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Bruce Marshall, formerly lead trainer at Emerson Swan, was presented the Dan Holohan Lifetime Contribution to Comfort Award at Taco Comfort Solutions’ press conference at the AHR Expo on Monday, January 22 by John Hazen White, Jr., Executive Chairman of the Board of Taco Family of Companies, and Wil VandeWiel, CEO of Taco Family of Companies.

Marshall is the third recipient of the award, and is recognized for his commitment to education and passion for training. He joined Emerson Swan in 2005. By the time he retired at the end of 2017, Marshall had trained tens of thousands of contractors, wholesalers and sales representatives.

Bruce Marshall, left, accepts the award from Taco’s John Hazen White, Jr.

Marshall began his career in the heating industry in 1968 as an oil truck driver in South Boston. From there, he went on to become a heating service technician, independent heating contractor and oil company owner.

In 1987, he began teaching oil burner technology at New England Fuel Institute. Marshall joined Atlantic Petroleum as a Field Supervisor in 1990, coordinating installations and service, as well as trouble shooting with field technicians.

Two years later, Marshall became a boiler company representative in eastern Massachusetts. During that period, he gained a reputation as a hands-on instructor. Shifting gears in 1998, he went to work for pump manufacturer Suntec Industries, covering all of New England and New York. While there, he developed a training program to teach pump technology to technicians.

Marshall served as president of the Boston Chapter of NAOHSM from 1988 to 1996. He’s is a recipient of the OESP Hugh McKee award for outstanding contributions to the oil and energy industry.

The Dan Holohan Lifetime Contribution to Comfort Award is given annually to an HVAC professional or company that has made a substantial contribution to comfort technology, advancement, or training while displaying the exceptional good humor and love of people exhibited by Dan Holohan throughout his long career. Past award winners include Dan Holohan and Robert Bean.

Mechanical Hub recently talked with John Hazen White, Jr., executive chairman of the board and president, Taco Comfort Solutions, about the short-term economy and the company. According to White, the outlook for all sectors is very positive. Consumer confidence is high; people are investing in their homes and businesses are investing in their organizations, be it new buildings or mechanical system energy-efficient upgrades. “With bi-partisan support for infrastructure, which includes significant long-overdue investments in our water and waste-water infrastructure, it could be another boom for our industry,” says White.

Specifically, in residential …

White says Custom home building and the second home market is back in many areas of the country. In these homes, consumers have become a lot more aware of their indoor comfort and the efficiency of both their HVAC system and their use of water. The home environment is also getting a lot smarter by just saying “Hey Alexa or OK Google.” Even the thermostat is now sexy and smart. For Taco, this means integrating our products via WiFi into the home system, like with our Leak Breaker Alert Plus shut-off valve that brings peace-of-mind protection to the consumer and full access via your smart phone.

Specifically, in commercial …

Technology companies, like Amazon and Google, are leading the way with new infrastructure spending. Fortunately, says White, the tech sector has benefited from implementing innovative hydronic-based cooling systems into their newest buildings and data centers. They have taken advantage of the ease of installation and faster commissioning of Taco’s SelfSensing pumps to get their project done on-time and under budget. Plus the real-time monitoring provided by the integrated, characterized drives gives the tech companies the precise data they expect to optimize their systems and track performance.

“We are also seeing an increase in the amount of LEED-certified buildings being designed and built. This again is an area where hydronics shines. Integrated into the designs has been a call for greater use of high-efficient pump solutions,” says White. Taco boasts the broadest range of ECM powered pumps, now up to 30HP. “We then go a step further and integrate the eLink connectivity platform and SelfSensing drives to provide greater installation and operation ease and savings,” says White.

Positive Momentum

White says Taco uses Dodge Analytics to track the type and size of commercial building projects being designed and, although construction starts have been a bit volatile of late, “we do see expansion continuing through 2018,” says White. “This is especially true in the North American market where we should see a bump in spending due to the impact of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Also, the rising commercial property values are driving investors to switch from acquisition to more development, especially in the major cities.”

Everything looks positive going into 2018. Taco is very bullish on the economy and continued growth of our industry. High-efficiency and ECM are going to continue to be the buzzwords of 2018. New industry-wide pump energy rating labeling will be introduced by manufacturers and more utility program incentive dollars are being directed away from lighting toward mechanical equipment and systems. Embedded technology is increasing while connectivity is getting easier and more available. The internet of things (IoT), is being driven into more and more products, which will allow the HVAC system to be smarter and operate more efficiently. For Taco that means being able to supply more-and-more data and system feedback to make systems smarter, more responsive and energy efficient.

Although the forecast looks good, there is some concern. Commodity prices are on the rise and will certainly have an impact on equipment prices across the HVAC industry. “Already this year we have seen a double-digit increase in items like copper and steel and this trend looks like it will continue throughout 2018, especially if the world economy remains strong,” says White.

And, the still unresolved review of Section 232 steel investigation, after Trump’s April announcement that it would consider restricting imports on the basis of national defense, could bring major changes to the price and supply of steel.

Interest rates have moved up as expected or maybe even a little slower than expected through 2017 with the anticipation of further increases in 2018 while the Fed certainly tries to keep overall inflation in check. Indications are that the new Chairman will continue the current policy without any major changes, including allowing some of its portfolio to mature without reinvestment. A possible wild card affecting inflation will be if new trade restrictions are put in place (e.g. steel, as previously noted).

One also needs to keep their eye on the interwoven political climate around the world, be it Britain’s exit from the EU or the ongoing unrest on the Korean peninsula. China’s economic impact, possible currency fluctuations, environmental policy which is driving founderies to close, and their foreign policy towards North Korea all play a role in the world and US economy. Not to mention any reaction by the Trump administration directly against North Korea based on their ongoing provocations.

In general, though, Trump has been business-friendly, says White. “As a private, family-owned, American-based manufacturing business, the Trump administration, through words and early action, has certainly been focused on our success and the success of U.S. manufacturing businesses. In general, whether it’s directives to try and cut red tape or make the tax system more competitive, this administration has reached out to the manufacturing industry and has taken a keen interest in our future success.”

Based on its own optimistic outlook, Taco is making significant investments in new US-based manufacturing of high-efficiency pumps, accelerating research and development efforts, and expanding our highly-skilled workforce. We have also been able to recently add Taconova, a Swiss-based leader in innovative hydronic solutions for heating, plumbing, and solar energy applications in residential and commercial buildings, to the Taco family of companies.

More Efficiency

In December of 2016, as a unified circulator manufacturing industry, Taco completed negotiations with the Department of Energy (DOE) on new circulator pump energy efficiency standards. The standard level established effectively shifts the circulator pump market from induction motor technology to more efficient electrically commuted motor (ECM) technology. Conservative estimates place the energy savings from this latest pump efficiency standard at 0.7 quads of energy over a 30 year period, or the annual energy use of four million homes.

“This was a significant, unilateral agreement that will have transformative implications for our industry, the economy and provide energy savings to all Americans who heat and cool with or recirculate hot water in their homes. What we need this year is the completion and publication of this standard by the DOE. Under the leadership of Rick Perry, the DOE has been slow to act on any new regulations but we hope the economic and energy-saving benefits of this standard will shine through and it will be published in 2018.”

Labor Shortage

Finally, tackling the issue of the skilled labor shortage, White says that he does not see a clear path to the issue getting better any time soon. This shortage is further complicated by the technical advances in the products being offered to the industry and the need for advanced skills in controls, programming and system integration.

“The broadening skills gap is due to several factors but the one we can and must address immediately is the negative perception of plumbing and HVAC jobs. We have a societal focus on four-year degree programs as opposed to technical education which has made it difficult for contractors to attract skilled talent. We work closely with our trade associations, including AHRI and Hydronics Institute, to fight this battle to attract new talent to our industry,” says White.

And once workers are engaged, Taco’s relentless focus on training helps contracting companies increase the skill of their employees. “It’s just part of our ongoing commitment to support their personal and business success,” says White.

https://www.facebook.com/mechanicalhub/videos/1121896917947132/

Part I: Replacing the old boiler

While most of corporate America takes the week off between Christmas & New Year’s, much love to the guys that work tirelessly to bring heat to those who need it, like, right now, especially in these temps.

Mechanical Hub recently visited with one of the brightest minds in the hydronics industry, Steve Minnich of Minnich Mechanical Design, Carol Stream, Ill. He was called out to the 15,000-sq.-ft. northwest suburban Chicago residence to replace a boiler in the garage that had been overtaken with mice—the control wires were literally chewed apart—and to replace an old, leaking boiler in the basement.

The basement boiler changeout, shown here, features a new Lochinvar Knight boiler, which serves 15 zones of hydronic and radiant floor heat. These two videos show the before and after, and why Minnich prefers the Lochinvar Knight as his boiler of choice. Maybe it’s the built-in outdoor reset or the 10:1 turndown so it can fire as low as 28,500 Btus and the max is 285,000 Btus. Or perhaps is the easy-accessible controls. Check it out for yourself.

https://www.facebook.com/mechanicalhub/videos/1124300667706757/

Part II: The installation of the Lochinvar Knight boiler.

Caleffi’s complimentary educational series, Coffee with Caleffi™, is an online technical training webinar and is intended for contractors, designers and wholesalers.

What’s next?
Making a Smart Choice: Tank, Tankless or Combi Water Heaters
Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017
12 p.m. CST

Register Here

For many years the go-to method for heating water was with a tank-styled device. Today, however, industry projections indicate a growing interest in tankless type heaters. We are pleased to invite Paul Rohrs, national trainer at Lochinvar, to the webinar series for a first-ever appearance to help you make a smart choice for your customer’s hot water needs. Come on in… the water’s warm!
You’ll learn:
→ What has changed regarding safety requirements on tank-style heaters?
→ When is an electric hot water heater a viable option?
→ Heat pump style: what’s that all about?
→ I’ve heard most of Europe and the rest of the world heats with tankless:
T or F?
→ What are the trade-offs of each style?
→ Cost-wise tank vs. tankless is almost a wash these days: T or F?
→ Give me an honest, “no sales” comparison based on data and experiences.
→ When does a combi heater make sense to consider?
Paul’s responsibilities at Lochinvar include training and system design for HE boilers, water heaters and tanks. Paul has been in the plumbing, heating and cooling industry for nearly 30 years and was previously a national award winning radiant contractor with radiant design and installation experience.

Our December audience will determine by popular vote the grand prize winner of the 2017 Caleffi Excellence contest. Excellence is a platform in which professionals can showcase their designs and installations that feature our products. The winner and guest of their choice will travel to Italy for a personal tour of our world headquarters.

Register Here