Industry News

Real-world findings show building with propane is better for the environment

In 2022, the Propane Education & Research Council’s (PERC) Propane Construction Incentive Program helped eliminate more than 18 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, from the environment annually. This statistic nearly doubled the program’s impact in 2021.

“Installing propane appliances in more than 1,000 homes across 25 states helped make this achievement possible,” said Bryan Cordill, director of residential business development at PERC. “Many people believe using more electricity is the answer to reducing carbon emissions. But this data clearly shows that construction professionals can make a significant environmental impact when building with propane and utilizing a hybrid approach to home energy decisions.”

The 2022 program awarded $1 million in funding to construction professionals who provided data from the Energy Planning and Analysis Tool comparing the emissions of the propane appliances they chose to their electric alternatives. Installations included propane furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, cooktops, ovens, clothes dryers, outdoor grills, and standby generators. 

The 18 million pounds of CO2 that the Propane Construction Incentive Program helped eliminate is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from any of the following:

• 1,839 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.
• 1,038,249,446 smartphones charged.
• 1,075 homes’ energy use for one year.

The Propane Construction Incentive Program offers a baseline incentive of up to $1,000 to builders or remodelers who upgrade to propane appliances in a new build or a remodel. Applicants can also earn a $500 bonus for installing propane appliances specific to their region of the country. Funding is limited, and certain restrictions apply, so complete your application today at Propane.com/ConstructionIncentive.

“Builders and remodelers who participate in the Propane Construction Incentive Program and install propane appliances in their customers’ homes are not only creating a competitive advantage for themselves, but they are also helping decrease greenhouse gas emissions,” said Cordill. “Propane is available right now and its use is having an immediate, positive impact on the environment.”

To learn more about the incentive program and qualifications, as well as propane applications, visit Propane.com.

Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) has been named to Newsweek magazine’s list of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 – the Company’s second consecutive win.  This national recognition is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

Newsweek selected and ranked America’s Most Trustworthy Companies based on three key performance pillars: customer trust, investor trust and employee trust. Compiling the data for these indicators included surveying 25,000 U.S. residents, completing 95,000 company evaluations and conducting a Social Listening analysis. This involved researching over 270,000 social media mentions and rating them as positive, neutral or negative.  In the end, 700 companies were identified across 23 industries.

“At Franklin Electric, we take great pride in helping individuals and communities access and protect some of our most important natural resources,” said Gregg Sengstack, Chairperson of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. “Knowing that we have the trust and confidence of our employees, our customers and our shareholders is important in all that we do. It assures that we are keeping our promises and helping people move forward in their lives, in their careers and with their businesses.”

The company often conducts its own employee engagement surveys to assure its workforce is engaged and satisfied. During the most recent survey, conducted in 2021, employees overwhelmingly ranked themselves as “extremely satisfied” with their careers at Franklin Electric, praising the company’s commitment to training, safety and overall managerial support.

Newsweek announced the winners on March 29. The complete list can be viewed on the publication’s website.

Skilled labor shortages and time-consuming on-site logistics can wreak havoc on construction schedules. Prefabrication is an effective option to expedite projects while maintaining favorable labor investments. BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology can boost the prefabrication advantages even further. Jisell Howe, CDT and Brian Nickel will present to the audience an overview of the current status and future of 3D modeling, fabrication, and execution within the plumbing and heating sectors.

You’ll learn:

→ Best practices in BIM design
→ Prefabrication project success stories
→ Avoiding the software technology / real world disconnect
→ Revit design benefits for installers
→ What’s next in BIM?

Howe is the Senior BPM Platform Integration Manager for ENGworks Global. Her background in manufacturing is pivotal for managing BIM content creation projects for clients. She pushes the AEC Industry (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) forward by bridging gaps between construction design technology and manufactured products.

Nickel is the CEO/Founder of Allied BIM. He is a Virtual Design and Construction Manager with expertise in managing the use of building information models for architecture, engineering, and construction projects. He is also Adjunct Faculty (Revit) for Gallatin College and Montana State University College of Engineering – Construction Engineering Technology.

Coffee with Caleffi technical training webinars are free and intended for contractors, engineers, designers and wholesalers. By submitting your webinar registration, you are consenting to email communications to keep you up-to-date on industry news.

It’s easy to join us!  Simply register today.

A Certificate of Attendance is emailed to attendees following the webinar equivalent to 1.0 PDH for continuing education.   Please verify with your state/province for fulfillment compliance.

Top manufacturer in water heating and storage earns fourth consecutive honor as a leader in energy efficiency  

Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading American manufacturer of residential, commercial, and industrial water heating and storage products, is proud to announce that it has received the 2023 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award for Sustained Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

“ENERGY STAR is a vital supporter of our industry’s efforts to help commercial and residential consumers throughout North America make a meaningful difference in their communities while enjoying the benefits of efficient, high-performing products,” said Carl Pinto, Jr., senior director of marketing communications for Bradford White. “We’re proud to be honored as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for the fourth consecutive year. This recognition reflects our commitment to energy efficiency and continuing efforts to educate professionals and invest in disadvantaged communities.

“As we accelerate historic efforts to address climate change, public-private partnerships will be essential to realizing the scale of our ambition,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I applaud this year’s ENERGY STAR award winners for working with EPA to deliver a clean energy future that saves American consumers and businesses money and creates jobs.”

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions in the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis, protecting public health, and creating a clean energy future for everyone.

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2023 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.