We are now more than halfway through 2015! Have you had a chance to check out Energy Star's most efficient boilers of 2015? Westinghouse Water Heating's Fire Tube boiler is on the list! This high efficiency boiler has up to a 97% AFUE rating and can save up to $2,762 annually. Review the chart below to see all of the great potential savings! Check out our Most Efficient Boiler blog to learn more. 

Interested in the Westinghouse Fire Tube Boiler? Contact Brad Monaghan at brad.monaghan@westinghousewaterheating.com. 

August is National Water Quality Month! This month is a perfect time to think about the quality of your water from source to tap. Do you know where your water comes from or how sanitary it is?

It is important to know the source of your water and how you can help protect it from contamination. The Clean Water Act of 1972 established the parameters for regulating discharges of pollutants into the U.S. waters and regulated quality standards for surface waters. (source)

The Office of Water (OW) ensures drinking water is safe, and restores and maintains oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide a healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.

Unfortunately, natural occurrences within the environment bring about polluted water, such as rain. An average city block can produce as much as five times more rainwater runoff as a forest area of the same size. Instead of being absorbed into the ground (such as in forests and wetlands), rain runs off of rooftops and pavements into storm drains. It is then transported from the storm drain to local streams and rivers, and eventually the ocean. On its way to the storm drain, rainwater picks up pollutants like oil, antifreeze, pet waste, fertilizers and pesticides. In many places, storm water does not get treated, resulting in polluted waters. (source)  

Visit our blog this month to learn how you can prevent water pollution and protect the quality of water where you live! Also learn how the quality of water can affect your water heating systems! 

(Image courtsey of Earth Gauge) 

We came across this high efficiency heating and cooling article on the Energy Star website and thought it would be perfect to share with our readers!

Heat & Cool Efficiently

As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills — and your comfort. Take these steps to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. For more information, see our Guide to Energy Efficient Heating & Cooling (708KB).

Change your air filter regularly

Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system — leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.

Tune up your HVAC equipment yearly

Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Learn more:

• Maintain your Equipment: A Checklist
• Finding the right contractor: 10 tips

Install a programmable thermostat

A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs.

Seal your heating and cooling ducts

Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent — and sometimes much more.

Focus first on sealing ducts that run through the attic, crawlspace, unheated basement, or garage. Use duct sealant (mastic) or metal-backed (foil) tape to seal the seams and connections of ducts. After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap them in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer or cold in the winter. Next, look to seal any other ducts that you can access in the heated or cooled part of the house. See our See our Duct Sealing brochure  (1.13MB) for more information. for more information.

Consider installing ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment

If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your house comfortable, have it evaluated by a professional HVAC contractor. If it is not performing efficiently or needs upgrading, consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR. Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can cut your annual energy bill by more than $115. But before you invest in a new HVAC system, make sure that you have addressed the big air leaks in your house and the duct system. Sometimes, these are the real sources of problems rather than your HVAC equipment.

Ask about Proper Installation of your new equipment

Replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with new, energy-efficient models is a great start. But to make sure that you get the best performance, the new equipment must be properly installed. In fact, improper installation can reduce system efficiency by up to 30 percent - costing you more on your utility bills and possibly shortening the equipment's life. Learn more.

(Original article: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac) 

Check out Westinghouse Water Heating's Rebate Center! Rebates are conveniently located on Westinghouse Water Heating's product pages, making it easy to find out if the product qualifies for a rebate. This tool geo-locates to help you find a rebate in your area. Canadian customers have a separate link in the Rebate Center. Clicking the rebate link on a product page will populate a box, where you can download the rebate form, see the rebate amount, dates, and important details. You will also have the option to navigate to Westinghouse Water Heating’s Rebate Center, which lists all available rebates for Westinghouse Water Heating’s products. It also gives the option to search for rebates by model number. By implementing these tools, spending extra time searching for rebates will no longer be necessary.