6 hours 35 minutes ago by MTN News

Looking to save money on your utility bill this winter? You may be interested in a free home energy audit by NorthWestern Energy.

As part of NorthWestern Energy's E+ program, a team of energy experts will be working throughout Montana the month of December.

The team has a number of openings for the audits, which provide a detailed report on a home's energy use, weatherization tips and information on energy-efficient practices. In some cases, the experts may, at no charge, install water-heater wraps, low-flow shower heads, low-flow faucet aerators and insulation of hot-water pipes.

The auditors will also inspect natural-gas fueled appliances and perform blower tests to spot areas of air leakage in homes.

The free audits can be scheduled by calling (800) 823-5995 or customers can fill out a form at NorthWesternEnergy.com/audit and a representative will call the customer at their convenience for scheduling.

Residential customers whose space or hot-water heating fuels are delivered by NorthWestern Energy, have not had an E+ audit in the past and whose home is more than five years old are eligible for an on-site energy audit. Other restrictions may apply and funding for the audit program, provided by the Universal System Benefits program, is limited.

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Chilly? Free home energy audits available in Montana

Lakewood, New Jersey (PRWEB) December 01, 2014

Aquatherm Industries, Inc. has filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office for three new patents. Two of the patents pertain to mounting and connection hardware used in the installation of its solar collectors, while the third relates to a method of draining said collectors. The manufacturer currently holds 16 patents and trademarks in the United States.

The first of the companys three concurrent patent applications is for a design patent for a piece of hardware necessary to install transverse polypropylene-coated stainless-steel hold-down strapping called a Strap Hold-Down Clamp (Part Number 10011). Though the clamp has always been an integral part of the manufacturers installation hardware, "the new patent pending design allows the part to be made using a roll-forming process," says Dave Sizelove, President & CEO of Aquatherm Industries, "which makes for an even stronger, more secure connection."

The second patent application pertains to a leak-resistant solar panel connector, used as a coupler to join two or more solar collectors, or panels, in parallel. The manufacturers patent pending elastomeric connection hose design employs multiple degrees of hardness as well as a central reinforcing lumen, to achieve two things. First, the softer ends of the hose where the sealing actually occurs allow for a more complete and leak-resistant fluid seal. Secondly, the hose's reinforced central lumen eliminates any possibility of a burst or collapse due to pressure changes within the system. According to Sizelove, in the past the solar industry has relied on connections borrowed from other technologies and applications. "Our patent-pending design is really the first of its kind - designed from the ground up with solar thermal applications in mind."

The third patent application relates to a method to ensure positive water drainage of active direct solar thermal systems using a bypass line, which diverts a portion of water from the feed line of the solar collector to an inlet of a water pump. Proper drainage of solar thermal systems ensures collectors and components are protected from damage resulting from freezing conditions. When water is used as a heat transfer fluid, such as in a solar pool heating system, it must be drained back from the collectors to storage when not being actively circulated through the collectors. This drainage typically occurs when the circulation pump shuts off, however in commercial pools it is not always possible to shut off the circulation pump. Commercial swimming pools must maintain a specified turnover rate in order to comply with health department regulations, and shutting off the filtration pump to drain collectors is not possible. The manufacturer's patent pending method of draining collectors does not interfere with the operation of the pump, and utilizes a series of valves and float switches to divert fluid inside the collectors to the suction side of the pump, positively evacuating the collectors.

About Aquatherm: An ISO 9001:2008 registered company, Aquatherm Industries, Inc. is the largest U.S. manufacturer of low-temperature, unglazed polymer solar collectors primarily used for residential and commercial swimming pool heating as well as domestic hot water and process pre-heat applications. Within the companys pellets to panels approach, Aquatherms extrusion, welding, and injection molding processes have been awarded four U.S. and two International Patents for its technology. In addition, Aquatherms collectors were the first NSF-50 listed solar collectors in the world. Aquatherm distributors currently serve Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, all of North, Central, and South America, France, Egypt, and Jordan.

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Solar Pool Heater Manufacturer Aquatherm Industries, Inc. Announces Three New U.S. Patents Pending

Nathan McGinty

Nathan McGinty started writing in 1995. He has a Bachelor of Science in communications from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in international journalism from City University, London. He has worked in the technology industry for more than 20 years, in positions ranging from tech support to marketing.

The vent pipe on a water heater carries off noxious fumes generated by the burning of natural gas in gas water heaters. The fumes rise naturally, are funneled through a vent hood and into a ductwork system. From there, the ductwork carries the fumes to a roof vent, where they are safely dispersed. One of the last steps in home water heater installation is installing a vent pipe.

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How to Vent for Water Heaters. If you ever had a gas-fired water ... How to Install a Water Heater Vent Pipe....

When replacing a water heater, many homeowners install a tankless water heater. This is a system in which water is instantaneously heated...

How to Connect the Exhaust for a Hot Water Heater. Gas hot water heaters need to be vented to the exterior of...

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How to Install a Water Heater Vent Pipe | eHow

Tank Water Heaters, Tankless Water Heater, Hybrid Water Heater

Hot water heaters are complicated pieces of equipment. They should only be installed by professional, fully-licensed plumbers, like those at Arrow Plumbing. Dangers come with trying to repair water heaters yourself, including shock, gas leaks, serious water damage, carbon monoxide poisoning, and explosions. Dont take chances call Arrow Plumbing when you need hot water heater repair & installation.

Regardless of the issue you have with your hot water heater,contact Arrow Plumbingfor immediate assistance. Our team of highly trained Houston area plumbers will walk you through the process of a water heater repair or choosing the appropriate new hot water heater for your home aTraditional Tank Water Heater,Tankless Water Heateror aHybrid Water Heater.

Arrow Plumbing water heaters include one of the top plumbing guarantees in the Houston area. Our plumbing trucks are stocked with thousands of parts, meaning were ready to fix or install your new water heater in a single day. Additionally, we carry only the best water heater brands for use in your home.

At Arrow Plumbing we analyze your water heater service needs and make recommendations based on your individual requirements. If you need water heater service, repair or installation of an entire water heating system from the water source, to the heating equipment, were ready to help you today!

Most water heaters are tank water heaters, which keep a tank full of hot water in your home at all times. When hot water is required, the water is circulated to the open faucet. Traditional tanks utilize electric, natural gas, propane, oil, solar or geothermal power as an energy source to heat the water in your home.

Arrow Plumbing installs and services all major Water Heater brands, including: Bradford White, State, AO Smith, Rheem, American, Premiere, GE, Whirlpool, Reliance, Eternal and many more.

A tankless water heater, also called instantaneous water heater, only provides hot water as needed, saving energyand saving you money. They are designed to heat water directly without the use of a tank and are more efficient than tank water heaters.

Arrow Plumbing installs and services all major Tankless Water Heater brands, including but not limited to: Rinnai, Navien, Nortiz, Takagi, Rheem, Paloma, Bosch, Seisco and many more.

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Hot Water Heater Repair & Installation | Arrow Plumbing ...

Behind space heating, water heating consumes the most energy in our homes, according to Energy.gov. Yet as thermostats get smarter, water heaters remain relatively dumb, beyond some tankless innovations.

A Kickstarter campaign from Sunnovations wants to get in on the smart home game and lower your utility bill all at once. Aquanta is a retrofittable water heater controller that learns homeowners water usage patterns via sensors that measure energy going into the tank, as well as the energy it takes to heat the shower, run the dishwasher, and all the other household tasks requiring hot water. Once your Aquanta figures out you bathe every morning at 7:00, it sync its water-heating to that schedule.

A Wi-Fi-connected control box displays data on a dashboard, which is where you can control your water heater. An app sends maintenance alerts if the device detects a leak and also lets users turn off the water heater when theyll be away from home for a while.

Related: This crowdfunded water heater will annihilate your utility bill

Because the device is retrofittable, it should work with the water heater thats already in your home, provided its not tankless or over 120-gallon capacity. Those with a knack for DIY or handy around the house may be able to install the Aquanta themselves, but a plumber can definitely help the clueless.

Right now, Kickstarter backers can get an Aquanta for the early-bird price of $79, though the quantity is limited.

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Hook this device up to your water heater and watch your utility bill shrink

When I wrote my first column about water heater rentals in 1999, I knew little about the business.

Since then, Ive watched many consumers fooled by fast-talking salespeople into replacing a perfectly good water heater with a slightly newer one that had higher monthly rental fees.

Uniformed representatives would show up at the door, making people believe they were dealing with a current supplier. They talked about benefits of switching such as energy efficiency, safety and government rebates which often turned out to be minor or non-existent.

Rental companies would install water heaters during the 10-day cooling off period and threaten hefty removal fees if clients changed their minds. Older water heaters would be recycled, so that customers could not get them back if they tried to cancel their contracts right away.

But after 15 years of following abusive practices in this industry, I finally see signs of progress.

The federal Competition Bureau reached a deal this week with National Home Services, a subsidiary of Just Energy, to pay a $5 million penalty and $500,000 toward its investigative costs.

The agreement arose from thousands of complaints about NHS sales agents misleading customers about their identity and purpose of their visits. It also requires the payment of $1.5 million to all current customers obtained by National Home Services through door-to-door marketing since July 2008.

Its not every day we get a consent agreement that provides restitution to customers, Competition Bureau spokesman Phil Norris said in an interview.

Here is a recap of the water heater wars for those who didnt have a front-row seat for all the antics.

1999: Ontarios two regulated gas utilities, Enbridge Gas and Union Gas, spin off their water heater operations to deregulated entities they own. This opens the door for independent contractors to sell and service water heaters.

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Water heater wars raged for 15 years: Roseman

(PRWEB) November 24, 2014

As snowstorms and record low temperatures sweep the United States this week, it is more important than ever to take the proper winter precautions. According to CNN, the National Weather Service reported that about 50% of the country had snow on the ground on November 18. Because this is still relatively early and still not officially the winter season U.S. citizens need to be cognizant of the consequences of the upcoming winter.

If this weeks low temperatures and significant snow accumulations are any indication of the winter ahead, homeowners must take the initiative to become educated about the valuable water heating options available. While heating is certainly a costly expense, it is a necessity. A November 13th article published by Eco Seed, an environmental organization, stated, Heating water accounts for around 18% of the average US household's energy use. After climate control, pumping hot water into a home to clean clothes, dishes and ourselves is the largest energy expense of running a modern house, costing a homeowner about $600 annually, and the planet much more.

Pursuing an eco-friendly option for water heating is, perhaps, the most efficient way to save money during the wintertime. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by utilizing a tankless water heater, also known as an on-demand unit, homeowners can save up to 30% on the cost of heating water when compared to a traditional storage water heater. The five different types of water heaters available include storage water heaters, tankless water heaters, heat pump water heaters, solar water heaters and tankless coil and indirect water heaters. After factoring in price and efficiency levels, storage and tankless water heaters are currently the top choices. However, tankless water heaters have proven to outpace storage water heaters in respects to efficiency, for many reasons.

Because tankless water heaters heat water on demand there is no standby energy loss, thus leading to major energy savings. In addition, tankless water heaters have a life expectancy of 20 years, compared to 8 to 10 for storage units. Tankless units also present less of a risk of flooding because they don't store large volumes of water. Meanwhile, these eco-friendly water heaters can be placed outside, fit on walls, slide into cupboards, and take up significantly less square footage than other models.

Establishing that an eco-friendly water heater will prove to be beneficial is fairly simple. However, finding a reliable and knowledgeable company to install and maintain your system is slightly more complicated. While eco-friendly appliances are a fairly recent trend, it is important to find an honest company that has perfected all facets of tankless water heaters, to ensure the highest quality and value. With many years of experience, 1st Choice Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning has the knowledge to provide homeowners with the insight necessary for an affordable and efficient water heating system.

In addition to unparalleled knowledge and expertise, 1st Choice Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning guarantees homeowners the highest value with eco-friendly water heater financing options. Their Home Climate Card credit card program does not require a down payment or annual fee. In addition, the Home Climate Card helps customers gain credit for future repairs, maintenance and installations. 1st Choice Plumbings water heating financing includes low monthly payments, generous credit lines, competitive interest rates and a straightforward application process.

Brave the cold months ahead with the most environmentally and economically sound option available. By replacing a basic water heater with a tankless water heater homeowners will not only save money, but also conserve energy, allowing for the best of both worlds. For more information about eco-friendly water heaters, call 1st Choice Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning at 201-288-0390 today!

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Turn Your Winter Green with Eco-Friendly Water Heaters

GE Heat Pump Water Heater Install
This video describes the installation of a GE hybrid electric heat pump water heater. I searched for how to videos on this model but couldn #39;t find any so dec...

By: Jeff Bonner

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GE Heat Pump Water Heater Install - Video

For many people with backyard ponds, fountains and other water-garden fixtures, the arrival of cold weather means draining the pipes and pulling the plug.

But water gardens can be attractive winter gardens, too, with the right preparation and landscaping.

Turning off a garden's water fixtures might not be necessary, depending on where you live, said Keith Folsom, president of Springdale Water Gardens in Greenville, Virginia. Their wintertime effect is always different and attractive with the use of landscape lighting and the right plants.

We had an extremely cold winter here last year but it wasn't a problem, he said. Pay attention and know how much water you're using below the ice. You have to keep that flow topped off.

Ensure that water lines and fixtures are drained if you do decide to turn them off so they won't expand with freezing and break, Folsom said. Running water, on the other hand, prevents icing. That's one of the reasons I tell people to keep them running.

Landscaping around water fixtures can mean simply adding a few evergreens for contrast against snow, or stringing some lights around the ice.

Tips for preparing your pond for the winter freeze-up:

Remove debris before it can decompose. That prevents organic rot, loss of oxygen and an accumulation of toxic gases. But the bigger problem comes if you stir it up, Folsom said. That can turn up bacteria that will be harmful to fish in winter.

Use netting. Cover the water with a screen, sweep the surface with a long-handled net or install skimmers like those used to vacuum swimming pools.

Prune. Pinch off aquatic plants as they die. Reposition your hardy potted water lilies into deeper water.

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Keep backyards alive in winter

A truly smart home should not only make your life easier, it should also save you money. And while theres no shortage of smart thermostats, lighting controls, door locks, and even smart irrigation systems, few solutions focus on the activity that consumes the second-highest amount of energy in the home: heating water.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that heating water accounts for 17.7 percent of a typical homes energy consumption (space heating consumes 41.5 percent). Thats because a traditional electric, gas, or propane water heater keeps 30, 40, or more gallons of water hot in a tank all the time. Every time the water heaters thermostat detects a drop in the water temperature below a preset threshold, it fires up its heating element and reheats the water, even though on most days you need hot water only in the mornings and evenings.

One of the best ways to reduce the energy your home uses to heat water is to install an on-demand heater that fires up only when you need hot water. I have one in my house and its fabulous. But these so-called tankless water heaters can be very expensive, especially if you need to hire a pro to install one in place of a conventional water heater (theres both plumbing and electrical work to be done).

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating water consumes the second-highest amount of energy in the typical home.

Sunnovations, a company with a background designing and manufacturing solar water-heater monitors, has a better idea: The Aquanta Smart Water Heater Controller. Cool technology for hot water, as the company describes it. We aim to bring this dumb appliance into the connected-home ecosystem, Sunnovations CEO Matt Carlson told me in an interview several weeks ago. The company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring its new product to market.

The Aquanta is a box that sits on top of your water heater and is connected to a probe (an enthalpy sensor, to be technical) that dangles inside the tank. The sensor feeds through a fitting that attaches to your water heaters T&P (temperature and pressure) relief valve and measures both the energy going into your tank and the energy consumed as you use hot water. The box connects through your Wi-Fi router to the cloud, which you link to with an app on your smartphone (it could also be integrated into your existing smart-home network).

By heating water only when you need it, it shouldn't take long for you to recoup your investment in an Aquanta water-heater controller.

Having a very finely grained view of your households hot-water usage patterns enables you to cycle the heating element, Carlson said. The Aquanta can learn your hot-water usage patterns, much like the Nest Learning Thermostat monitors your heating and air-conditioning use, and can suggest a water-heating schedule. You can also establish your own schedule for turning the water heater on when its needed and off when you dont expect to be home. Finally, you can turn the heater on and off manually, using the smartphone app. The box can send you text messages when it determines you havent used hot water for a while.

In addition to its energy-savings features, the Aquanta can also alert you to water leaks. A leaking water heater can do tremendous damage because your water heater is usually out of sight, and a leak can go undetected for days or weeks. Sunnovations product roadmap includes the development of a networked valve that can shut off the water supply to the heater in the event of a leak.

The Aquanta app will help you program the controller, remind you about maintenance chores, and alert you to problems such as water leaks.

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The Aquanta smart water-heater controller promises to slash your energy bill