SELL SOMETHING DIFFERENT…AND BETTER

John Borden, Sales Engineer

It looks like the economy is going to remain in low gear for sometime. These conditions present a challenge for most of us. But meeting challenges always has been and always will be the path to success.

One of the best ways to get your share of business in a down market is to offer something different and better than your competition is offering. To do this you need to know your products and know how to explain their benefits to your customers. There are great heating products on the market today that some contractors aren’t taking the time to learn about and sell. Everybody’s been talking about radiant floor heating, high efficiency boilers and geothermal heating for at least ten years. The contractors who did their homework early have had lots of success with these state-of-the-art systems and are positioned to sell more. They learned how to explain benefits and answer questions. We know because we’ve been there with them.

Now it’s the next generation of heating technology that’s caught our interest. It continues to be about energy efficiency. Here are a few new and better ways to condition a structure.

A variable speed circulator, when used as the primary heating system pump along with zone valves can reduce pump electric usage by as much as 80%. We see these pumps being most energy effective with our radiant floor systems. HeatLink has always relied on European thermostat/zone valves to get super accurate temperature control through almost constant water circulation. Long run time at low electric draw equals maximum energy savings. Payback on these better, more expensive pumps can be four years or less when they are properly applied. Mechanics will be amazed at the way some of these pumps workand how long they stay on a job.

Primary/secondary piping, while not new to radiant heating contractors, should be used more often. Why? To save fuel! For every three degrees of lower water temperature delivered to the living space, you will save one percent on fuel costs. Heating with 120° water versus 180° will reduce fuel costs by 30%. Yes, 30%. To do this you must install more radiation and protect the boiler from rusting.. A large part of radiant floor heating's low fuel cost comes from low water temperature.

A multi-compressor air-to-air heat pump can reduce home heating bills by up to 70%. Talk about “Green,” these units run on electricity and average in the range of 3 times the output per kw compared to electric resistance heat. They work down to -30° and require no trenching or well drilling to give the homeowner clean, low cost heating and cooling. Hallowell is the name. Yaun Company is the distributor. Our first contractor seminar will be held in Liberty on May 27th. A contractor must attend a Hallowell seminar and have a copy of his refrigeration certification in our files before he can purchased this product.

While we’re on primary/secondary systems I should bring up steel radiators. These units are easy to install using ½” Pex tubing, radiant manifolds and home runs to each radiator. Attractive, inexpensive non-electric zone valves are available so that each room can be its own heat zone. Great system efficiency. Only heat the rooms you’re using at the moment. Combine these with low water temperature and indoor/outdoor control and you’ve got radiant floor fuel efficiency at about two thirds the price. Let us quote you on our Biasi steel radiators and non-electric zone valves. These excellent radiators are affordable and have captures large sales for heating contractors in New Jersey and New England. But like everything else, before they get bought they have to be sold!

Attend out schools and contact Yaun Co. for all our HVAC needs