Because this product boasts the industry’s highest efficiency rating (98%) means customers can cash in on low annual operating costs as well as receive the best payback, compared with conventional tankless or tank-type water heaters. Navien’s Condensing Tankless also enjoys the highest gallons-per-minute (GPM) when comparing input BTUs.
“The Navien unit has a great price point compared with other condensing tankless systems, has a built-in buffer tank to eliminate cold water sandwiching and minimize lag time, has a model with an internal circulator that can be used as an external recirculation system, vents with PVC pipe and has a good mounting system and controls.” Dave Emmitt
Based on our data collection from numerous customers from 2006 to 2010 we can project your energy savings with both tankless water heaters and gas furnace conversion upgrades…
Tankless gives on demand endless hot water with much less energy than a traditional tank. Tanks are heated all day, whether the water is used or not, and that water sits in the tank where it becomes susceptible to adding minerals & bacteria to the water you use. (no tanks!) Finally, a closed system like tankless removes the danger of carbon dioxide leaking into the home, there will be no more open flame.
Retrofitting your furnace with a hybrid hydronic heating system saves even more than tankless alone, keeps your old furnace out of the landfill and increases comfort inside your home.
The study recommends “Using all available resources to maximize availability of water — such as capturing rainwater, recycling wastewater, recharging groundwater and making nonpotable water potable.”
In Colorado, water law is strict, and goes back to land rights during the frontier days.This makes things like rainwater capturing and water reuse systems difficult to negotiate for most homeowners.Yet, there are a few conservation products that are easily installed at a low upfront cost.Since water costs are SO LOW here, there is no real “payback” on these systems, but for those of you who want to do right by the planet and conserve in your own home, this info is for you!
As water becomes harder to transport or less readily available, the costs will surely rise exponentially, and if you install one of these systems today, you will be poised to save a bundle.
The Metlund® Hot Water D’MAND® System (a high performance pump, integrated controller and electronic zone valve), requires no special plumbing. It is designed for use with any hot water heating system to provide energy and water savings. It’s easy to install in new or existing homes.
Savings of energy and water, plus extending the life of water heaters, has a significant return on investment. Federal regulations require the use of low flow fixtures (1½ gallon restrictors on fixtures and 2½ gallon restrictors on showers). Since eight out of ten homes have long waits for hot water at one or more fixtures, it is easy to see the added convenience and cost savings of instant hot water delivery.
At the push of a button, the Metlund® Hot Water D’MAND® System circulates the ambient temperature water in the hot water pipes (water that is normally lost down the drain) back to the water heater. This occurs up to 80% faster than just letting the water run down the drain—the usual scenario.
Direct Drive Service specializes in tankless water heaters and is a select installer for the Metlund D’MAND system. Serving the Front Range for over 17 years in energy efficient heating & cooling.
Evaporative Cooling - Affordability and Clean Comfort - Why OASys® Works for Colorado
By Dave Emmitt, Direct Drive Service, Inc.
It’s that time of year again. Are you going to suffer through another summer with the fans blowing or bite the bullet and get Air Conditioning?Which would be better for you and for the planet?Well, environmentally the fans are a much better solution.But what is “Air Conditioning”?Conditioning means to change the condition of something.So generally “air” conditioning means that we change the state of the matter we are breathing.When we can make the air around us moister, it cools us.If we can make the airstream in which we find ourselves wetter, we’ll be cooler regardless of the temperature.It’s just like when you get out of a swimming pool; the air could be 100 degrees, but your body is cold, because of the effect of evaporation on your skin.That is called wet bulb temperature and its how evaporative coolers work.So we aren’t “conditioning” the air, we’re moistening it.When air remains dry but is continually cooled like with typical A/C, it becomes dense and stale.Removing heat from the air in a house is exactly what air conditioning does. That is why, with Colorado boasting an 18% average relative humidity in the summer months, conditioning the air is a bad idea. Why continue to try to extract heat from an already depleted source?Your energy bill will surely show the impact of trying to do that.
Evaporative cooling, on the other hand, adds moisture to the air, which allows the process of evaporation (nature’s way of removing heat) the opportunity to do its own heat removal.When an adequate stream of air is infused by an adequate supply of water, the heat becomes available for removal from the structure.As the H2O-laden 02 chases through the building, seeking an open window, door or other cracks through which to exit, it pushes all that dry (less dense) air out of the building.It’s sort of like what a bulldozer does to dirt. And as this dry, hot air is replaced by cool, evaporated air - it pulls the heat out of everything in its way on its way to getting out that opening.That is why a house that is shut up tight will never cool with an evaporative cooler, and that’s the only way it will cool with an air conditioner.
There are basically 3 types of evaporative coolers, direct, indirect, and 2-stage. Direct coolers use a media that evaporates the water directly into the air. Indirect coolers utilize 2 air streams to remove moisture out of a cooled air stream, leaving very cold, dry air (rivaling air conditioning, but using only water). 2-Stage systems (also known as direct-indirect units) utilize a direct media as well as an indirect heat exchanger, thereby creating very cool air with less humidity than a standard cooler.
The one I like best right now is the OASys® Air Conditioner, one of the few 2-stage coolers available today.It’s affordable, efficient and very environmentally friendly.And the OASys® NOW qualifies for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 30% tax credit. That combined with Xcel Energy’s $500 Rebate makes this cooler more than half price!
“My family LOVES the OASys®. Our entire house stays cool and comfortable even on Boulder’s scorching summer days. It’s aptly named — the cool breeze, combined with a little extra moisture in the air, makes my home feel like an ocean oasis! ” Kim Master, Green Building Consultant
Boulder, Colorado
Some things homeowners should look for in a cooler:
1. Think Green – typical DX Air Conditioning systems are a huge drain on the energy grid and also on your home energy bill… Evaporative Coolers are much less expensive to run and work best in dry climates where the humidity is generally less than 65% - which is a perfect match to the Colorado climate.
2. Look for Rebates – Xcel Energy has an extensive list for evaporative cooling – some coolers get a $200 rebate, whereas others with exceptional efficiency of 85% or above get $500, including the OASys®.
3. Look at SEER – Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating – typical DX (Direct Expansion) A/C range 12 to 18 SEER, Energy Star Homes using OASys® Indirect Direct Coolers may be modeled with an equivalent SEER value of 22! Read the EPA letter for full details.
4. Protect the Planet – Evaporative Cooling needs no Refrigerant which means no CO2 emissions.OASys® uses the least water of all the coolers on the market.
5. Constant Comfort – because the climate is a perfect match, an evaporative cooler can comfortably cool a 2,000 square foot home for about 50cents a day.
6. Healthy Home – exceptional Indoor Air quality, Evaporative Coolers bring fresh outdoor air into the space, rather than typical A/C which re-circulates indoor air over and over.
7. Save Water – New models with Low Water Use and High Efficiency combine creating the best green option in cooling.
Like everything, evaporative cooling has changed dramatically. It’s hard to drop the “swamp cooler” stigma and realize that, if it’s good enough for Mother Nature, its good enough for us. The last time I was in a swamp there was something very pleasant about it. I guess that’s why it’s called natural cooling. And here the high desert, Mother Nature needs moisture to do her job.
Switching from a 10 SEER AC unit to OASys® will result in a reduction of over 100,000 pounds of Carbon Dioxide- the equivalent of taking 9 cars off the road for a year or planting 13 acres of forest.
Dave Emmitt is the owner of Direct Drive Service and Go Tankless of Colorado.For the past 17 years, Dave has helped homeowners and businesses increase energy efficiency with tankless water heaters, furnace integration, hydronics, and evaporative cooling. www.DirectDriveService.com.
Learn more about how to take your home to the next level of efficiency from tankless water heaters to furnace upgrades and finally to energy independence with solar thermal panels that can provide both heat AND hot water.
“Tankless Water Heaters, Furnace upgrades and Solar Thermal lead the way for Homeowners in Energy Efficiency & Cost Savings”
Do you have a cold or hot room, a hidden draft or a noisy furnace that clicks off & on? Do you run out of hot water? These are all are sure signs of your home needing an upgrade. All are common discomforts that are easily resolved with simple energy saving retrofits. Join us to discuss the increased efficiency and cost savings of tankless water heaters, simple furnace retrofits and taking it to the next level with solar thermal (hot water). Solar thermal provides homeowners energy independence by integrating hot water systems and heat with the power of the sun.
The 4th annual EarthWorks Expo is Denver’s biggest, most informative and empowering green-living event of the year, offering a vast array of exhibitors, speakers, workshops and special programs in renewable energy, green building, green transportation, resource conservation and Earth-friendly products and services – everything you need to green your home or business.
# 1: (n) loan-blend, hybrid (a word that is composed of parts from different languages (e.g., `monolingual’ has a Greek prefix and a Latin root))
# 2: (n) hybrid, crossbreed, cross ((genetics) an organism that is the offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock; especially offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties or breeds or species) “a mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey”
Hybrids are not just for cars anymore but in fact span many Green systems in our modern world. That’s because the power of two things combined is greater than that of one. But we don’t often think of our homes or buildings as a place for hybrids. Well think again.
In an effort to solve the problem of the future – sure increases in natural gas costs – new technology in heating systems replaces gas forced-air with hydronic hybrid heat. While it is true that new high-efficiency furnaces provide heat at a much higher efficiency level than furnaces of old, they don’t solve the problem of natural gas use. A gas forced air furnace whether new or old, is, was and will always be fired by gas. So while these new furnaces help solve an immediate problem, they don’t allow the average home owner to take advantage of the new frontier of heating that is Solar Thermal (hot water).
Hot water hybrid systems are the only kind of thermal systems that can take advantage of solar thermal integration. In a new retrofit application for homes, gas forced air heat can easily be converted to a hot water coil system by using a tankless water heater to create both domestic hot water and space heat. This creates a thermal system which sets up homeowners for even more energy independence by allowing the home to be heated by solar thermal energy or other alternate hydronics.
Household thermal systems are best backed by a tankless water heater which remains idle when no hot water is being used, so there is no energy wasted for the standby losses of a water tank and when there is no demand. So the solar tank can be heated for free, and the tankless just serves to take up the slack when the sun isn’t doing its job, or first thing in the morning when the solar tank is cooled down and you want a long hot shower. The reality is that, even when the solar tank is below 100 degrees it will still contribute to energy efficiency, because the tankless will only use the energy needed to finish the job. Tankless water heaters will produce more flow and run more efficiently when they have warmer water introduced to them, maximizing the year round potential of solar hot water.
If we continue to install conventional furnaces in our homes, we will always be stuck with a system that is difficult to augment with alternative energy sources. So the first step is to convert that gas forced-air furnace into something that will allow for new technology as it becomes affordable. That starts with a hot water hybrid heating system at home, and supplementing commercial boiler systems with solar thermal panels.
The latest from Washington is a program that puts you in a position to make rapid gains in energy savings. While what this means yet is still unclear, you can be sure that an Energy Audit will play a key role. Many local utilities, counties and cities have already made energy audits available. The word on the street is that Energy Audits will be free or nearly free for most Americans in the coming year. What an audit provides is an assessment of the largest area of energy consumption as well as a diagnosis of the comfort in the home including air sealing & insulation. A good auditor will include the efficiency of the heating, cooling and ventilation system in the home, which is the largest energy expense in every home.
A COMMON RETROFIT – hot water heating & furnace upgrades
A cold or hot room, a hidden draft or a noisy furnace that clicks off & on and running out of hot water are all are sure signs of needing an upgrade.These are common discomforts that are easily resolved with simple energy saving retrofits… here’s why it works ->
Being true to the first laws of thermodynamics: Heat migrates to cold and moist migrates to dry. Also, latent heat contains moisture, so if we are able to remove or neutralize some of the dryness in the air, we will be more easily able to infiltrate colder rooms with heat. The long and short of it: warmer, moist air will more quickly find the cold and dry rooms.
So we can alleviate discomfort to a great degree by eliminating combustion air, and the only way to do this is to use sealed-combustion heating and water heating appliances. One of the more effective and efficient ways to do this is by converting an old furnace to a hot water air handler and installing a sealed-combustion tankless or high-efficiency tank water heater and using the heat exchange of water to air instead of direct firing (fire to air) to create space heat. This also opens the way for future energy improvements using alternative sources such as solar thermal. In any case, making sure we do not need to drag a lot of dry cold air into the building for combustion is a sure way to neutralize air dryness and make the building considerably more energy efficient.
Imagine having and endless supply of hot showers while at the same time saving money and helping the environment. Sound impossible? Not when you consider the fact that the amount of energy wasted in North America each year to simply keep a tank of hot water permanently on standby and ready for our use (even while we sleep)is enough energy to power a small third world nation. Why are we spending our hard-earned dollars to consume fossil fuels in our sleep to heat a tank of hot water that we will never use?
Tankless water heaters only consume energy when you use hot water and instantly heat your water when you turn on the tap. Tankless water heater technology has been a proven solution for over 25 years in Europe and Japan and is just now exploding in demand across North America as homeowners wake up to the benefits of tankless hot water heaters. Let’s review some of their benefits:
REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION
A tankless water heater only consumes energy when you are using hot water. It instantly heats the hot water supply to the required temperature “on demand” and does not waste energy maintaining a large tank of hot water 24 hours a day.
ENDLESS HOT WATER SUPPLY
No more cold showers! As long as you’ve selected the correct flow rate model for your home you no longer need to worry about running out of hot water in the shower - even if your teenagers are showering in the other bathroom while your dishwasher and washing machine are on.
SAVE ON HEATING COSTS
The reduced energy consumption of tankless water heaters compared to tank-style water heaters will translate into savings and money in your wallet. The amount you save will vary from household to household and will depend on your water usage patterns and climate. The average homeowner will usually see savings of 15% - 25%, while households that have smaller hot water demands may see savings of up to 48%.
GET PAID TO SWITCH
Under the Energy Tax Incentives Act you can qualify for a $300 Federal rebate by switching your hot water tank to a tankless water heater unit. Act now before these incentives expire!
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER
Switching to a tankless water heater will help the environment in 3 ways. Going tankless will reduce the amount of fossil fuels you consume to heat your household water. Secondly, as tankless heaters are typically smaller units than traditional hot water tanks, they require less metal and help reduce the global demand for mining and metal consumption. Thirdly, tankless heaters last 2 - 3 times longer than traditional hot water tanks and will further reduce the demand for metal inputs and lower landfill waste levels.
SPACE SAVING
As an added bonus you will gain storage space in your house due to the simple fact that tankless water heaters are much smaller in size that traditional hot water heaters and can be installed more conveniently in a wide range of locations.
There is a lot to be gained by switching from tank to tankless water heaters, and demand is growing. Why not learn more about tankless heaters and see if they are right for your home. If you act soon, you can still get in on the rebate and get the government to pay you to switch!
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S.A. Smith is a freelance writer, contributor, and editor of the <a href="http://www.tanklesswaterheatersolutions.com">Tankless Water Heater Solutions</a> information portal which reports on the latest hot water heater energy news in the water heating industry.
Whether it’s fixing that leaky faucet or unclogging the commode, plumbing home remodels can be quite a chore. It’s amazing how much damage just a small amount of water in the wrong places can do. So, if you’re faced with plumbing home remodels, make sure to do your homework before you begin the project.
Have you ever thought about all the reasons you should be drinking good water that has been filtered from contaminants? Here is a list to make you think.
