The reinvigorated program pairs ideas with investment. Did you know that Uponor North America has a division called Uponor Innovations (UI), where highly motivated entrepreneurs can submit innovative ideas and turn them into protected, substantive, viable products or technology? What started seven years ago as a central resource site for entrepreneurs, startups, business owners, management Read more
HVAC
The reinvigorated program pairs ideas with investment.
Did you know that Uponor North America has a division called Uponor Innovations (UI), where highly motivated entrepreneurs can submit innovative ideas and turn them into protected, substantive, viable products or technology? What started seven years ago as a central resource site for entrepreneurs, startups, business owners, management teams and investors to submit an idea that improves the way people design and construct the human environments, this accelerated think tank of innovative ideas is gaining momentum once again.
According the website (www.uponorinnovations.com), Uponor Innovation’s interests include acquisitions, equity participation and licensing. The approach is to pursue involvement where UI can best leverage mutual success through existing Uponor assets and resources. “Someone may have a good idea, but lack the resources to gain any traction or success,” says Bill Gray, president of Uponor North America. “That’s where Uponor can help. We have a successful and established infrastructure to help introduce ideas, products, processes and technology to our industry.”
The joint venture between Uponor and Belkin was initiated through Uponor Innovations.
A pipeline of ideas, the core concept that initiated the discussion behind Uponor Innovations was that “no one company has all of the good ideas,” says Carl Moe, Business Analyst at Uponor Innovations LLC. “We have the global expertise and employees in technical, marketing and product design areas where we can become a resource for idea generators.”
The force behind UI is that an idea will offer viability and acceptance, which, in turn, will contribute value to society. “We want to invest in an opportunity where the entrepreneur has a good idea and is already in a position to bring it to market—and we can help them. The strategy is for UI to invest more than just money. We have to see a way for Uponor to help leverage or help grow what we perceive to be a very good idea,” says Moe.
Piggybacking off the idea of growing and nurturing a very good idea,“Unlike a venture capitalist, we don’t have to ‘own’ your company. We can own it, but it isn’t a required part of our model. We want to invest in an opportunity where the entrepreneur has a good idea and is already in a position to bring it to market—and we can help them,” says Moe.
Upstream Technologies SAFL Baffle has saved Minnesota taxpayers $8.5 million over the past few years and projects additional savings to the state of $26.4 million over the next 10 years.
Gray believes that building an innovative culture internally and externally is a great opportunity to build products and create new processes and technologies that help its customers differentiate and grow their businesses. “We are looking for products and innovations that align with our sustainability goals and our vision of becoming a ‘recognized leader in sustainable building solutions,’” says Gray.
One recent success story was Uponor’s investment in Upstream Technologies. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Upstream Technologies SAFL Baffle—developed out of the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory—has saved Minnesota taxpayers $8.5 million over the past few years and projects additional savings to the state of $26.4 million over the next 10 years. The product is a proven, cost-effective method to help municipalities, developers, watershed districts and transportation departments improve sediment capture in urban runoff before it goes into storm sewers and eventually ends up in lakes, rivers and oceans. Uponor subsequently supported launch of the Upstream’s new Modified Philip Dunne (MPD) Infiltrometer, which provides an innovative solution for quickly and efficiently measuring the rate of water infiltration into soil.
Another great example was the joint venture between Uponor and Belkin International to create Phyn in May 2016. Phyn’s mission is to help consumers reduce their water usage and contribute to the global water shortage problem, protect their homes and save money. “There was interest in it at Uponor because it pertains to water management, so the decision was to see if Belkin had interest to take on a partner. I reached out to the exec team at Belkin and introduced Uponor,” says Moe.
Currently, with multiple projects in the pipeline and in various stages of development, Uponor Innovations is an approach to pursue involvement through existing Uponor assets and resources, the UI infrastructure includes staff, funding, manufacturing, marketing, sales, technical support and a national distribution network.
Do you have an idea that would inspire the industry with fresh, innovative and sustainable solutions, and enrich people’s way of life? Uponor Innovations may be worth a look and worthy of consideration. “There is a wide network of really creative entrepreneurial people out there, for whom we would like to widen our front-door welcome mat to Uponor,” says Moe.
Washington — The Propane Education & Research Council released a video for commercial builders and contractors that provides a comprehensive overview of tankless water heaters. The video details how the systems work, their role in meeting LEED certification, and more. https://youtu.be/A24yGp-dUek “Many commercial building owners and operators are finding tankless water heaters to be a valuable Read more
Washington — The Propane Education & Research Council released a video for commercial builders and contractors that provides a comprehensive overview of tankless water heaters. The video details how the systems work, their role in meeting LEED certification, and more.
“Many commercial building owners and operators are finding tankless water heaters to be a valuable investment — whether in retrofits or new construction projects,” said Bryan Cordill, director of residential and commercial business development at PERC. “These systems are bringing significant space and energy savings to businesses across the country, especially as tankless technology continues to evolve. This video helps showcase how propane tankless systems can be a solution for a wide variety of commercial building types.”
The video outlines the importance of maximizing space and efficiency in commercial buildings, given that water heating is a major energy consumer in many buildings — particularly older buildings in need of renovations. In fact, nearly 80 percent of water heating energy use occurs in buildings built before the year 2000.
Current water heating technology, especially propane tankless systems, can offer big improvements in terms of performance, energy use, and energy costs. Plus, they’re versatile, so tankless technology for commercial buildings can meet a wide range of load types. As outlined in the video, individual tankless units can be combined into larger configurations, allowing them to provide hot water rates of several hundred gallons per minute — and ultimately, the ability to handle water heating no matter the size or scope of a building.
Visit Propane.com/Commercial-Buildings to learn more about the advantages of going tankless in commercial buildings.
Indianapolis—Williams Comfort Air, a leading provider of heating, cooling and plumbing services, is providing free delivery of grocery pick up orders to healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients and people considered to be at high risk for severe illness from the coronavirus. The company, which operates Williams Comfort Air and Mr. Plumber in Indiana, Thomas Read more
Indianapolis—Williams Comfort Air, a leading provider of heating, cooling and plumbing services, is providing free delivery of grocery pick up orders to healthcare professionals working with COVID-19 patients and people considered to be at high risk for severe illness from the coronavirus. The company, which operates Williams Comfort Air and Mr. Plumber in Indiana, Thomas Galbraith Heating, Cooling and Plumbing in Ohio, and Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Kentucky, is converting its preventative maintenance teams into grocery delivery drivers – picking up and dropping off online grocery orders made through Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, Target and Market District.
“Our services are considered to be essential, and many of them – like HVAC and plumbing repairs and replacements – absolutely are,” said Jacob Huck, president of Williams Comfort Air. “But we don’t need to be completing preventive maintenance work right now. Still, we wanted our field teams to be getting 35-40 hours of work per week, so we came up with a meaningful, new way to serve the people in our community. We’re proud to offer free delivery of grocery pick up orders to those who need it right now, while still keeping employee and client safety top-of-mind.”
Free delivery of grocery pick-up orders is available now. Company leaders say they’ll continue to provide deliveries throughout the stay-at-home orders.
“As a company, we talked about how thankful we were for people on the front-lines of the pandemic, and discussed how we could help in an authentic, human way,” said Matt Tyner, Williams Comfort Air director of marketing. “Offering free grocery delivery was a way we could give thanks to people treating those who have the virus, help protect those most vulnerable to the virus and prioritize the health and livelihood of our own employees at the same time.”
To receive a grocery delivery from Williams Comfort Air, qualified individuals can place online orders scheduled for pickup between 8 – 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, then call the client care team in their area to confirm the delivery.
- Williams Comfort Air (Indiana) customers can call 317-663-9125.
- Thomas Galbraith Heating, Cooling and Plumbing (Ohio) customers can call 513-342-0460
- Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating and Cooling (Kentucky) customers can call 502-442-7500.
For more information about Williams Comfort Air, visit https://williamscomfortair.com/.
AF 099 features same UL-Listed performance as flagship AF 100 HVAC Tape Shurtape Technologies, LLC, a leading manufacturer and marketer of pressure-sensitive tapes, has expanded its HVAC product portfolio with new Shurtape® brand AF 099 UL 181A-P/B-FX Listed/Printed Aluminum Foil Tape. Leveraging the same technology as the brand’s trusted AF 100 UL 181A-P/B-FX Listed Foil Read more
AF 099 features same UL-Listed performance as flagship AF 100 HVAC Tape
Shurtape Technologies, LLC, a leading manufacturer and marketer of pressure-sensitive tapes, has expanded its HVAC product portfolio with new Shurtape® brand AF 099 UL 181A-P/B-FX Listed/Printed Aluminum Foil Tape. Leveraging the same technology as the brand’s trusted AF 100 UL 181A-P/B-FX Listed Foil Tape, AF 099 provides another durable, high-performing tape solution for busy HVAC contractors around the country.
Excellent Performance and Quality
AF 099 is an aluminum foil HVAC tape that is ideal for joining and sealing joints, connections and seams on rigid fiberglass ductboard and flexible air duct. It can also be used in place of mechanical fasteners on rigid ductboard. UL 181A-P/B-FX Listed and printed, AF 099 delivers full system closure – a system free of air leaks – by forming airtight bonds on joints and seams in temperatures ranging from -20 F to 260 F and in humid conditions.
Other applications for Shurtape’s AF 099 foil HVAC tape include repairing metal or sheet metal and temporary fixes for outdoor electrical boxes. In addition, it can be used for furnace installation/replacement, sheet metal ventilation fan exhaust ductwork, and dryer vent or bath fan installation jobs.
“Contractors have long trusted our AF 100 UL Listed foil tape for a range of HVAC applications, especially when it comes to delivering full system closure,” said Lisa Zierfuss, product manager for HVAC tapes at Shurtape Technologies. “Contractors need to minimize air leakage in order to pass inspection, and want reliable, high-performing tape solutions that deliver permanent, airtight bonds. AF 099 is another tool in their toolbox to get the job done right the first time.”
Find more information about Shurtape’s aluminum foil and film tapes at Shurtape.com/types/foil-film-foam/aluminum-foil-film. To learn more about Shurtape brand, visit Shurtape.com.
Phoenix—CEO Ken Goodrich of Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing, a leading provider of HVAC and plumbing services in the Southwest United States, announced he is spending $1.5 million to install Ultra Violet (UV) germicidal lights in the homes of more than 600 employees. Deemed an essential business during an unprecedented time in our nation, Goettl’s Read more
Phoenix—CEO Ken Goodrich of Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing, a leading provider of HVAC and plumbing services in the Southwest United States, announced he is spending $1.5 million to install Ultra Violet (UV) germicidal lights in the homes of more than 600 employees.
Deemed an essential business during an unprecedented time in our nation, Goettl’s HVAC and plumbing technicians have continued to work tirelessly to ensure their community is receiving essential life systems and services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To show appreciation for their hard work and dedication, Goodrich is giving each Goettl employee a new UV germicidal light that will be installed into their personal HVAC system.
“Our technicians are putting their own well-being and safety second to serve their communities,” said Goodrich. “I want them to know how much we appreciate their unwavering dedication and bravery by giving them a product that will hopefully provide their own families with invaluable peace of mind during these uncertain times.”
The UV germicidal light, which mimics natural sunlight, uses ultraviolet radiation to drastically decrease indoor germs such as mold, fungi and bacteria. Additionally, the UV radiation destroys the nuclei of each contaminant preventing it from reproducing. Proven to kill viruses of many strains, this type of UV light is also used in hospitals and food processing plants nationwide.
The safety and well-being of Goettl employees is top priority for Goodrich and his executive team. As technicians are a critical resource for essential home services, Goodrich is committed to doing as much as possible to help ensure they stay safe and healthy during this public health crisis.
“At Goettl, we believe in doing things the right way, not the easy way and what’s right is keeping our employees safe and as healthy as possible so that they may continue to serve their beloved communities,” Goodrich continued.