DATELINE: SOUTH BOSTON, MA…

Looking for a different way to trim your energy bill?

New Englanders often focus on the high cost of keeping their homes heated in the winter, but an often overlooked drain on the budget is the cost of heating hot water day in and day out, 365 days a year.

John Wood, founder and CEO of Hub Plumbing & Mechanical in South Boston, MA offers some food for thought if you’re in the market for a new water heater. Notes Wood, “Tankless water heaters may provide a more energy efficient alternative than conventional storage water heaters. Tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand, instantaneously as it is needed. Since tankless water hot water heaters don’t have a storage tank, you can save on energy costs since you’re not constantly keeping an entire tank full of water hot.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy “For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, demand water heaters can be 24%–34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters. They can be 8%–14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water—around 86 gallons per day. You can achieve even greater energy savings of 27%–50% if you install a demand water heater at each hot water outlet.”

With a tankless water heater, when the hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit where it is then heated – either by a gas burner in a gas fired water heater, or by an electric element in an electric water heater. Energy savings can be maximized on gas powered units by employing a model that utilizes an intermittent ignition device rather than a pilot light.

In large households, where there may be a demand for simultaneous multiple uses of hot water, two or more demand water heaters can be installed. Separate demand water heaters can also be installed to supply appliances that use large quantities of water, such as clothes washers or dishwashers.

Most tankless water heaters have a life expectancy of more than 20 years. Ongoing periodic maintenance and easily replaceable parts can also often extend the life of the unit.

If you had the foresight to buy a tankless water heater in 2007, don’t forget to file for a Residential Energy Credit with your 2007 tax return to be eligible for a tax credit of up to $300. Unfortunately, Congress has not yet enacted an energy credit for tankless water heaters purchased in 2008.

About Hub Plumbing & Mechanical

Hub Plumbing & Mechanical takes the plumbing industry to the next level, utilizing a professional, friendly, customer-centered approach. In addition to protecting your floors with red carpet, Hub Plumbing and Mechanical’s experienced plumbers also cover their work boots with stain-resistant boot covers, wear ID badges for security purposes, and arrive on time and smartly dressed in crisp, clean uniforms.

The company does not charge by the hour, but by the specific project. Hub Plumbing & Mechanical is available 24 hours a day and 7 seven days a week to provide immediate access and peace of mind. Dedicated 2nd and 3rd shift night dispatchers internally handle all calls at Hub Plumbing & Mechanical, not an answering service. The difference between the two enables Hub Plumbing & Mechanical to get real-time info on the customer 24/7 to expedite the call as efficiently as possible.

Hub Plumbing & Mechanical was established in 1999 and now includes a staff of 16 full time employees. This full service plumbing company assists residential and commercial customers with code violations, sewer/drain clogs, garbage disposals, water heaters, water filtration, steam and hot water boilers, thermostats, leaky faucets, tub valves, gas pipes, appliance installation, and outside hose faucets.

Hub Plumbing & Mechanical Inc. is located at 70 Old Colony Avenue in South Boston, MA 02127. For more information about Hub Plumbing & Mechanical call 1-866-HUBPLUMBING (482-7586), email services@hubplumbing.com, or visit www.hubplumbing.com.

 

DATELINE: DORCHESTER, MA…

Don’t be alarmed if you don’t know what your AFUE is – most people don’t know the answer or even what the acronym means. However, the AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of your furnace or boiler provides the key to how much fuel you’ll burn this winter according to John Wood, founder and CEO of Hub Plumbing & Mechanical of Boston.

 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy “Specifically, AFUE is the ratio of heat output of the furnace or boiler compared to the total energy consumed by a furnace or boiler. An AFUE of 90% means that 90% of the energy in the fuel becomes heat for the home and the other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere.”

 

To make comparisons easy for consumers, new models of furnaces and boilers are required to display their AFUE, but it’s also possible to identify and compare a system’s efficiency by its equipment features as well. For instance, an old, low-efficiency heating system that utilizes a natural draft for combustion and features a continuous pilot light may have an AFUE of only 68%-72% according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. “Compared to a high efficiency heating system with an AFUE of 90%-97%, it’s a cold hard fact that replacing an older, less efficient heating system can shave 30% or more off of fuel bills,” notes Wood.

As of mid September, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs estimated the average statewide cost of heating oil at $3.82 a gallon. “Although most people know it’s going to take a small fortune to heat their home this winter at those prices, they often don’t really think about the efficiency of their boiler or furnace as long as the unit continues to fire up every heating season,” notes Wood. “Even though a high efficiency boiler or furnace can be expensive to purchase upfront, think about the alternative – literally watching a third or more of your annual heating fuel cost going up in smoke.”

 

U.S. Department of Energy estimates indicate that replacing an existing heating system with an AFUE of 60% with a high efficiency system with an AFUE of 90% could save $33.33 for every $100 of fuel costs. In addition, high efficiency heating systems not only offer a way to save on fuel costs, but also help save the planet. The U.S. Department of Energy points out that, “Upgrading your furnace or boiler from 56% to 90% efficiency in an average cold-climate house will save 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year if you heat with gas, or 2.5 tons if you heat with oil.”

 

ENERGY STAR, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, provides more food for thought by offering an online savings calculator that helps consumers look at their potential savings when heating with a high efficiency heating system versus a conventional heating system. The free interactive calculator can be found at www.energystar.gov.

 

About Hub Plumbing & Mechanical

Hub Plumbing & Mechanical was established in 1999 and now includes a staff of 16 full time employees. This full service plumbing company assists residential and commercial customers with code violations, sewer/drain clogs, garbage disposals, water heaters, water filtration, steam and hot water boilers, thermostats, leaky faucets, tub valves, gas pipes, appliance installation, outside hose faucets, and residential HVAC service.

 

Hub Plumbing & Mechanical was recently highlighted in a new book entitled “The Celebrity Experience” where Hub Plumbing & Mechanical’s Red Carpet Service was cited as an example of how it’s possible to create faithful life long customers by showering them with treatment usually reserved for celebrities.

 

Hub Plumbing and Mechanical’s signature Red Carpet service features experienced teams of licensed technicians who not only protect your floors with a red carpet, but also cover their work boots with stain-resistant booties, wear ID badges for security purposes, and arrive on time and smartly dressed in crisp, clean uniforms.

 

The company does not charge by the hour, but by the specific project. Hub Plumbing & Mechanical is available 24 hours a day and 7 seven days a week to provide immediate access and peace of mind. Dedicated 2nd and 3rd shift night dispatchers internally handle all calls at Hub Plumbing & Mechanical, not an answering service. The difference between the two enables Hub Plumbing & Mechanical to get real-time info on the customer 24/7 to expedite the call as efficiently as possible.

 

Hub Plumbing & Mechanical Inc. is located at 70 Old Colony Avenue in South Boston, MA 02127. For more information about Hub Plumbing & Mechanical call 1-866-HUBPLUMBING (482-7586), email services@hubplumbing.com, or visit www.hubplumbing.com.

 

 

In present times most residents of the United Kingdom take properly working plumbing systems for granted.  Most do not take the time to think about the history of plumbing or the way plumbing technology has evolved over time.  Plumbing has a long and interesting history: a history that is worth exploring.It was during the Greek and Roman empires that plumbing technology first started to evolve.  Basic plumbing systems were invented and installed during these empires’ rule to make it easier to carry water to and from the public bathing houses that were so popular.  It was this necessity that lead to the invention of the aqueduct during the Roman Empire.  The aqueduct was the primary mode of plumbing and water distribution from the Roman Empire until the 1800s.  Pipes were constructed mostly from lead during ancient times and aqueducts were pieced together from stone and clay.  However, this is no longer the case in modern times. Today, steel, brass, copper and plastic are the most popular building materials for plumbing and piping systems.  Lead is no longer used to make pipes because the toxicity of lead is considered to be too high.  The bath houses that the Romans enjoyed are considered the predecessors of plumbing as it currently exists.  Originally, public bathing only occurred while the sun was up because the bath water was only replaced once each day.  Remember, it was not until long after the Roman Empire fell that bacterium was discovered and the western world learned how diseases were spread with the obvious implications on bathing and personal hygiene.  In Roman times, one water change each day was all they thought they needed.The modern toilet is, arguably, more important to many modern UK citizens than the aqueducts of the Roman Empire.  The toilet that most western citizens are familiar with in today’s society was first built in Mohenjo-Darco in approximately 2800 BC.  This toilet consisted of a pile of bricks upon which a wooden seat was fixed.  These “modern” toilets were only available to the highest members of society and, in fact, would not be used by the masses until the 1800s when the western world adopted them.As the western world adopted the plumbing and toilet structures that were invented in Roman times the technology surrounding the systems exploded in volume and size.  In less than one hundred years the western world helped toilets and plumbing fixtures advance from aqueducts and sit down holes to the sophisticated and technically complex modern marvels that western people now take for granted.  Today pipes and plumbing fixtures are mostly located underground and the sewage drains and cesspools of ancient times have been almost completely eradicated and replaced.  As technology continues to advance, the cleanliness and efficiency of plumbing and toilets will become more efficient and clean.