16 hours ago

The White House is finally on the solar grid, in response to prodding by environmentalists and nearly four years after then-Energy Secretary Steven Chu pledged that solar panels and a solar water heater would be installed on the historic building's roof.

The American-made panels are converting sunlight into energy at the first family's residence as part of President Barack Obama's "commitment to lead by example to increase the use of clean energy in the U.S.," said Matt Lehrich, a White House spokesman.

The long-awaited announcement came as Obama on Friday touted a raft of administration initiatives aimed at boosting the use of alternative energy, as part of his alert on climate change - a message that resounds with his liberal base but faces opposition from congressional Republicans, who the president said Friday were "wasting time" arguing about what he said was a settled debate.

"Climate change is real and we have to act now," Obama said at a California Wal-Mart as he praised the company for embracing solar energy. He sought to counter Republican criticism that addressing climate change will cost jobs, saying "there are cost-effective ways to tackle climate change and create jobs at the same time."

He suggested a growing consensus that climate change is a threat: "Unfortunately, inside of Washington we've still got some climate deniers who shout loud, but they're wasting everybody's time on a settled debate," he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said that if Obama were serious about creating jobs he'd change course.

"If the president really wanted to be helpful and move America toward energy independence, he'd do things like approving the Keystone pipeline, stopping the war on coal," McConnell said.

The panels on the White House are a part of a plan to improve the energy efficiency of the building and "demonstrate that historic buildings can incorporate solar energy and energy efficiency upgrades," Lehrich said.

It's estimated that the upgrades will pay for themselves in energy savings over the next eight years - if the next president doesn't remove them. President Jimmy Carter installed 32 panels in 1979, when an Arab oil embargo spiked fuel prices, but President Ronald Reagan removed them in 1986 when the roof was resurfaced.

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Solar panels finally arrive atop the White House

TEMPLE The grassroots green movement Monadnock Energy Resources Initiative is moving forward with its first home solar installation next month.

Were moving forward in a new direction and were very excited about it, said Bev Edwards, coordinator for Monadnock Energy Resources Initiative (MERI).

The group was formed two years ago by members of several Monadnock region town energy committees.

The Monadnock Energy Resources Initiatives mission is to help people rely less on fossil fuels and reduce their overall carbon footprint, Edwards said. The group accomplishes this through renewable energy installations and low-cost or no-cost weatherization opportunities and training, she said.

Were trying to cut costs for people so they are able to switch from burning so much fuel, especially fossil fuels, Edwards said.

Since forming, the group has already held two hot water heating barn raising installations.

These are community building events in which volunteers help install a solar hot water heater and the home owner provides lunch and a promise to pay it forward through MERI volunteer work in the future.

The one-day project requires a group of volunteers and a licensed plumber. After rebates and tax incentives, the project costs the homeowner about $3,000.

Edwards credits the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative for inspiring and training MERI members.

They started it with neighbors helping neighbors, Edwards said.

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Monadnock green group plans home solar installation

Includes More Places Of Assembly

The carbon monoxide (CO) detector requirement in its building code was expanded through legislation signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio last Friday, Apr. 25.

Intro. No. 11, which passed the City Council unanimously in an Apr. 10 vote, mandates the installation of CO detector systems in new buildings with assembly places and that feature a fire alarm system. Existing structures are grandfathered in, but owners will be required to install CO detectors if and when fire alarm systems are replaced.

The current building code requires that property owners install the detectors in dwelling units served by any kind of appliances (such as a stove or hot water heater) that may produce carbon monoxidea colorless, odorless gas that is fatal to anyone exposed to excessive amounts in a short period of time.

This important bill amends the New York City building code to increase the number of life-saving carbon monoxide detectors in our city, de Blasio said before signing the bill last Friday. East year, about 200 people are hospitalized because of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, and people are dying needlessly.

The law de Blasio signed requires CO detectors in places of assembly such as restaurants, taverns, nightclubs, bars, catering halls, movie theaters, houses of worship and other venues where large numbers of people gather.

The Department of Buildings will adopt rules and standards for the installation of CO detector systems. Provisions of the law take effect on Oct. 1.

Local sponsors of the legislation include City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer and City Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm, Rafael Espinal, Julissa Ferreras, Karen Koslowitz, Antonio Reynoso, Donovan Richards, Eric Ulrich and Ruben Wills.

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Mayor Expands City CO Detector Rules

Bandera, Texas (PRWEB) April 30, 2014

A plumbing emergency can put Bandera residents in the difficult position of needing professional services as soon as possible without being able to research and call around for the best price. Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning, a 24 hour plumber in Bandera Texas, has taken some of the stress out of water heater replacement by offering their customers a $150 discount in the event of an emergency.

By offering the discount during an emergency situation, Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning aims to make their customers comfortable with the service, even at a time when decisions need to be made quickly. Both tankless and traditional hot water heaters fall under Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditionings umbrella of expertise and they can install all major brands and models.

To redeem the offer, Bandera residents are to visit http://www.jonwayneair.com/plumbing/. For more information about water heater repair, replacement, or maintenance, homeowners are encouraged to visit http://www.jonwayneair.com/plumbing/water-heater.cfm or call (210) 293-5550 to set a service appointment.

About Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning is San Antonio's largest residential HVAC service and plumbing company. Their focus is to help customers create the most comfortable environment possible. Highly trained technicians use state of the art equipment and techniques to locate problem areas and maximize efficiency, providing homeowners with healthy and comfortable spaces.

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Bandera Plumbing Company Offering Discounted Emergency Services for Water Heater Replacement

Arlington, TX (PRWEB) May 01, 2014

Arlington plumbers at Curlys Big Blade are now offering service discounts to save consumers money this summer. In addition to providing service discounts Curlys Big Blade Rooter Service is also offering a $10 off coupon which can be used for any service over $100 and $10 off drain cleaning. They are also providing up front pricing to make it easy for consumers to know what they are getting into before agreeing to Arlington repair services. We are offering this service discount for $10 off so everybody can afford the best service provider, says Curly, Owner of Curlys Big Blade Rooter Service. They can have an experienced Arlington technician on site within an hour in most cases according to Curly. If the drain is backed up or the hot water isnt working the need for a fast Arlington plumber is immediate. Our goal is to make all of our Texas customers 100% happy.

Plumbers in Arlington Texas at Curlys Big Blade are also offering other coupons in addition to the $10 off Arlington plumbing service discount. They are offering drain cleaning for $149.50 when a proper clean out is present. Curlys is also offering a new water heater installation special where they will install a new electric water heater for $25 off. A quick search for Arlington plumber reviews on Google reveals that many people feel gouged by the plumber they hire. We strive for 100% complete customer satisfaction because 90% of our customers are repeat customers. We know if we treat people right they will come back to us for all of their repair and service needs, says Curly.

Curlys also offers specialized services such as sewer repair and hydro-jetting, these technologies are used to fix and replacement main sewer laterals. Most small plumbers in Arlington dont have the specialized equipment we have to do the jobs we do. We invest in the best equipment so we can get the job done quickly, which saves our customers money, says Curly. A lot of the calls Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service gets are from people who have been quoted a job by another plumber, but they want a second opinion. We are happy to provide people with competitive quotes for plumbing service. We provide no cost second opinions.

One of the most popular Arlington drain cleaning service discounts currently being offered by Curlys Big Blade Rooter Service is their $149.50 drain cleaning coupon. Every time we offer a drain cleaning coupon we get a huge response. A lot of the calls we get are from people who called another company out for service and the price much higher than advertised, says Curly.

Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service is also currently offering a coupon for $25 off of a new tankless water heater installation in Arlington. The coupon is applicable to removal of the old water, installation of the new water heater and any associated water or gas lines required by code. When the hot water isnt working people usually want to get it fixed as quickly as possible but they dont want to get gouged. We send an experienced technician on site. Our goal is to see if we can do water heater repair before just replacing it. If a new water heater is needed or the customer wants to upgrade to a tankless hot water heater we provide a no cost estimate for the installation, says Curly.

Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service also handles Arlington leak detection. In situations where a slab leak is suspected advanced machinery is required to determine exactly where the leak is. If the leak location is off even slightly then more demolition is being done than is required. Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service employs Arlington leak detection and repair experts.

Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service has many positive online Arlington plumber reviews. Many consumers have left reviews on their Google+ page as well as other Arlington plumbing review sites like Yelp and Yellow Pages.com. We are very proud of our Arlington plumber reviews and the reputation we have built and we want everybody to know that we treat everyone like we would treat our mother, says Curly.

To learn more about water heater repair in Arlington or the plumbers at Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service visit their website, watch their videos, read their press releases or read their many positive online plumber reviews on respected consumer review sites like Google, Yahoo, Yelp and Angies List for plumbing companies in Arlington.

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Arlington Plumbers at Curlys Big Blade Plumbing and Rooter Service Announce Service Coupons and Discounts for Repair ...

Was it just a coincidence that on the fourth night of the eight-day holiday of Passover which relates the story of how God rained 10 plagues on Egyptians to force them to let the enslaved Jewish people flee we were hit with a plague of our own?

It was around 10 Thursday night when we discovered that we had no hot water. Our hot water tank had gone kablooey, and water was leaking out on the basement floor. Our second tank had died a few years ago, so we were out of luck looking at Easter weekend.

I called our trusty plumber, Dwight DeBow. Then a miracle occurred (not as spectacular as the parting of the Red Sea for the Jews to leave Egypt): Dwight answered and said hed see us at 7 a.m. Good Friday.

He found that not only was the tank broken, but so was the valve to turn off the water so the tank can drain. The answer: Get a new tank and haul out the two old ones.

The old hot water heaters were power venters, Dwight said, which vent the gas byproducts outside via a 6-inch diameter sheet-metal stainless steel pipe.

The new hot water heater holds 50 gallons and vents outside with a 3-inch PVC plastic pipe (made of polyvinyl chloride, more effective than traditional materials).

Its a higher-efficiency hot-water heater, Dwight said, adding that this option was $1,000 cheaper than replacing the type of tanks we had.

The new tanks also are safer, he said, because if the low-temperature PVC pipe venter fails, the safety valve shuts off the pump immediately. The old style can start a fire if that happens.

I dont understand it all, but Saturday Dwight and two men removed the old tanks, redid wiring, put in the new Rheem tank, billed us $1,860 (about $1,000 for the tank, the rest labor. Oy!), and we took a shower.

Shopping for a hot water system

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New hot water heater brings flood of information

April 22, 2014 Updated Apr 22, 2014 at 12:51 PM CDT

The Minnesota Department of Commerce

The Commerce says this 44th annual Earth Day is a call to action for Minnesota communities and residents to rekindle their passion for a cleaner environment.

There are many celebrations planned across the country as part of Earth Day; however, many organizations are shifting focus to encourage everyone on planet earth to treat every day as Earth Day to build a cleaner, more sustainable future for the world.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will support Earth Day this year with an event at its Washington, D.C., headquarters that aims to reduce our environmental footprint.

The event will stress using resources, such as energy, more efficiently. Displays will feature energysaving tips, electric vehicles, recycling, and more.

Commerce urges Minnesotans to implement measures to reduce energy use. Here are just a few steps you can take to make a difference on Earth Day and save energy:

-Get an advanced energy assessment - A home energy assessment, with advanced diagnostic equipment, will evaluate the performance of your home and the safety of mechanical systems to determine what energy improvements are needed.

-Seal air leaks - An enormous amount of energy is wasted when inside air (either heated or cooled) escapes to the outside through leaks in attics, walls, windows and doors.

-Check mechanical systems - Water heaters, air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, gas fireplaces and ventilation systems should be inspected regularly to keep them operating efficiently and safely.

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How to make every day Earth Day

Improperly Installed Water Heater Flue
T N Services LLC. proudly provides HVAC services to the North Georgia area including: Atlanta, Canton, Woodstock, Marietta, Cumming, Alpharetta, Jasper For m...

By: T N Services LLC.

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Improperly Installed Water Heater Flue - Video

Traditional Water Heaters Come in Two Main Types

Traditional or storage hot water heaters are typically either gas or electric powered and come in a variety of sizes. Power source generally varies by geography. For example, in Oregon and Washington about forty percent of homes have electric powered heaters while in Northern and Southern California the vast majority of water heaters are gas powered.

Both residential gas and electric water heaters come in a variety of sizes but the most common are:

The majority of homes have a 40- or 50-gallon tank with the 50-gallon tank being the most common. Larger tanks such as a 66- or 80-gallon tank are usually only used for very large homes or for homes that have a large hot tub or jacuzzi.

It is possible to upsize or downsize your water heater. Customers are often interested in installing a larger tank if they have recently installed a hot tub. When upsizing to a larger tank, we will ensure that your entire system is installed safely and typically this will entail increasing the size of the vent on gas water heaters. Larger tanks emit a larger volume of carbon monoxide and as a result, must have a larger vent to operate safely.

We can also check space requirements with you over the phone to ensure a larger tank will fit. Occasionally, a customer will choose to downsize their tank as 66- and 80-gallon tanks are often more expensive than more common 50-gallon tanks. We do not recommend downsizing from a 50-gallon tank to a 40-gallon tank, however, as 40-gallon tanks are typically comparable in price.

There are a also a variety of smaller tanks used for special applications such as an under-sink water heater, sometimes called a lowboy. Small 2-, 4-, 6-, 20-, 25- and 30-gallon tanks are sometimes used as supplements to your water heater system or used as application-specific tanks. Tanks of this size can be useful for a single sink or in same cases, are used as an additional heater for a recirculation system. Tanks of this size, however, are typically only available in electric-powered heating systems.

Typically, there are four measures of how a hot water tank operates:

Efficiency rating is a measure of the percentage of heat transfer from the energy source to your water. Standard electric tanks range from 88-95% efficiency while standard gas tanks range from 55-65% efficiency. Electric tanks allow for higher energy transfer because they heat your water with heating elements that are submerged in the water, while gas fired tanks are heated from below through a gas burner.

Despite higher efficiency ratings, typically electric tanks are more expensive to operate as the cost of electricity is higher than the cost of gas to heat your water. So, while heat transfer is more efficient in electric tanks, this does not mean your overall energy usage is less in an electric water heater. Because of this, many utility companies and governments often encourage residents to use gas heating if choosing between gas and electric.

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Traditional Water Heaters Installation & Repair

I see its been more than a month since we had a lesson in Homeownering 101.

Lets fix that and some other stuff.

Flood prevention

It had never occurred to me that everyone didnt do this until a co-worker asked a few years ago whether I thought she ought to install clear plastic covers for her basement windows.

She was getting water in her basement and figured that would solve the problem.

Maybe, but the solution turned out to be simply cleaning the fallen leaves and debris that had formed an impermeable floor in her window wells.

Nuff said.

Ounces of prevention

The occasional buffing with paste wax will help deter rust from ruining the surfaces of your stationary power tools: table saw, joiner, band saw, drill press, etc.

Slick tables also are safety features. Wood slides across them easier, which keeps you from forcing the wood through the blade.

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Once more back to school