WATERFORD The Waterford Home and Commerce Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 8, at Waterford High School, 100 Field Drive.

Several businesses will give spotlight presentations where attendees can enter to win prizes. The schedule:

* 10 a.m. Enter to win in-home design and window coverings for an entire home from Budget Blinds (up to $2,000).

* 11 a.m. Enter to win design and installation of a raised fire pit and landscaping from Skyline Landscape Design and Henning Landscape ($3,000 value).

* 1 p.m. Enter to win a bathroom facelift from Southport Heating and Cooling ($1,000 value). Learn to install a kitchen faucet, garbage disposal and drain.

Admission is $3. There is no charge for youth ages 15 and younger. Those who bring a nonperishable food donation for Love Inc. will receive $1 off admission.

For more information, contact the Waterford Chamber of Commerce office at 262-534-5911 or via email at chamber@waterford-wi.org, or go to http://www.waterford-wi.org/home_commerce.html.

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Waterford Home and Commerce Show set March 8

New York, NY (PRWEB) March 04, 2014

Tom Lozano, executive director of Air Scrubber Plus, spends most of his time each week bringing home the message of indoor air quality to heating/cooling contractors and air supply executives across the country. But it's his behind-the-scenes business actions and marketing savvy are what propelled Lozano to the top of his field.

Without passion for your business, success can be hard to come by. Lozano found his passion for Air Scrubber Plus after installing it in his own home. The results were amazing; his allergy symptoms practically disappeared, which made him a firm believer in the power of the product and the importance of indoor air quality.

"I'm not just selling a product. The technology found in Air Scrubber Plus is incredibly important to me because it positively impacts the health of those who install it in their home," Lozano said. "I am passionate about indoor air quality and the importance of this technology, and I want to convey the importance of it to homeowners and HVAC businesses everywhere. Air Scrubber Plus isn't just another product, it's revolutionizing the HVAC business."

Having fun is one of the most integral pieces to being a great leader, according to Lozano. "When others see me having fun in my work, they are more likely to respond positively," he said. "Also, once a certain path in business stops being fun for me, I know I need to take a hard look at that and figure out a way to reignite the spark."

Lozano believes that creating a proper plan is the most important step to marketing a product. His goal of making his vision a reality began by following these eight steps:

1. Reverse Engineering: Start at the end and work backwards. "Whether my goal is to be completed in a year, a quarter or in the next five years, I get it down on paper and break it into pieces so I have a plan to get there," Lozano said.

2. Goal, Strategy, Action: Write down each and determine what needs to be accomplished to achieve each step.

3. Determine the project's track: What track do I need to be on each day and each week? "I determine what I need to accomplish to stay on track, and make a game plan of how to get there," Lozano said.

4. Q&A: Start by writing your question down. "My goal is to sit at my computer until I come up with 20 answers to that question," Lozano said. "Sometimes it's really slow, but once the ideas start flowing, the results are amazing. I usually find that around answer 13 or 14, I come up with a million dollar idea."

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How to Build a Successful Brand - A Conversation with Tom Lozano, Executive Director of Air Scrubber Plus

ADVANCED DOOR SYSTEMS

Advanced Door Systems specializes in the installation and service of residential, commercial and industrial overhead doors. The company is an authorized distributor for Raynor, C.H.I. Linear and Liftmaster.

To better serve North West Iowa, Advances Door Systems has offices in Forest City, Fort Dodge and Spencer. Whether you need a new door or service for your current door, the company has a professional staff eager to assist you. It also carries Val6 Heater and Dakota Grills.

Advanced Door Systems offers The right door the right way.

Visit the Forest City location at 605 East J Street, Suite 100, call 641-585-1900 or toll-free 866-590-1592. For more information visit http://www.ads-doors.com.

BERGLAND & CRAM

Bergland & Crams commitment to custom home design stems from the companys long-standing dedication to generate creative yet practical solutions that best suit the needs of you and your family. The team is made up of devoted professionals including licensed architects, interior designers and LEED APs.

B&C has built its practice on the importance of client relationships and takes pride in the way in which it celebrates every step of the design process.

Working both locally and regionally, B&C has custom homes under construction across Iowa and in several surrounding states.

Stop by and visit the company at the Home Show to see the most recent projects. Craftsman, contemporary, Cape Cod and Prairie Style homes are currently underway or recently completed.

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North Iowa Home and Landscaping Show featured exhibitors

YouTube Videos Tweets Comments

Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHP) are a niche market. They shouldnt be.

A Better Mousetrap?

Ralph Waldo Emerson never said Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door. The mousetrap that likely inspired themisquotewas invented seven years after his death. Unfortunately, many people take it literally. GHPs have all the hallmarks of a better mousetrap: They do the job of heating and cooling a building more efficiently than any other option. Despite the larger up-front cost, they are a mature technology and usually the most economic option in for buildings that can accommodate them.

Not only can GHPs cut energy costs for heating and cooling by up to 80%, they can also provide other benefits such as essentially free hot water in cooling mode, lower reliance on fossil fuels, and the elimination of above ground outdoor equipment. These advantages have earned GHPs a small but dedicated cult of true believers, but not broad market acceptance.

The world has not yet beaten a path to the GHP door. Instead, GHPs have a slim and only modestly growing market share. The North American geothermal market was only $102 million in 2012. Frost and Sullivanprojectsitto reach $148 million by 2017. The entire market for climate control products was $13 billion in 2012, and they projectit to reach $15 billion in 2017. That gives GHPs a 0.8% market share in 2012, growing to a 1% market share in 2017. While the GHP market is projected to grow at a 7.8% annualized rate, much of that is due to overall market growth. GHPs market share is only expected to grow at a 4.7% annual rate.

Although that estimate of market share is biased downward because not all buildings can accommodate GHPs, this does not bias the calculations of annual growth rate in market share. Less than 5% annual market share growth is clearly not the type of markettransformationmany would expect from a better mousetrap.

Siege Mentality

I struck a few raw nerves when I asked if air source heat pumps are a threat to geothermal heat pump supplierslast month, despite the fact that I answered my own question with a No.

Except in moderate climates, super-insulated homes, or situations where the installation of a geothermal heat pump (GHP) would be particularly difficult, GHPs have the better economics. This is despite recent advances in air source heat pump (ASHP) technology, which led me to ask the question in the first place. ASHPs dont provide hot water, while man GHP systems can. Also, as the recent heavy snows in the Northeast demonstrated, there are some advantages to having a heat exchanger which is not exposed to the elements (see pic).

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How Geothermal Heat Pumps Can Soar Like Solar

Getting a handle on your household energy consumption can save money and the environment. Your heating and cooling usage is an obvious target, but did you know it's also important to monitor your gadgets and electronics gear?

Getting a handle on your household energy consumption cansave moneyand theenvironment. Your heating and cooling usage is an obvious target, but did you know its also important to monitor your gadgets and electronics gear?

The average US household spends $100 per year powering products that are turned off or in standby mode, according the theEPA. And, nationwide we spend $10 billion a year in energy costs.

Below youll find devices that help determine where youre losing your money and ensure you keep spending under control.

Black & Decker

Youll see big savings on your monthly energy bill when you stop heat and air conditioning from leaking out of your house. A thermal leak detector, like the Black& Decker TLD100 can show you where your homes leaks are. Once the device has readthe ambient temperature, youcan start checking around windows, door frames and other places air could be escaping. The light will change to red for warmer spots and blue for cooler spots. You can set the temperature tolerances to one, five or 10 degrees.

Price:$35.10 onAmazon.com

Nest

The Nest Thermostat (2nd Generation) is smart enough to know when youre away. So if you forget, it can lower the temperature about two hours after youve left. Its continually monitoring your habits, so it can automatically adjust the temperature based on your needs. And, Nest lets you know when youre saving energy, rewarding you with a green leaf icon. Even small changes to your thermostat settings can impact your monthly energy bill. For instance, each degree above 68 Fcan addthree percentto the amount of energy needed for heating, according to the Edison Electric Institute.

Price:$249 onAmazon.com

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6 Gadgets That Help You Save Energy (and Money)

PARMA, OH (WOIO) -

On a night when the temperature in Parma is dipping into the teens, Gary Pouszakowski came home to a dead furnace.

"When I got here it was cold and I was surprised," Pouszakowski said. "So I checked the furnace and it just wasn't running."

So he called Hogg Heating and Cooling and Jack Dinnin arrived quickly and got to work. Fortunately, it was a pretty fast fix.

"The igniter went out on the smart valve. Replaced the three wire ignitor and she's up and running," Dinnin said.

It was up and running about 30 minutes later, good news, because this is a night you're going to need your furnace.

"I didn't need a new furnace so I was happy," said Pouszakowski.

The guys at Hogg's have all been working eight to 12 hour days.

"We've been very busy. Daily. 20 calls a day and an install a day. A new furnace in a home," said Dinnin.

But winter's not over yet and Dinnin has a little advice.

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Heating businesses are working overtime

Early this week at theARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C., a group of entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors gathered for a session that was equal parts innovative, smart, optimistic, and downright crazy. At the ARPA-E Future Energy Pitching Session, eight early-stage start-ups have three minutesstrictly enforcedtosell a panel of venture capitalists on their companies. The venture folks ask a few questions and then offer advice, and generally knock the excited presenters down a peg or two.

At last year's summit,the pitches included rotation-free wind power, uranium molten-salt nuclear reactors, and a device designed to pull energy out of the air thanks to ambient temperature changes. Some of these ideas are very high-risk, and potentially very high-reward; perfect for venture capital, and sometimes, for ARPA-E itself to throw in some money.

"The fire exits are on your lefthand side, should you need them," began the moderator. Indeed they are; off we go with some of the best ideas:

Onboard Dynamics: Refuel any vehicle for $1 per gallon from any natural gas line

Natural gas is now being produced in huge volumes in various parts of the United States, and proponents say it could be an extremely cheap alternative to oil-based gasoline. But one major hurdle is infrastructure: There areless than a thousandcompressed natural gas (CNG) refueling stations around the United States right now. Onboard Dynamics wants to eliminate the need for a lot of that infrastructure by putting the gas compressor on to vehicles themselves.

By letting the car or truck do the compressing, we wouldn't need any filling stations at all. "Sixty million homes and businesses could become natural gas refueling stations," said presenter and CEO Rita Hansen. The idea is to hook into any low-pressure gas source and use one or two of an engine's cylinders as a natural gas compressor, when the car is not moving. The remaining engine cylinders run to power that compression and to provide cooling. When refueling is finished and the car needs to actually move again, all engine cylinders run as normal.

The company has its first customer, Deschutes County in Oregon, but the investors on the panel warned how hard it would be to, essentially, convince car part manufacturers to change everything that they do overnight. The road is long and the climb is steep when it comes to changing our primary vehicle fuel source.

CrowdComfort: People-sourced building control

Do you work in an office? Someone is always cold, right? Or hot. Or somehow uncomfortable. And either everyone keeps changing the thermostat to suit their own needs or complaints get sent to maintenance, who maybe after a few months might make a change. In the meantime, someone is paying for energy to cool or heat a building to points that no one seems happy about. Time to use those angry crowds to fix that.

"We sought to empower people with their smartphones to create the world's first crowd-sourced thermostat," said Eric Graham, the company's CEO. It's actually a straightforward idea: I'm cold, so I tap a button on my phone saying so. Over my whole floor, maybe a few people say they're extremely cold, a few say they're somewhat cold, and so on, and a software-based recommendation engine generates a number for how the building should actually be heated. This can be done in very basic fashion, where a manager turns a knob based on the generated number, or the software can integrate with larger buildings to more automatically affect the building's climate. It wouldn't cost all that much to install or to run, according to Graham, and there is potential for energy savings if unnecessary heating and cooling can be avoided.

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Crowd-Sourced Thermostats, Modular Fusion Reactors, and Other Ideas From ARPA-E Future Energy Pitching Session

BOW Concerned Taxpayers of Bow has presented a petitioned warrant article it says is a money-saving alternative to the towns $6,796,000 proposal to build a new fire and police safety facility on town-owned land.

The groups petition is asking voters for $225,000 to repair the electrical system in the fire station and community center, and provide proper ventilation in the centers kitchen. The petition was signed by 120 registered voters, and member Bryan K. Gould said it would satisfy the towns needs in the long-term.

The $225,000 will remedy the electrical issues the fire marshal identified when the town fire chief invited him to inspect the firehouse. It will also pay for repairs to the hood and ventilation system for the cook top in the building, he said. The $225,000 will certainly fix the issues with the firehouse/community center that have been raised as a justification for spending over $10 million on a new complex.

The town proposes a 25,000-square-foot public safety building to house the fire, emergency management and police departments. In addition, voters will have a choice of approving $4,640,000 to renovate the fire station and the community center, and $1,724,000 to renovate the existing police station. The Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee do not support the articles to repair the facilities.

Another article seeks $200,000 to install a geothermal heating and cooling system in the public safety building. If the safety building proposal is approved, the bonds to repair the two properties will be deemed void. Each town-proposed article must pass by a two-thirds vote. The petition article needs a majority vote to pass.

Bows tax rate is in the top 10 percent for New Hampshire. By any objective measure, Bow residents are already overtaxed, said Gould. The project will cost more than $6.8 million. We know that it will be at least $7 million if the proposed method of heating it geothermal is approved. If the geothermal proposal is rejected, presumably there will be another expenditure for some other form of heating. Interest on the bonds will be over $3 million making the capital investment over $10 million. This doesnt include the cost of furnishings and equipment.

Members of the group said they have been told it would be too expensive to renovate the existing fire and police stations because of the new structural standards, which require new buildings to withstand hurricanes and other natural disasters.

The new building would be built to that standard, said Town Manager David Stack.

But the group said other towns have built public safety centers for $3 to 5 million less than Bows proposal, and its a matter of want rather than need, said Gould.

There are far less costly alternatives to a new complex, such as repairing any deficiencies in the existing buildings. Even if the town concludes that a new public safety complex is important enough to bond for, the cost of the proposed Bow facility is two to three times higher than what other similarly sized towns have spent on such projects over the past three or four years, he said.

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Bow taxpayers group offers alternative to safety complex

BEDFORD Sheriff Sam Craig Tuesday night solicited members of the Lawrence County Council for advice on which vendor to utilize to install a wheelchair lift at the north entry to the courthouse. The facility is scheduled to receive new windows and an upgraded heating-and-cooling system this year.

Craig explained the low bid was $22,500 but required an initial payment of $11,250. The higher bid was $23,436 but didnt require payment until after work was completed and inspected.

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County to install chair lift

Dear Jim: I should replace my old heating and cooling system with a more efficient one. Is installing a geothermal heat pump wise and what types are best? Shel K.

Dear Shel: Making the significant investment in installing a geothermal heat pump does make sense. Keep in mind, a geothermal heat pump also becomes the most efficient central air-conditioning system during summer and provides free water heating.

I just replaced my old heat pump with a WaterFurnace 7-Series geothermal heat pump in my own home. Even though the overall installed cost is higher than other systems, it will pay back its cost in savings and the comfort level is excellent. Also, if one is installed by 2016, there is a 30 percent federal tax credit on the total cost.

I chose this WaterFurnace model because of its super-high heating and cooling efficiencies. It has a heating efficiency COP (coefficient of performance) of 5.3. Using the constant temperature underground, it produces more than $5 worth of heat for each $1 on my utility bill.

When cooling during summer, the energy efficiency ratio, known as EER, is as high as 41. This is more than twice as efficient as the best new standard heat pumps and central air conditioners. Instead of the heat from the house being exhausted through the outdoor condenser unit, it goes into the water heater for free heat.

For most homes, several 5-inch diameter holes are drilled about 150 feet deep for the tubing to use the earths heat. This is called a vertical loop. I have a large backyard, so I installed a long horizontal, 5-foot-deep loop. The loop replaces the outdoor condenser unit so there is no noise to bother neighbors. The indoor compressor is quiet.

The 7-Series model, because it uses a special variable-output compressor, fine tunes the heating and cooling output to the instantaneous needs of the house. This is the most expensive system design, but it provides the best savings and year-round comfort. The installation cost of the ground loop is the same no matter what geothermal system you install.

By constantly varying the output, it runs in more efficient slower, quieter cycles and the air from the register feels hot. A common complaint for standard heat pumps is it never feels warm.

The energy-guzzling backup resistance heating seldom, if ever, comes on. During very hot weather, the compressor can run in super-cooling mode to produce an extra 20 percent output.

The next step down in comfort and efficiency is a model with a two-stage compressor. Most of the time, it runs at the lower-output speed. When it cannot heat or cool your house to the thermostat setting, it automatically switches to the higher speed for more output. Its energy efficiency ratio is as high as 30.

Originally posted here:
Geothermal heat pump nets savings, comfort