https://vimeo.com/1047355773 Dominating the headlines over the last week or so, the utter devastation from the LA fires has been heartbreaking to watch. The loss of life and homes has been painful to witness from afar, and some fires still burn due to excessively high winds. What turned out to be a fairly innocuous Contractor Spotlight Read more
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Dominating the headlines over the last week or so, the utter devastation from the LA fires has been heartbreaking to watch. The loss of life and homes has been painful to witness from afar, and some fires still burn due to excessively high winds. What turned out to be a fairly innocuous Contractor Spotlight, our interview with Yossi Wachtel, owner of Monkey Wrench Plumbing in Los Angeles just got personal.
You can read the Spotlight here:
Contractor Spotlight: Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air and Electric—Community First
Podcasts:
https://vimeo.com/1044815145 Most of the country is experiencing a cold snap, extending its way as far south as Texas. In the northern climates snow and an icy grip has taken hold. And while it’s great for the plumbing and heating techs and installers, be careful out there and take the precautions to perform your job effectively Read more
Most of the country is experiencing a cold snap, extending its way as far south as Texas. In the northern climates snow and an icy grip has taken hold. And while it’s great for the plumbing and heating techs and installers, be careful out there and take the precautions to perform your job effectively and safely. On this weekly update we’ll talk outer wear, Trump 2.0, new podcasts, and did you know that today is quitting day?
Trump 2.0
Heat Pump Water Heater
Podcasts
Um, yeah. With Trump ready to assume the role of President for his second term, albeit not consecutively, other than the renaming the Gulf of America, how much can we “read the room” as to changes in policies, rhetoric or general feeling moving forward to things that relate to the PHVAC industry? We recently caught Read more
Um, yeah. With Trump ready to assume the role of President for his second term, albeit not consecutively, other than the renaming the Gulf of America, how much can we “read the room” as to changes in policies, rhetoric or general feeling moving forward to things that relate to the PHVAC industry? We recently caught with Mark Velentini, VP of Legislative Affairs at the PHCC-National Association, and Charles White, VP Regulatory Affairs at the PHCC-National Association—affectionately known as the “Chuck & Mark Show” by the PHCC—as they have their finger on the pulse of DC.
MH: We can kind of gauge what sort of policies/governance may come out of Trump’s term based on his first term, but how do you think the second time around will affect the plumbing industry in general?
Mark Valentini
VALENTINI: A Republican Congress and administration will bode well on energy policy as PHCC members confront bans and restrictions on natural gas connections and appliances across the country. This will also bode well for tax policy as certain provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are set to expire which have been beneficial for many contractors, especially when considering Congress revisiting the corporate tax rate and potentially lowering it to 15% down from 21%.
MH: Does a more deregulated government mean more uphill battles for water/energy efficiency?
Charles White
WHITE: I think the previous Trump Administration showed us uphill battles when agencies were directed to create exempt categories like small cycle dishwashers and such. It is likely that the second Trump Administration will take these actions to the next level by moving to rewrite the underlying legislation. Having said that, the efficiency efforts will then move to the progressive states rather than being federal actions, we will probably not see much regression to less efficient standards and the high population states like California and New York will likely drive the industry to higher efficiency products.
MH: Do you think there may be changes to things like the Inflation Reduction Act or Infrastructure Bill or is that pretty much hands off at this point?
VALENTINI: It is rather early to tell, IIJA has been around for some time now and may be hard to change. The IRA has so many parts, that makes it hard to consider in one piece. Tax credits like Section 25c could be pretty safe but the HOMES and HEARS Acts may not be as safe since they represent almost $9 billion.
WHITE: Most of HOMES and HEARS programs have yet to roll out which could make them a prime target but since they have a low- and moderate-income focus, there may be an optics issue to remove those acts. The issues are complicated, but PHCC has been cautiously supportive of the IRA since much of that program flows to plumbing and HVAC contractors.
MH: What is the climate from your constituency? In other words, what are you hearing about this new election cycle—positivity, negativity or a wait and see approach?
VALENTINI: Positivity but also wait and see. PHCC must be vigilant on workforce policy as the new government may reconsider industry-recognized apprenticeships which risk watering-down training by compartmentalizing it into credentialing—contractors need skilled workers with a holistic skillset, not workers who are certified in a handful of specific tasks.
MH: How do interest rates come into play here?
VALENTINI: Lower interest rates bode well for real estate, which in turn bodes well for new construction, service, and remodeling work.
MH: From what I recall, Trump’s 1st term was pro-trades? Do you have any indication this will continue?
WHITE: While President Trump’s first term had support from the trade’s rank and file, the Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Rule received more negative public comments than perhaps any other rule. Those negative comments came overwhelmingly from those same rank and file workers. Polling data throughout the election shows that the President-elect enjoyed substantial support from skilled blue-collar workers, but his future actions must support their jobs in the workforce.
MH: Does anything change on the union front?
VALENTINI: That’s a sensitive question. I would venture to say that Teamsters and other labor groups that withheld endorsements are reading the room when it comes to their rank-and-file.
MH: Please give examples of any changes/addendums/eliminations to specific policies moving forward, if applicable. (i.e. Clean Water Act)
VALENTINI: We can expect to see legislation on tax reform and energy in the new Congress. Tight margins particularly in the House will require all Republicans to be on board to pass anything.
WHITE: It is possible that the new administration will review regulations that are currently in litigation, like the residential gas furnace rule, and perhaps decide to pull back those rules for revisions. This could also affect decisions on whether to appeal adverse court rulings such as the recent ruling against the DOL Overtime Rule.
https://vimeo.com/1043475838 Can you believe we made it to 2025? This week we’ll talk AHR, because don’t look now, we’re a month out from the biggest industry event of the year. We’ll also talk hoarders or a messy work areas in a customer’s home. And, of course, new podcasts, which drop every Tuesday. Weekly Links Read more
Can you believe we made it to 2025? This week we’ll talk AHR, because don’t look now, we’re a month out from the biggest industry event of the year. We’ll also talk hoarders or a messy work areas in a customer’s home. And, of course, new podcasts, which drop every Tuesday.
Weekly Links:
Solar-powered Evaporative Cooling
Solar-powered Evaporative Cooling Tower, Another Weapon in the Arsenal to Reduce Energy Costs
Heat Pump Water Heaters
When Hoarders Strike?
https://www.instagram.com/p/DENJ69YR7_U/
Podcasts
By Ross Goldstein Renewable energy enthusiasts now have reason to celebrate: EVAPCO offers a solar-powered evaporative cooling tower. The SUN cooling tower, available in two sizes—241 and 383 nominal tons—is paired with PV panels to dramatically reduce energy consumption. The SUN cooling tower is capable of achieving net-zero operation because its 9 or 12 photovoltaic Read more
By Ross Goldstein
Renewable energy enthusiasts now have reason to celebrate: EVAPCO offers a solar-powered evaporative cooling tower. The SUN cooling tower, available in two sizes—241 and 383 nominal tons—is paired with PV panels to dramatically reduce energy consumption.
An EVAPCO solar-powered SUN cooling tower.
The SUN cooling tower is capable of achieving net-zero operation because its 9 or 12 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels power the unit fully at 50 percent capacity. Its net-zero capability stems from an annual average of energy usage (most of the year, evaporative cooling towers operate at less than 50 percent of their capability).
Cooling towers are among large mechanical systems most scrutinized during energy audits performed at commercial, municipal and industrial buildings. “That’s why, when we introduced the ‘SUN,’ we knew its energy efficient design would call attention to itself—much like a flashy concept car at an automotive show,” said Bobby Becker, EVAPCO’s Global Product Manager, Cooling Towers.
PV panels, ECMs + proper control
The stainless steel-constructed evaporative tower’s controller gives priority to electrical power coming from its array of 250 watt PV panels. If the system needs more than 50 percent of power for the fans, or if solar energy is insufficient for operation at the time, the control shifts to grid or backup power to assure continuous, evaporative cooling.
The cooling tower is independently certified to be IBC (International Building Code) compliant to withstand seismic and wind load forces in North America. Its performance and ratings are certified by CTI, the Cooling Technology Institute.
Electrical savings are sure to boost a customer’s ROI. Given that the SUN tower can operate at 50 percent of specified load on solar energy alone, a customer’s energy savings are improved. The better ROI improves the likelihood of an approved proposal, and the likelihood that—once approved, or commissioned—the customer may seek to fund other energy saving, carbon-reducing projects.
Why a solar cooling tower?
According to Becker: Because it can be done!
How they did it: The first step was to change the characteristics the cooling tower’s most energy-consuming function—the fan. For the SUN, EVAPCO designers “broke one fan into many.” Rather than using a single, large fan—as most evaporative cooling towers do—they opted to use four to six EC (electrically commuted), fan motors, otherwise known as ECMs. They’re also direct-drive, as opposed to the typically fan-belt-driven larger fan. The direct-drive fans are controlled using speed controlled 0-10 volt or Modbus signal.
SUN cooling tower fans are powered by ECMs.
The system also comes with a proprietary SUN control panel. It provides continuous, real-time display of powered generated from the panels, and electrical draw of the motors, and offers the flexibility of multiple control configurations.
Stay on top of maintenance (leads to business opportunity!)
In order to ensure that the system is operating properly and at its highest efficiency, the cooling tower—like all mechanical equipment—will require routine inspection and occasional maintenance—such as monitoring water quality, the cleaning or replacing of tower media, and occasional cleaning of the solar PV panels.
EVAPCO’s SUN cooling tower is energized by sunlight.
Rain does not wash all dirt and debris from PV panels. Though a good rainfall eliminates most dust, pollen, bird droppings and other debris isn’t so easily washed away. Washing the panels is easy, so why not make a habit of it?
The control package includes a subscription to a web based interface to track real time solar production.
What of the idea that this could be a new service offering for your firm? After all, solar PV arrays are spreading quickly across all of North America, many of them attached to the operation of commercial, institutional or industrial mechanical systems (and that’s your sweet spot, right?). So, tell me: why shouldn’t your services include the spit-shining of solar panels to enhance a customer’s energy production? After all, most solar installation companies are focused on installing the panels, then moving on.
Add solar panel maintenance to your repertoire for increase revenue and profit. Your competitors won’t know what hit ‘em.
Ross Goldstein is an author and HVAC expert who’s spent decades working with commercial, institutional and industrial mechanical systems, including solar PV and thermal, and IAQ.