences here that pretty much covered everything out and that border field state parks. I was in front and there's just a simple the normal sign and when we were working here, man, you can't you can't imagine how many people would come up and just turn around we thought the place was closed right and we saw a lot of cross-country trips or like north-south trips that there they were planning to end here and they just turned around for the thought. It was closed. So we kind of got charged with the task of opening this up when we took the fences down and we built a bunch of park infrastructure and signage here with trash out of the sediment basins, which was released shortly. Okay. And And on the other side of the border in Los Laureles canyon, they built some small public projects too -- like an outdoor basketball court surrounded by murals. They also built a small workshop space that some of the women in the neighborhood could use to make crafts and other things to sell. *********Fourwalls 1 Clip 27Steve: it really the biggest key to long-term sustainability to these projects. Is that there's a high degree of ownership by the community, you know, the our golden rule is don't do anything about me without me and the second Golden Rule is under promise over perform. because a lot of especially when you work in some of these communities you can't I mean they get too big it made promises all day every day all the time politicians, NGO groups, academic whatever they promises all the time and it is there's not always the follow-through so. So yeah, those are our important rules as far as the. Our building techniques in our strategy and everything we do is sustainable, but for it to really be sustainable. It's got to be the community making the decisions and it financially needs to be sustainable which is led us to that final pivot Those community projects Steve and Waylin were doing were amazing.But they were small and werent leading to any large-scale, long-term change. They were using repurposed trash to build nice public places, but then new trash and dirt just started piling up all around these spots. It was frustrating. So they hit the pause button. And now, theyve turned their attention to the thing they think both the people of Los Laureles and the trash problem need most.money. *******Fourwalls 1: Clip 28Steve: We could have been going we could go at the rate we've been going for the next hundred years and not really even make a dent. We knew that it has to go. It has to go way up a level in several levels and very quickly. Yeah.More on that when we come back.

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Natsound of driving in vanSteven and Waylin leave Border Field State Park and drive through the international border crossing. Today, theres a line of vehicles snaking their way into Mexico, so it takes about 20 minutes to make our way through the cameras and speed bumps and the other intimidating infrastructure that makes up the crossing. Natsound: Crossing through border After navigating through downtown Tijuana traffic, they drive back toward the border, down a steep, bumpy road into Los Laureles canyon. Natsound of driving in vanTrash. Is. Everywhere. But so are examples of people using the trash in creative ways. Stacks of old rubber tires are common here, mostly serving as retaining walls to stem the erosion. We drive by a set of tires painted hot pink and serving as a decorative fence in the front yard of a small house.Across the stream from the pink fence, in the center of the canyon, a retaining wall made of discarded tires is literally holding up a triangle-shaped patch of land underneath a shack that looks like itll be wiped out once the rainy season begins. *****Fourwalls 2 Clip 43You'll see there's a lot of you knows retaining walls built with tires and stuff is but there's a couple things that could be done engineering wise. They make a little more secure and make them really advantageous and not necessarily dangerous. Some of them can be kind of dangerous. We've been down here like in the winter and walls have collapsed and I crushed houses with people sleeping in them and stuff like that. So,Our first stop is the shop where Adela Bonilla makes pinatas and other goods, many from recyclables she finds in the canyon. Adela wears an apron and a big smile. She stands below huge pinatas made in the shape of childrens cartoon characters, like Pikachu and Mario. Natsound: Arriving at Pinata ShopClip 3: Those are bottles, transformed into. (Alan: you could drink wine from em), hahaha no it could be a flower vase or other things

Clip 4: those are wallets made from old plastic bags, they have no colorants, just the bags.

Clip 5: These are bags made from intimate towels, its made from the wrappersA few years back, Steven and Waylin partnered with Adela and other women who live in the canyon to build the shop out of glass and plastic bottles stuffed with trash. The building is beautiful and the only hint that its made of trash are the colored glass bottles in the ceiling they purposely left exposed.Clip about building and cost Theres more for us to see deeper into the canyon, so we say goodbyeClip saying goodbye and pile back into the van. Natsound getting back into van Steven and Waylin want to show me and Only Here producers Kinsee Morlan and Emily Jankowski the three areas where they want to build structures to stop the flow of trash and dirt. Van nat sound They call the areas hot spots and hardpoints. Fourwalls 3 Clip 47... this is one of those hardpoints. Can you just you see there's clandestine dump sites that use it for this right here is that this will become a whole mound of trash bags for trash pickup. And so what happens is I. As you can tell there's plenty that's left behind and these are all bottles that would float across. The spot is a total mess. A tunnel the city installed sped up the water flow, which made the erosion here worse. A few old chairs sit at the center of whats become a large pile of plastic bottles, bags and other junk. To us, the situation feels overwhelming. But Steve and Waylin see opportunity. One mans trash is another mans treasure, as they say. In this case, they see building materials.*****Fourwalls 2 Clip 40Bottle bricks is what you're seeing, they just haven't been processed yet. Kinsee: laughs. Ha. That's one way to look at it. Music BumpThe guys want to transform the trash-bleeding, eroding hillsides of Los Laureles into beautiful terraced landscapes. terraces built from the very trash currently clogging it up. And they want to pay the people who live in Los Laureles -- many of them new migrants who got stuck in Tijuana as they tried to cross the border -- to do the work of collecting glass and plastic bottles and stuffing them with trash from the canyon. ***Fourwalls 3 Clip 48 NEWKinsee: So.I look at what I see and I just think it's hopeless but that's not what you see? Steven: No it's not hopeless, man. I Mean, there's like I said, there's tens if not hundreds of thousands of people that would work their ass off to clean up the Watershed, they just need the right opportunities. I mean as long as we're all like going to you know, implicitly uphold this system, then we can all agree that opportunity and upward Mobility are good things, right? So we need to provide everything is just it's like the same problem ever it's access and not you know,Kinsee: so you look at this and you see jobs? Waylin: The world is littered with opportunity Steven: because this shit is everywhere when we can. Transform a relatively simple and relatively cheaply a lot cheaper than digging it out later retroactively. That's for sure. Steven and Waylin think that once word gets out about trash equalling money, a lot of the illegal dumping problems will be resolved. Trash will be seen as more of a commodity. *****Fourwalls 1 Clip 9. So you very rarely find aluminum can in the river because it has value.*****Fourwalls 2 Clip 41Waylin: You know, the only naysayer, I think I've ever heard was what you gonna do when they run out of trash around. Well, they're not just pack up and move on somewhere else. Will they haven't finished their trash situation is kind of nice a comment. I think I've ever heard would be what are you going to do? When someone thinks they can do it better than you and wants to start a competitive business. That's when we say absolutely great. That's awesome. That's all compete for this stuff. Let's overfish it and mind the crap out of it just like we're good at and yeah by all means compete over it, you know Drive the price of it down make it more obtainable and let's just cut the stuff off.Music fade Natsound: border field state parkWhen Steven and Waylin look at the sediment ponds back on the other side of the border at Border Field State Park, they see so many ways to save tons of money, it seems ridiculous. Because all that trash and dirt that flows from Mexico to the U.S.. every year the state pays to get it scooped up, sifted and then piled up south of the pond. The price tag for that process is almost 2 million a year. Nature sound Steven and Waylin say they can spend a fraction of that money to pay people in Los Laureles to help build structures in the canyon -- and eventually other canyons in Tijuana. They say the projects could stop most of the trash and sediment from ever getting to the U.S.*****Fourwalls 1 Clip 7There's a lot of money spent to clean this up downstream. So kind of working backwards from that we can figure out a value to this stuff...The idea is straight-forward enough, but the execution is tricky. MUSIC BUMP: mischief ****Fourwalls 3 Clip 49Alright, are you guys ready? ready for what? Ahhhh! Oh my god.Steven and Waylin drive up a steep, narrow dirt road that looks precarious at best. The hillside it snakes up on is eroding and it looks like our van could be the thing that washes away the road for good. Were heading to Jorge Ibanezs native plant nursery.Natsound of getting to Jorges place, closing car doors Fourwalls 3 17:17 - 18:10Fourwalls 3 Clip 55So this is a very first project we ever built in Tijuana. It's was just native plant nursery the that's what to eat this. So this like I said, it's built with about 500 scrap tires. Same thing you saw on that that retaining wall here. It's got Earth. It's packed out with Adobe mud, and it's got an Earthen plaster on it. It's made of cactus juice. Every free minute and then I thought this was about the same size group about 13 people mostly ladies and then build this originally as an office space. It is sort of become like the catch-all shed for all the work that happens here...Steven and Waylin want Jorge and others here to help stem erosion by filling the terraces theyll build with the native plants he grows.Jorge clip in Spanish, Alan translatesNatsound: Saying goodbye, getting back into vanFrom the nursery, we keep driving into the canyon, where we see another project the guys helped build. ****Fourwalls 3 Clip 52{chatter in background} This is a little park project Oh, they put a fence up. This was the last Brick-and-mortar project we did in TJ before we decided we weren't going to build anything until we knew we could be here for several years and not stop. We drive even deeper into the canyon and Steven and Waylin show us two more hot spots where they envision focusing most of their efforts. The last spot is near a church that serves as a shelter for homeless migrants, many of them from Haiti and Central America. Clip: Arriving at shelter Basically were going to a place, a migrant shelter. Pastro gustavo has seen it al. the region has become known as little haiti. ...tents jammed up in there. And theres a lot of kids in there. The smell here is very intense thanks to a nearby farm and the extremely polluted waterway.Clip from last hotspot here Yeah, thats some funky green right there. Anyway, this is another one of the hotspots.theres just a lot of need here and definitely a lot of people whod be willing to work really hard. Steven and Waylin see the homeless migrants as the perfect workforce. They envision being able to pay them to walk through the canyon and pick up bottles. If they stuff the bottles with trash, theyll get more money for them. Then theyll use the bottles as bricks in their erosion-control projects. ******Fourwalls 2 Clip 37Steve: So we're going to be creating lots of jobs for a lot of people that call this place home. But there's also an opportunity to create jobs for migrants that are being forced to await their asylum claims on this side of the border.So now, they just need the money. But getting money from government agencies and grantors in the U.S and spending it on projects in Mexico -- thats where things get difficult. Steven and Waylin, though... they think theyve found a way to get the money flowing from north of the border to south. Fourwalls 1 Clip 5Well, The Border impact bond is a way to create jobs and economic incentives upstream in Tijuana to reduce government spending downstream and while improving environmental and Public Health on both sides of the line. Music bump to give money part momentum Thats the elevator pitch for the social impact bond theyve dreamed up. A social impact bond is basically a contract with a government agency. That agency then pays for better social outcomes in certain areas in need and passes on part of the savings to investors who bought into the bond. Steven and Waylin have identified a few government agencies that would benefit and save money from a contract like this. And for investors who buy into the idea, the bond is a way to make some money and pay for something thats good for the environment at the same time. They can feel warm and fuzzy about how theyre using their money.Not everyone is able to fully understand the plan, though. It confuses a lot of people. But thats why Steve and Waylin take potential investors and reps from government agencies on tours of Border Field State Park and Los Laureles canyon, just like the one were on today. Natsound: Inside VanOnce people see the situation on the ground with their own eyes, the idea starts making a lot more sense. Fourwalls 1 Clip 15.. you know Steve I have been doing this for a long time and about four years ago we were introduced to these market-based approaches to conservation which it with impact bonds being one. And we realized right then and there that this the only way that we can scale our work up, is by is a guy by front-loading private impact investment that that there's you know, there's billions of dollars in the ESG Market which is environment sustainability and governance, which is what you know governments around the world companies are all refocusing on in their Investments, you know, people don't want to invest in oil anymore. And so we want to be able to capitalize on that to be able to front-load the cost of these interventions with the idea of then saying repayment would be structured around our performance. So if if we are very successful we would see a higher return rate to our into the investment Steven and Waylin just got $70k from a federal border program run by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Optimistic music bump

That money will help fund the planning stage of the project. Soon, theyll begin holding workshops with people in Los Laureles and coming up with designs.But the last piece of the puzzle has yet to fall in place. They still need a government agency to step up and sign on to the border bond. They say theres too much at stake and are confident it will happen. Fourwalls 2 Clip 38Steve: because what political entity doesn't want that handshake and photo at the end of it? Fourwalls 2 Clip 39Steve: This is a bipartisan solution. You have serious measurable social environmental benefits right for the left. Then you have a fiscally responsible reduction in government spending to the right. So those things together. I mean this is conceptually, it's it's a very bipartisan solution to these problems.Music bump

Next episode teaser

Next time on the podcast. we continue our border-art series with a story about an opera singer whos painting a picture of border culture through song.

******Anishka 1 Clip 12And, uh, I started to realize that this was like. This was a thing. This was a thing that people were interested in and that it felt really good to talk about our border experiences in other places, and that there was fear. And, um, for lack of a better word, ignorance on both sides of the wall.

Anishka Lee-Skorepa wants to break cultural barriers surrounding both the border and opera music.

Show credits

Only Here is a KPBS podcast hosted by me Alan Lilienthal. It was written and produced by Kinsee Morlan. Emily Jankowski is the director of sound design. Lisa Morrissette is operations manager and John Decker is the director of programming.

KPBS podcasts are made possible by listeners like you. Go to kpbs DOT org to make a donation or become a member today.

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Slowing The Flow (Only Here) - KPBS

MANCHESTER A water main break had a West Side couple on edge after their garage and basement filled with 32 inches of water two days after Thanksgiving. Back-to-back snowstorms didnt help.

Lynn Chabot and Jason Loy said neighbors came to their aid.

When the insurance company said, You have to wait until Monday and everything else, these people were here for us, Loy said.

Silt on the walls of the home at 5 Alpine St. and a Porsche Cayman S sports car parked in the garage show just how high the water rose. Loy said his baby is likely a complete loss.

It found the path of least resistance, which is our driveway, Chabot said of the small geyser that burst from the street around 8 p.m. Saturday.

The couple said they were originally told the damage wasnt covered because they dont have groundwater or flood insurance, but Hanover Insurance has since opened a new claim and will send an adjuster.

Guy Chabot, the citys water works deputy director in charge of water distribution, said the bolts of a 1997 valve corroded, causing the water to gush down the couples driveway. He is not related to Lynn Chabot.

The break is legally considered an act of God, meaning the city is not responsible for any damage.

It has to be shown that we did something to create the liability, Guy Chabot said. Lets say we were out there digging and pulled the top off the valve, then yes we typically would be responsible. This was a valve with corroded bolts and the top basically broke off of it.

The city will help repair part of the driveway because of a sinkhole.

But what about all the stuff in here? Lynn Chabot said Tuesday afternoon pointing to the garage.

As the couple continued to clean Tuesday, Hanover Insurance called saying they would be covered, prompting Lynn Chabot to shed tears and embrace Loy. A Hanover Insurance spokewoman said an adjuster and claims manager visited their property Wednesday morning.

Now, a water cleanup and restoration company can be called to help because of the claim.

Lynn Chabot, who grew up in the home and moved back in in 2014, said there is no estimate on how much the damage caused. A finished room in the basement had to be demolished and a retaining wall outdoors needs to be replaced.

Many photos and other childhood memories are being sorted through and air-dried.

I didnt sleep for 36 hours, she said. I feel relieved now and Im overwhelmed, but I know this is only the beginning.

The couple, who married in June, said they were touched by the generosity of neighbors, some they barely know.

We had people here helping who I had met him and his wife one time, Lynn Chabot said.

One neighbor helped shovel and a plumber worked for hours to restore heat, they said.

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Water main break floods Manchester home in 32" water - The Union Leader