Springfield, Ill. — The U.S. geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry scored a victory for its workforce and their employers as federal legislation was passed to extend federal tax credits for residential and commercial installations of GHPs. The measure was included in the Continuing Resolution spending bill approved by Congress. The reinstated GHP tax credits are Read more
Industry News
Springfield, Ill. — The U.S. geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry scored a victory for its workforce and their employers as federal legislation was passed to extend federal tax credits for residential and commercial installations of GHPs. The measure was included in the Continuing Resolution spending bill approved by Congress.
The reinstated GHP tax credits are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017, and extended to Jan. 1, 2022. The language also changes an important consideration for commercial GHP projects, making them eligible if commenced by Jan. 1, 2022 rather than placed in service.
WaterFurnace illustration of commercial geothermal pond loop
“Today’s action by Congress finally fixes the inequity created two years ago when tax credits for solar installations were extended through 2021,” stated Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO) President and CEO Doug Dougherty, “Credits for technologies including GHPs, fuels cells, microturbines, small wind and combined heat and power were left to expire at the end of 2016.
Since then it was an uphill fight, as GEO and its allies worked diligently for parity with the solar industry through bills in both the House and Senate. GEO’s message to legislators was ultimately heard: Congress shouldn’t be picking winners and losers when it comes to renewable energy and fairness in tax policy. “And now we have finally achieved parity with solar,” said Dougherty.
Coalition partners included all of the “orphaned” clean energy technologies, and among others, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the National Association of Homebuilders, and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. In the days prior to passage, GEO joined a larger coalition of business, energy, transportation, real estate, and agriculture stakeholders who gathered forces to make their case for including tax extenders in the CR that passed the Senate and the House.
GEO’s relentless campaign to regain GHP tax credits included several Executive Fly-Ins to Washington DC in 2017, plus GEO Board Members, staff and industry volunteers making hundreds of visits to House and Senate legislative offices. Grassroots efforts by GEO members and supporters included job site visits set up for key legislators to show them firsthand the value of GHPs and plead the industry’s case for tax credit parity with solar.
“Achieving this critical milestone for our industry couldn’t have been accomplished without the positive and aggressive leadership of GEO staff, GEO manufacturers and members, our DC lobbying team—and the tireless efforts of my fellow board members during several Fly Ins to Washington during the past two years,” said GEO Board Chairman Joe Parsons (EarthLinked Technologies, Inc.).
“Our hard-fought victory for the GHP industry helps ensure a bright future for our technology,” said Dougherty. “It will stem the loss of jobs we now face, provide more time to overcome market barriers, achieve economies of scale, and help spread the environmental and economic benefits of GHPs across America.”
JR Motorsports announced today that Rinnai Corporation, manufacturer of the number-one selling brand of tankless water heaters in North America, will serve as primary sponsor of Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 Chevrolet for the upcoming Rinnai 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 24. Rinnai has been a long-time partner Read more
JR Motorsports announced today that Rinnai Corporation, manufacturer of the number-one selling brand of tankless water heaters in North America, will serve as primary sponsor of Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 Chevrolet for the upcoming Rinnai 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 24.
Rinnai has been a long-time partner in the sport, spanning more than a decade, and increased its involvement last year, signing on as a multi-year sponsor of the Atlanta Motor Speedway NXS race.
“Rinnai is excited about the opportunity to sponsor Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 Chevrolet during the Rinnai 250,” said Frank Windsor, COO of Rinnai America Corporation. “With the launch of Rinnai’s portfolio of new products, sponsoring Justin during our namesake race is a good way to bring our brand in front of NASCAR fans. We wish Justin and his team all the best during the race.”
Headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia, Rinnai America Corporation is a subsidiary of Rinnai Corporation, based out of Nagoyoa, Japan. In addition to water heaters, Rinnai also manufactures gas appliances, including a wide range of kitchen equipment and heating and air-conditioning units. Rinnai recently announced plans to build its first North American manufacturing facility in Griffin, Georgia. The company intends to start its manufacturing and assembly operations in an existing factory in Griffin in April 2018 and then move these operations to a new facility that Rinnai will construct.
“Rinnai is a top-notch company with quality products and I’m pumped to have them on board with us in their home state of Georgia,” said Allgaier. “I know they are also the race sponsor and they’ll have a lot of customers and employees there so we’re going to make sure they have a great experience. How cool would it be to get this Rinnai Chevrolet in Victory Lane at the end of the day?”
Allgaier is in his third year with JRM and is coming off the first multi-win season of his NXS career. In 240 series starts, he has five wins, 52 top fives and 128 top 10s. The 31-year-old driver has been competitive at Atlanta Motor Speedway, leading 30 laps and finishing in the top 10 three times in seven NXS starts.
Ontario, Calif. — Dr. Peter Williams, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Smart Cities and Resilience Lead, will provide the keynote discussion at the sixth Emerging Water and Technology Symposium (EWTS), the event’s co-conveners and industry partners are proud to announce. The symposium, which provides a platform for plumbers, contractors, engineers, manufacturers, and water efficiency experts to Read more
Ontario, Calif. — Dr. Peter Williams, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Smart Cities and Resilience Lead, will provide the keynote discussion at the sixth Emerging Water and Technology Symposium (EWTS), the event’s co-conveners and industry partners are proud to announce. The symposium, which provides a platform for plumbers, contractors, engineers, manufacturers, and water efficiency experts to introduce new technologies for the plumbing and mechanical industries, and to discuss emerging trends, challenges and opportunities important to anyone who cares about how water is used in the built environment, will take place May 15-16 in Ontario, Calif.
Williams has played a major role in the development and delivery of IBM’s smart cities, water management, and resilience solutions. He has worked with organizations as diverse as the UN and EU, numerous city, state, and local governments, and many public utilities on these issues. He co-wrote the UN’s City Disaster Resilience Scorecard, used by about 40 cities globally, and now scheduled to be used by an additional 200.
By background a strategy and change consultant, Williams has spent his career at the intersection of technology and strategy, and currently focuses on issues including the role of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and block-chains in city and utility operations.
In addition to Williams’ keynote, the EWTS will provide presentations and discussions on today’s most pressing water related issues. Attendees will hear updates on the status of research activities and mitigation strategies for legionella and other opportunistic pathogens in water distribution and premise plumbing systems; discussions on the unintended consequences of water efficiency that threaten water quality and water system efficacy; the development of a new international ISO standard for the labeling of water efficient products and how the standard will work with existing labeling programs; new technologies and information on water reuse and alternate water sources; an exploration of the water and energy nexus; a wonderful demonstration on how young students in California are thinking about and working toward solutions for our global water problems; and much more.
The EWTS is co-convened by the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), The American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) and the Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI).
Additional information and details on how to register for the symposium can be found online at http://www.iapmo.org/Pages/EmergingWaterTechnologySymposium.aspx.
Attendees are advised to register early as this symposium will sell out. The early bird rate of $495 ends on March 15. Prior presentations and a series of videos from the previous five symposiums are available for viewing online at http://www.youtube.com/user/IAPMOGroup.
Further details on the EWTS program are forthcoming. Please direct questions to Maria Bazan at (708) 995- 3000.
Milwaukee, Wis. — With a planned total investment of $32MM, Milwaukee Tool is proposing another major expansion at their global new product development center in Brookfield, Wis. A 114,500 square foot, multi-story building would be built on an existing 3.5 acre lot owned by Milwaukee Tool, bringing their global headquarter space from 190,000 square feet Read more
Milwaukee, Wis. — With a planned total investment of $32MM, Milwaukee Tool is proposing another major expansion at their global new product development center in Brookfield, Wis. A 114,500 square foot, multi-story building would be built on an existing 3.5 acre lot owned by Milwaukee Tool, bringing their global headquarter space from 190,000 square feet, originally, to a proposed total of 504,500 square feet.
Over the last several years, Milwaukee Tool has experienced rapid growth, expanding employment at its Brookfield campus from just over 300 jobs in 2011 to almost 1,300 this year. This expansion would lead to the creation of 350 additional new jobs in the next 5 years, with an average annual salary of $75,000.
“We must grow or die. We are committed to delivering a world-class work environment to attract, retain, and recruit the best talent in the world.” said Steve Richman, Milwaukee Tool Group President. “This investment is necessary for Milwaukee Tool to continue to deliver disruptive innovation and deliver on our commitment to users and distribution partners in driving productivity on the jobsite.”
Milwaukee Tool is working with the City of Brookfield, Milwaukee 7, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and Waukesha County Center for Growth officials on the proposed expansion. The City of Brookfield is proposing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district which would provide $3.5 million in TIF assistance to project costs estimated at over $32 million. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is also working with Milwaukee® on possible incentives for the project. Milwaukee® is exploring other options for the needed office space to facilitate its continued growth, but would prefer to keep all of its product research, design and development within the campus.
Arlington, Va. — The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announces that Dean Brainard of NEXUS, LLC., is facilitating the ACCA MIX Group networking event at the ACCA Annual Conference on February 13, 2018 in Washington, D.C. ACCA’s Management Information Exchange (MIX) Group program is one of the associations premier contractor benefits. HVAC contractors involved Read more
Arlington, Va. — The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announces that Dean Brainard of NEXUS, LLC., is facilitating the ACCA MIX Group networking event at the ACCA Annual Conference on February 13, 2018 in Washington, D.C.
ACCA’s Management Information Exchange (MIX) Group program is one of the associations premier contractor benefits. HVAC contractors involved in MIX Groups share business information, including marketing and sales strategies, business operations, key performance indicators, and other financial metrics with each other.
“ACCA is excited Dean is leading this year’s MIXer event at the annual conference,” said Paul T. Stalknecht, ACCA president and CEO. “Dean is well-known in the contracting industry and is going to lead a great “speed-networking” event for contractors. For those who want to be involved in the industry’s premier networking and business-to-business learning venue, ACCA’s 2018 MIXer is the place to be.”
Dean Brainard, founder of NEXUS, LLC., has more than 30 years of consulting, training, and management experience. He specializes in collaborative training, coaching and facilitation processes that empower business leaders to achieve critical business outcomes.
Brainard said, “Our goal for the 2018 ACCA MIXer is to spark conversations between contractors who want to engage in a MIX Group and existing MIX Groups who are recruiting new members. Current and former ACCA Board Officers, Bobby Ring, Laura DiFilippo, Dave Kyle, and Dan Weis will share the benefits and expectations of being a MIX group member. This networking experience could be the first step in one of the most valuable decisions a business owner can make for their business.”