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I have been thinking about purchasing a new water heater lately, as the one I had just didn’t seem to be performing very well.  I have a big household, with lots of hot water needs and there never seemed to be enough hot water to go around.  I also knew that the newer, more efficient heaters would save money and energy in the long term.  So when my water heater sprung a leak this past weekend, and the warranty having had run out years ago, I found myself in the market for a new one and I needed a crash course in what to look for. 

Capacity

One of the first things I thought about was capacity.  How many gallons can the tank hold?  Also, how much hot water can it deliver within a set period?  For that you’ll need to know the first-hour rating (FHR) for storage-tank water heaters and the gallons-per-minute rating (GPM) for tankless water heaters.  A plumber is your best bet here.  He/she can tell you what your household really needs (and you will need one to install the heater).

Type

There are a few different kinds of heaters to consider:

• Storage-tank Heaters – Very basic design here; it’s a cylinder that gets fed cold water and heats it up.  Gas fueled ones cost more but can cost 50% less than electric models to run.  So if you have natural gas service already, you may want to consider this.  Oil-fired is also an option, but the heaters are much more expensive because they include the tank and an oil burner.
• Tankless Heaters – These are small units that heat water only when it’s needed.  This means that less energy is used because there is no need to reheat water, as there is with a tank.  However, there are limitations on hot-water flow rates, so you would only want this in a smaller household.  In addition, they can be rather expensive to buy and install.
• Hybrid Electric Heaters – These heaters actually supplement electric heat with a heat pump that takes heat out of the surrounding air to heat the water.  They can use about 60% less energy, but they are more expensive.  You also need to have some serious free space: 7 feet from floor to ceiling and 1,000 cubic feet of uncooled space.  And because they take the heat out of the air and exhaust cool air, you may find yourself using extra energy to heat your space.
• Solar Water Heaters – These are supplemental to electric water heaters.  They use solar collectors mounted on your roof to help heat your water.  This works great on hot, sunny days, but not so much on cooler, cloudy days.  And they are expensive, so payback can take a while.

Warranty

Longer warranty water heaters are usually more expensive, but with good reason.  They usually have faster water heating and thicker insulation so less heat is lost.  Most warranties are about 3 to 12 years.  Obviously, aim to buy one with 12.

Drain Valves

Plastic or brass?  Brass, as it’s more durable.

Space Requirements

Make sure your heater fits in the space you have!

Anti-scale Devices

This feature available in electric water heaters swirls the water in the tank with the goal of reducing mineral scale that can build up at the bottom.  Buildup can shorten the life of the heating element but  if your heater has a 12-year warranty, it should  have a longer or thicker element and therefore not be as affected by build up.

Hopefully this will help you next time you find yourself shivering in your unexpectedly cold shower!

Thanks to Consumer Reports

SelecTech is happy to introduce our latest version of Place N’ Go (Place N’ Go 2.0!). It is virtually identical to the previous version of Place N’ Go tile in all aspects, save one: thickness. Place N’ Go is 3/8” thick, while the Place N’ Go 2.0 is 5/16” thick. We’ve been able to streamline the product, taking out the weight without losing any of the functionality. Place N’ Go 2.0 is available at a reduced price and it will cost less to ship, due to its lighter weight, making it a great option for anyone on a tight budget. Place N’ Go 2.0 is available packaged in boxes of 8 tiles, for a total of 19.04 SF per box.

When a band goes on tour, they provide fans with a chance to experience the music they love, live and in the presence of other fans.  A good concert can be simply sublime and leave you with a feel-good glow that lasts for days.  Unfortunately, touring leaves a rather large carbon footprint.  Adam Gardner, guitarist with the (awesome) band Guster, and his wife, Lauren Sullivan, started a foundation called Reverb to help offset the carbon footprint bands and fans leave behind.

Adam Gardner (Image via Wikipedia)

“Reverb provides comprehensive, custom greening programs for music tours while conducting grassroots outreach and education with fans around the globe.”  Working with bands like the Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5 and Sheryl Crow, Reverb encourages fans to carpool to concerts, guiding people to Zimride, where people can find other carpoolers; they provide free hydration stations so people can fill up their re-usable water bottles, and encourage fans to be green with contests like the Greenest Fan Scavenger Hunt. 

Reverb takes “…a positive “work-with” approach and believe that being green is not all or nothing; many people doing some things will have more impact than some people doing everything”.  And that’s a great motto that we should all work toward.

Droughts in TX…1400 record-high temperatures  broken or tied this July….Halloween snow in the Northeast…and that’s just the U.S.  The video above, via Treehugger, is an NBC  report about climate change; it’s quick and concise but covers all the basics with the final conclusion being that, yes, global warming is real and can no longer be denied.

The news report also mentions research conducted by the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project.  The Berkeley project is interesting because it was funded in part by the Charles G. Koch foundation.  As the owners of Koch Industries, Charles and his brother, David, have made most of their billions from the oil industry and have been quite vocal expressing their doubts about climate change.  What can they say now that the study they funded has shown that the science is there to back the claim of climate change?

FreeStyle Bamboo

Read our press release announcing SelecTech, Inc.’s break-through development that allows us to manufacture our interlocking floor tiles using 70% recycled materials!

Treehugger.com has a great post today about the small Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu and how they are running out of water.

Tuvalu’s highest point is about 4.5m above sea level, making it one of the lowest lying island nations (second only after the Maldives).  Long before a low lying area experiences flooding due to rising sea levels, it’s quite possible that they will run out of fresh drinking water first.  The sea water can get into their groundwater, making it too saline to drink.

Tuvalu already depends heavily on rain water but have recently experienced less than normal rainfall, a condition that begin in November of 2010 and predicted by meteorologists to last until December.  The drought is most likely the cause of La Nina; due to climate change, more severe La Ninas are predicted for the future.

Their taps have quite literally run dry and the islanders have had to ration their rain water.  Tuvalu is being assisted by New Zealand and Australia, whose governments are providing temporary desalination plant and helping with the repairs of the existing desalination units.

Small islands like Tuvalu are like the canary in the mine: a signal that something is very, very wrong in our environment.

Picture Courtesy of leighblackall at Flickr

Have you been thinking about solar power?  Are you wondering if the cost of the panels and installation is worth it?  Then you’ll want to know that the cost of solar panels has dropped dramatically over the last two years and now Westinghouse Solar has made solar power for your home even more affordable, and easier than ever, with their release of all-in-one rooftop solar kits.  Created with the DIYer in mind, these kits include everything except some wiring and tools.  According to the company, their technology uses up to 80% less parts than other systems, resulting in a much easier and streamlined installation process.  And Westinghouse claims their solar panels deliver 5 to 25% more energy than other brands.   

There are three differently sized kits available:  “The 20-panel contractor kit provides enough power for about 70 percent of a typical home’s energy needs. The four-panel “starter” kit is perfect for small installations — for example, on the sunny roof of a garage. The single panel “try it” kit is great for people who want to experiment with solar out for themselves on a budget.”

The solar kits are available from home improvement retailers, electrical distributors, contractors and local solar installers. Check out their website at Westinghouse Solar for more information.

Photo Courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar on Flickr

“Hi:  We just wanted to tell you that we love our freestyleflooring.  It gives the basement a fresh clean look.  Hope we never have to test its performance with water seepage, but trust it will stand up to its promise.  We’ve shown so many of our friends this great product.”

We love making our customers happy!

Photo Courtesy of प्रतीक

What if you could create infrastructure from living nature?  It would be the ultimate in sustainable engineering.  Well that’s exactly what the people of Nongriat in Meghalaya, India have been doing for over 500 years.  In order to traverse the region, one must contend with several rivers and streams.  The locals discovered a way to use living rubber tree roots to build beautiful working bridges.  Click on the link to Architizer to read the full story and see more pictures.