As an HVAC provider, you understand the usefulness of radiant barriers. Radiant barriers are installed in homes, usually in the attic, to reduce summer heat gain, in order to lower cooling costs. The barriers consist of a highly reflective material which reflects, or re-emits, radiant heat rather than absorbing it.

Radiant barriers are more effective in hot climates, especially when cooling air ducts are located in the attic. Some studies show that radiant barriers can lower cooling costs by 10% when used in a warm, sunny climate. The reduced heat gain may even allow for a smaller air conditioning system. If you are an HVAC installer, Service Partners has a radiant barrier to help you improve your leverage with potential clients.

OSHA releases every year the top ten most cited violations.  The number 4 item on their list for the previous year are respirators. Respirators are protective devices that are worn over the mouth and nose, the entire face, or the entire head to protect the wearer from hazardous contaminants in the air. 

If you or a member of your team is in a working condition with fumes, heavy dust, mists, gases and other hazardous airborne elements make sure to wear the appropriate respirator for your protection.   Serious illness or death can be caused from breathing contaminated air.  OSHA takes safety very serious and you should too for your personal health, the health of your employees and co-workers.

The 100-year-long reign of the incandescent light bulb is about to end.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 dictates the phase-out of the incandescent light bulb starting in 2012. The bill does not specifically ban incandescent lights: You will still be able to buy any incandescent light that can meet the act’s efficacy specification of a 25% improvement in incandescent-light output. The lights are notoriously poor producers of usable light, however. They lose 96% of the power they use to heat. This is why Hasbro uses them as the heating element in the Easy-Bake toy oven. So far, no one has discovered a cost-effective way of coaxing more light and less heat from incandescent lights.

Nevertheless, state and national governments, as well as consumers’ preference for saving money in the face of rising energy costs, are signaling the end of the line for common incandescent light bulbs.

Lighting technologies such as LED, fluorescent, and halogen are vying to become the new light source. The challenge in the near future is to provide a lighting experience that matches consumers’ expectations for how a light should work. Consumers don’t necessarily want incandescent lights but rather lighting “experiences” that match their expectations—lights that come on instantly; work with currently installed light switches; deliver a warm- to bright-white light; cost-effectively save energy, and have lifetimes of more than 10,000 hours.

Original article and more information on lighting can be found on EDN.com

Service Partners, LLC, is the largest distributor of residential fiberglass insulation and related contractor accessories in North America. Through its network of 69 distribution centers, the company supplies insulation products, insulation accessories, weatherization items and other building products to thousands of contractors across the nation.

Maintaining an extensive inventory of products including insulation, air infiltration, weather stripping, energy efficient lighting and insulation accessories; flexibility in terms of timing and delivery of product as well as comprehensive offerings of products and superior product knowledge, we provide significant advantages to our customers versus other sources of supply. Our experienced outside sales force and staff of customer service representatives are key factors in Service Partners’ ability to deliver outstanding customer service.

For all of your energy efficient contracting needs, contact Service Partners LLC for exceptional products and customer service.

In light of the current economic conditions, several programs in many states have been created to address some of the most critical issues faced by Americans right now. One of these is the use and consumption of electricity. A program has been put in place to generate interest among consumers in various states to participate in energy efficient programs starting with their own homes.

As contractors, energy efficiency must be at the forefront of your plan for home improvements to increase your value proposition to your customers. When you bring energy saving solutions to potential clients, you inevitably increase the value of your services to those clients. In partnering with Service Partners, you provide significant advantages to your customers versus other contractors or builders. These cost cutting plans can come in many forms, from water conservation and lighting to insulation and weather stripping.

These various state programs include rebates from property taxes and or income taxes that eventually pay for the energy improvements done in individual homes. There are also energy tax credits for building commercial buildings or renovating existing buildings to be more energy efficient. These improvements can include the installation of energy efficient lighting, solar panels or improving an insulation system and optimizing the use of electricity.

These incentive programs are aimed at reducing the up-front costs that homeowners or businesses will incur as they initiate energy efficient improvements to improve their use of electricity. Additionally, energy efficiency improvements will enable homeowners and business owners to gain considerable savings from their energy bills. Contact Service Partners for more information on our extensive product line.

CFLs are growing in popularity because of energy efficiency. They use less energy, less wattage and have the same light quality. But what’s the difference between the Incandescents and CFL’s? The Aiken Standard breaks it down for you.

Incandescent bulbs will begin to phase out phase-out next year under federal legislation passed in 2007. Under the measure, all light bulbs must use 25 percent to 30 percent less energy than today’s products by 2012 to 2014. The phase-in will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014. By 2020, bulbs must be 70 percent more efficient.

According to EnergyStar, if every American home replaced just one light with a CFL, enough energy would be saved to light 3 million homes for one year, to save about $600 million in annual energy costs and to prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to those from about 800,000 cars.

Incandescent light bulbs create light by passing electricity through a metal filament until it becomes so hot that it glows. These bulbs are familiar to most people and are the most inexpensive option as far as upfront costs.

However, they are not as energy efficient, lasting only 700 to 1,000 hours, they emit 90 percent of their energy as heat.
In CFL’s, an electric current is driven through a tube containing gases. This reaction produces ultraviolet light that gets transformed into visible light by the fluorescent coating on the inside of the tube.

CFL’s last up to 10 times longer than incandescents and use up to 75 percent less energy. This translates into more than $40 saving per bulb in energy costs over its lifetime. They come in a variety of shapes.

They do have some cons. They contain a small amount of mercury, four milligrams and are more expensive than incandescents. The bulb takes a few seconds to produce light as the gas warms up.

LEDs Use light-emitting diodes to produce light. The movement of electrons through a semiconductor material illuminates the diodes. These types of bulbs use at least 75 percent less energy and last at least 15 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

Original article can be seen on TMCnet.com

You can get a pair of stylish, clear lens, scratch resistant, anti-fog safety glasses for free.  That’s  right, safety glasses for F-R-E-E.  We’ll even ship them right to your door step. There is no cost to you, so get yours today!   All you have to do is:

You will see a variety of posts from Service Partners through Facebook on topics such as tax rebates, latest product releases, weatherization tips and valuable information to help your customers.   Go ahead, “Like Us” and get a free pair of safety glasses.

Your clients can lower their water heating costs by using and wasting less hot water in their homes. Help your customers conserve hot water by installing low-flow fixtures. Federal regulations mandate that new showerhead flow rates can’t exceed more than 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) at a water pressure of 80 pounds per square inch (psi). You can purchase quality, low-flow fixtures and get your customers to achieve water savings of 25%–60%.

For maximum water efficiency, you need to select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm. There are two basic types of low-flow showerheads: aerating and laminar-flow. Aerating showerheads mix air with water, forming a misty spray. Laminar-flow showerheads form individual streams of water.

For water conservation, our most popular low flow shower head is what you need. The white and chrome finish easily fits in with today’s home décor. With nine jet adjustable massage settings, non-removable flow restriction device, 2.5 GPM flow rate, and chrome plated brass ball joint this shower head is perfect for all types of homes where savings, both in energy and costs are desired. Contact Service Partners for all your energy saving needs.

Basically, home weatherization principles have always been to seal and insulate. Caulk and fill the joints around windows, doors and other openings. Insulate walls and ceilings that either have no insulation, or needed to be upgraded to a higher R-value. Once this was done it was assumed the home was weatherized.

However, with advancements in technology and diagnostic tools we have found that the basic principles are not enough. The most recent diagnostic tool in weatherization is an Infra Red camera by Flir. With this camera homeowners and contractors can identify the differences in temperature variation by pointing a camera device at a specific area in the home, doors, windows, walls, etc. The differences in temperature appear in color variations on a screen. The colors identify where the air is escaping or entering the home, and where insulation may have voids. With this camera you have the ability to show a “before” and “after” snapshot of how the weatherization upgrades are performing.

This Flir camera detects temperature changes and displays a color image on 2.8″ LCD display. The FLir i7 Infra Red Thermal Imaging Camera can store up to 5,000 JPEG images. It is compact and with auto focus, it is extremely simple for first time users to operate. It comes with a storage case and a Li-lon rechargeable battery with AC adaptor. This camera is a must for anyone performing weatherization services.

One of the best ways to lower your customers’ utility bills is to provide them with good home insulation, which will help to resist the flow of heat whether keeping it in or out of their home.

State and federal governments are giving major rebates and tax credits to encourage home owners to insulate their homes and cut down on their gas and electric use. Air leakage is one of the leading causes of energy waste in most homes and structures. Providing additional insulation where needed makes floors, walls, and ceilings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Service Partners is the nation’s largest distributor of residential fiberglass insulation. We distribute a full line of fiberglass products manufactured by CertainTeed, Johns Manville, Knauf, and Owens Corning through its nationwide network of distribution facilities. Service Partners distributes residential insulation to contractors and builders. Batts and rolls, commonly referred to as building insulation, are pre-cut for easier installation. This type of fiberglass insulation offers your customers outstanding thermal and acoustical performance. Service Partners offering of fiberglass insulation products consists of more than 500 SKU’s of building insulation.

If your customers are unhappy paying their rising energy bills, then this could be how you save them hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. Help them eliminate drafts within their building and save money with fiberglass batts & rolls.