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California contractors can now use a new home energy assessment software.  OptiMiser, an advanced energy modeling and reporting tool, has passed CalTEST for use in the California Home Upgrade program beginning in 2015.

The California Home Energy Upgrade program was recently overhauled to enable better energy savings projections, more consistent incentive calculations, and better overall customer service. As part of the program improvements, the CalTEST software qualification system will allow contractors providing energy assessments and energy improvement retrofits to use advanced software tools that meet rigid quality standards. OptiMiser is one of the first such tools to be approved for the soft launch of the improved California Home Upgrade program beginning January 1, 2015. That will be followed by a full launch on or about April 1, 2015.

OptiMiser software is built from the ground up to make it easier for home performance professionals to sell jobs and perform energy efficiency work.  OptiMiser is designed to jump through as many regulatory hoops as possible for contractors while also offering full support for complex home performance measures.

OptiMiser has been at the forefront of the developments in the CalTEST implementation, partnering with the program for model verification and HPXML (data standards) implementation.

“We see the developments in California as an important step forward in our industry. Leif Magnuson, Matt Golden, and the utilities and implementers in California are initiating a visionary switch in our industry to energy efficiency programs that can be driven by real results. At OptiMiser, we believe performance evidenced by empirical results has to drive our industry and we are thrilled to be at the vanguard of this sea change led by California.”

– Andy Bardwell, CEO of OptiMiser

The California launch follows on the heels of similar program changes in Arizona and New York. In Arizona, OptiMiser partnered with Arizona Public Service (APS) and EnergySavvy to deliver an energy auditing software solution for their Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.  Less than a year after the APS launch, over 95% of audits under the program rely on OptiMiser’s powerful and accurate energy analysis.

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New Program Helps Customers Connect with Local Installers

ElectricGeneratorsDirect.com today launched a new Preferred Installer program designed to help generator purchasers easily find a qualified installer in their local market.

“Let’s face it. The phone book is just a glorified paper weight,” said Jon Hoch, president and founder of Power Equipment Direct, the parent company of Electric Generators Direct. “Today’s savvy shoppers are leveraging the Internet to pick the perfect generator first. They look for a local installer second.”

The new Preferred Installer program combines the benefits of an online catalog and an interactive local directory. Shoppers can leverage interactive buyer’s guides to size their generator and now request installation quotes from Preferred Installers in their local community.

The shopper simply selects the number of quotes they would like to receive while checking out. Once their purchase is complete, they receive an email, listing the Preferred Installers in their area. In addition, customers can double-check the installer’s reputation through quick links to the Better Business Bureau and other online rating sites.

At the same time, the installer receives a separate email, containing the customer’s contact information and purchase details. The installers typically contact the customers directly, speeding up the quotation process.

“Standby generators require plumbing and electrical connections. It’s generally recommended that it be done by a licensed and certified installer,” said Jim Baugher, standby generator expert at Electric Generators Direct.

To find out if there are any Preferred Installers in their area, generator shoppers can reference an interactive map.

Installers interested in receiving free, high-qualified leads are welcome to submit an online application to join the program.

Power Equipment Direct and Electric Generators Direct make their product experts and customer service associates available to help answer any questions or concerns shoppers may have, but installation is not a service the company provides. This program is their way of providing the service, but the installation is the sole responsibility of the installer, and Power Equipment Direct is not responsible for any transactions or communications had with the installer or business that’s responsible for completing the installation.

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How to Find Someone to Install a Standby Generator

The days of finding an installer in the phone book and letting them pick your generator are long gone.

Today’s savvy customers are leveraging the internet first to find the perfect generator at an affordable price, then finding an installer to set it up.

Just follow these three simple steps to find your local generator installer:

1. Choose Number of Installers
Before you check out, make sure that you check the box, indicating that you are interested in receiving quotes from local installers.

You can choose the number of installers (either 3 or 5), depending on how many quotes you want to compare.

2. Receive Local Installer Email
At checkout, you get a receipt via email. If you requested an installer, you receive a separate email like the one below, highlighting the Preferred Installers that we automatically contact and alternate installers if you want to expand your search.

3. Get Calls from Local Installers

We also email each of the Preferred Installers, providing them with your email address, phone number and items ordered.

The installers will contact you directly to schedule an appointment and offer a quote. You simply compare the quotes to get the best price or installer for your project.

 
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By Robert Hall

There’s no way around it: Running a business in the plumbing industry means a lot of time on the road. You and your personnel drive to and fro between jobs in order to service different locations. On any one day, you may have several plumbers out at the same time, and keeping track of everyone’s location and projects can be tough. That’s where GPS comes in. Designed to seamlessly, conveniently track your vehicles’ locations and travel times, a Global Positioning System gives you real-time information on where your plumbers are and when. Consider some of the top benefits that come from GPS tracking for plumbing companies like yours:

Streamlined Travel Times

• When you’re constantly driving from one job to another the way plumbers do, you can’t afford to waste time getting lost on back roads or turned around in a new area. GPS
  gives you step-by-step directions that ensure services can be provided faster and more efficiently. What’s more, streamlining travel means you can save on wasted fuel costs, too.

Better Appointment Estimates

• It’s much easier to tell a customer what time a plumber will arrive when you have built-in technology that can pinpoint his or her location at any moment. With GPS, saying, “We’ll be there in 20 minutes,” is a promise you can make with confidence, backed by technology.

Monitored Activity

• GPS puts you in the know about where your vehicles are at all times. Want to know which plumbers are taking the longest on jobs and which ones are working most quickly? Ready to see firsthand when employees are missing jobs or wasting hours? GPS gives you real-time insight into your plumbing business.

Validated work hours

• When a client disputes the time spent on a job, GPS gives you a simple, convenient way to prove hours of service. Simply pull up the tracked time that you or one of your service people arrived and left the job site, and you have evidence to back up your work.

Prevention of theft or loss

• Your vehicles and the assets they carry can be some of your most expensive investments, so finding ways to prevent their theft, loss, or damage is crucial. With GPS you have a built-in way to track your cars or trucks, so that it’s easier than ever to recover vehicles from theft. What’s more, you can see where your vehicles have been and are going, making it easier to track down where damage occurred or the location of a missing vehicle.

The fact is, GPS offers all kinds of benefits to plumbing businesses. From less wasted time on the road to more productive employees to the prevention of vehicle theft, these benefits add up to significant cost savings. This means that GPS is about more than tracking trucks and cars; it’s about boosting your bottom line. By implementing GPS in your company vehicles, you set your business up to be as effective, efficient, and successful as poss

Robert Hall is president of Track Your Truck, a privately held company that provides service businesses with fleet tracking solutions.

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by Jim Hinshaw

I was listening to Zig Zigler this week in something called “Automobile University”. That is where you listen to a CD that will improve your mind while driving back and forth to the airport. Zig passed away in 2012, but his thoughts and instructions are timeless and still current.

On the CD, he tells the story of a woman who reaches out to him, saying he is the only one who can help. She is miserable at work, everyone is an idiot and she hates her job and co-workers. So she tells Zig’s secretary she must meet him. He agrees, and on his next trip through her part of the world, he meets her behind the curtain, a few minutes before he is to go on stage to discuss his sales program. She was exasperated and apparently thought she would get a couple of hours of counseling that wasn’t going to happen. Zig is clear with her, he is not a therapist, but he does understand human nature.

So he asks her if she brought a notebook to take notes. She did and Zig responds with “Start taking notes.” She says, “Right now, here, behind the curtain?” He replied, “Yes, now.” He tells her that in 100% of the people he talks to, if you don’t take the first step, you won’t take the second! So she reluctantly pulls out a notebook and starts writing. He asks her to list the positive things about her job. But she says “That’s a short list and I can’t think of one thing.” He keeps on pushing: “Do they pay you regularly?” “Yes.” She says. “Is it a fair wage?” “Actually, above the market for my tasks.” The woman replies. “Do you have an insurance plan?” And again she responds “Yes.” Zig asks her yet another question “How about holiday pay?” And again she says “Yes.” By the time they were done, she had a list of over 20 items that were positive about her job.

Zig tells her to look at that list every morning, to read it out loud, every day, and see what happens. A few months later, she is sitting in the front row of another one of his meetings, smiling big. She tells him that the most wonderful thing happened, those people she works with have changed! She says “They are not so bad afterall, in fact, they are wonderful.”

Zig’s point is simple. When we want to change our spouse, kids, parents, bosses, co-workers, employees, and even our customers, the one who really can affect that change is us! It’s so simple yet profound. We are in charge of everything that happens to us, good and bad. Yes I hear many say “Jim, we can’t control the weather, the economy, and our employee’s actions.” That is correct, but we can control our response to all of those. Did you know that sailors can navigate across the water in a sailboat no matter which way the wind is blowing? To be clear, I am not a sailor. However, if I were on a sailboat, I would want the person sailing it to understand how the wind works, and be able to get to our destination no matter the weather.

So the message is simple but hard to do. When you are faced with a uncooperative person, perhaps one you work for or one that works for you, or if you’re just not happy with your job, plan on concentrating on the positive aspects of the relationship and the work. We all want to blame the economy, the weather, or any other outside force for our trials and tribulations. When has that ever helped? It turns out what we think about becomes the course of our actions, the actions become habits, and the habits become our character, our DNA in a way. The very element that moves us to do what we do.

This became clear to me one evening after we had great family time and shared a couple of birthdays with a huge crab boil. It was not anything specific that happened, but the time I had to reflect on how great it is to have a family that can talk and share feelings together. After dinner, I discussed this with my sons and it became clear that I should share this timeless advice about focusing on the positives. I have no idea what any of you are going through personally, but in the last couple of weeks I have seen multiple requests for prayer from my Facebook connections. Most have been from from family with several about jobs, and employment. So I am sending this out with my thoughts and prayers for your success both in family, work and health to give you encouragemnent. One of the other speakers on my CD is a man named Jim Rohn. He says that evidence has shown that what we think about has more effect on our health than exercise, diet, or even our genes. That’s powerful stuff. So consider an assignment for yourself this week, to dwell on positive things. Anything positive counts and simply stuff those negative thoughts aside by replacing them with positive ones.

And by the way, this is the Christmas season. A perfect way to be positive is to do something special for someone else this season. And better yet if they cannot offer anything in return. Perhaps by visiting a nursing home, calling a loved one miles away, thanking a veteran, or visiting someone in need or a friend at a hospital. If want to see someone light up with joy, surprise them with a hospital visit. You can even visit and bring joy to someone who is without a family to care and love them, especially during Christmas. I have gone into hospitals and asked a nurse, who is lonely this time of year? They will gladly direct you. If you are not able to pray with a patient, you could even simply thank the nurses and doctors you see and let them know you appreciate them. They probably did not want to work on Christmas day, but someone has to. It will be a blessing. Thanks, we will talk later.

FYI – On Zig Ziglar’s web site you can buy yourself or a friend a book.

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