Archive for November, 2014

10 Facts You Should Know about Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 27th, 2014

Thanksgiving has been celebrated as an official holiday in the United States for over 150 years, so you may think you understand all there is to know about this family feast. Most of us have heard the story of the pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving in 1621 after arriving in North America on the Mayflower. But did you know that only about half of the people on this ship were actually pilgrims? This fact is one of ten things that may actually surprise you about the Thanksgiving tradition!

  1. Although we often consider Thanksgiving a holiday unique to the United States, many other countries and cultures celebrate their own set of harvest-time and thanksgiving traditions. In Korea, Chu-Sok (or “fall evening”) is put on in remembrance of forefathers on August 15th of every year. Brazil celebrates a contemporary version of the U.S. holiday. Chinese, Roman, and Jewish cultures all have a history of harvest celebrations as well.
  2. President Harry S. Truman began the tradition of a ceremony held before Thanksgiving during which the president receives a turkey. George H.W. Bush was the first to pardon the turkey instead of eating it.
  3. In Minnesota alone, farmers raise over 40 million turkeys a year. In fact, U.S. farmers produce about one turkey for every one person in the country.
  4. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the average American will gain about one to two pounds every year during the holiday season.
  5. On the other hand, turkey is naturally high in protein and has been known to support and boost immune systems to protect against illness and speed up healing. So feast on!
  6. Abraham Lincoln issued a “Thanksgiving Proclamation” in 1863, but a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale can be credited with the idea. While Thanksgiving had been celebrated at different times of year in many areas of the U.S. for years, it was Hale, prominent magazine editor and author of the rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” who urged Lincoln to finally establish the national event.
  7. President Franklin D Roosevelt once tried to change the date of Thanksgiving to the second-to-last Thursday of the month in order to extend the holiday shopping season and boost the economy.
  8. Only about half of the people on the Mayflower were what we would consider today as “Pilgrims.” The other (approximately) 50 people were simply trying to find a way over to the New World.
  9. Gobble, gobble! Click, click? While male turkeys make a gobbling noise, females (hens) do not; it’s often described as a clicking.
  10. Even though we celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, the month of June has been declared National Turkey Lovers’ Month by the National Turkey Federation so you can continue the celebration in the summer as well!

From our family here at HB Energy Solutions, we’d like to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Choose the Right Technician for Commercial Refrigeration Services

Monday, November 17th, 2014

Your commercial property depends on high-performance commercial refrigeration systems and appliances to keep business running as smoothly as possible. If your commercial cooler, ice machine, or refrigerator is on the fritz and needs repair or replacement, or if you’re looking into purchasing commercial equipment for the first time, you want to make sure you choose a quality contractor so that the most integral equipment to your business is protected from damage. So how do you choose the right contractor for the job? We’ll go over some of the things to look out for and ask about in this guide.

Steps to Choosing a Quality Technician

  • Make sure the contractor carries and distributes a wide range of products for installation. First, search through the website or ask your contractor what types of equipment they service and install, to make sure the range of products you need serviced or may need to purchase in the future are covered.
  • Ask about the various types of services they perform. Right now, you may only need a company to install or repair a single piece of equipment. However, you should try to make sure your company offers additional services you may need in the future, so that you won’t have to search around for another company when the time comes. You should especially consider choosing a contractor that offers routine maintenance, so that you can call on them to clean, inspect, and adjust your system every year and prevent repairs.
  • Find a company that offers 24-hour emergency service. Some companies offer 24-hour emergency services as well. Repair needs can occur at any time of night, and a broken refrigeration system in the middle of the night can mean big trouble for your commercial property.
  • Request an estimate. Finally, a quality contractor stands by their pricing, so make sure you can get a free estimate before the work begins.

HB Energy Solutions is a company committed to quality customer service. We offer a 100% guarantee on our work, free estimates, and free second opinions so that you know the full price of our work before we begin.

To speak with a knowledgeable customer representative about commercial refrigeration in Southern Vermont at any time of day, give our team a call!

What to Expect During Gas Piping Installation

Monday, November 10th, 2014

Natural gas is one of the most popular fuel types for home use. It can be used for multiple home appliances, including your home heating system. Many homes are connected to a main natural gas line, but not all are. If your home is not currently connected to a gas line, and you want access to the natural gas in your area, it’s time to call HB Energy Solutions and schedule gas piping installation in New Hampshire.

Initial Steps Before Installation

There are a few steps that need to be taken before our HB Energy Solutions technicians can install your natural gas piping. The first step is pinpointing the exact location of the natural gas main line closest to your home. Next, our technicians will conduct a site survey. During a site survey, the heating load for your home is calculated, your current heating system is evaluated and the amount of gas piping needed for your home is determined. Once this information is determined, it has to be relayed to the gas company; additionally, permits have to be obtained for the installation before any work can proceed.

Installation

Before any digging can begin, all public utilities will be marked off so that all digging is safe. As the homeowner, it is important that you mark off any private utilities, such as underground sprinkler systems, etc. Once the utilities are marked off, a date will be set to install the piping and your gas meter.

It is important that correctly-sized piping is used for your gas installation. This is because every gas appliance has a minimum input demand in BTUs per hour. On the day of installation, any appliances that are being replaced with a gas appliance will be turned off, disconnected and removed from your home. Trenches are dug and the piping is assembled and laid into the ground. When the piping reaches the exterior of your home, it will connect to the meter, which is still not operational. Your city inspector needs to inspect the piping and the connection to the meter to ensure all is in order; when the outside piping is approved, the meter can be activated. Now the focus of the installation moves to the inside of your home: the technicians will install the interior gas piping and equipment, which also needs to be inspected. Once this inspection is complete, your new gas line and meter are activated for use. 

Gas piping installation in New Hampshire should only be handled by experts. If you are looking to connect your home to natural gas, call HB Energy Solutions today!

The Features of ENERGY KING Wood Furnaces

Monday, November 3rd, 2014

If you need a new heating system, there are a lot of unique options available for your consideration. One type of reliable heating system that homeowners often overlook is the wood furnace. Wood furnaces are often utilized for outdoor heating, but an indoor wood furnace from ENERGY KING offers low cost heating and all-around comfort for your home. Let’s take a look at some of the many features of these heating system.

  • Energy Independence: With a wood furnace, you no longer have to depend on on the unreliable and often high cost of natural gas or electricity.
  • Efficiency: ENERGY KING wood furnaces are quite efficient due to a few key features that ensure most of the heat the furnace produces enters your home. A superheated secondary combustion, for example, allows gases and particulates to ignite when they would have otherwise escaped through the chimney.
  • Durability: ENERGY KING wood furnaces are built by experienced and certified welders which indicates the highest quality, durability, and safety.
  • Environmentally Friendly: Burning wood is environmentally friendly because, although it releases CO2, the effect is no different than as if the trees had died and rotted.
  • Thermostatically-Controlled Automatic Draft: All of ENERGY KING’s wood furnaces come standard with an automatic draft, which automatically opens and closes the draft damper in order to control the burn rate. You can also use a manual damper whenever you need it.
  • Insulated Cabinet: The insulated cabinet prevents heat from moving into the room instead of into your home where it belongs, increasing efficiency.
  • Removable Ash Pan: One final important part is the removable ash pan, which simplifies the process of cleaning ash accumulation from time to time.

A wood furnace is the perfect heating system for many homes, but it may not necessarily be the right choice for you. For whatever heating system you choose, you’ll need a professional to choose the proper sized unit for your home and provide skilled installation services.

Talk to one of the professionals at HB Energy Solutions to find out more about your options for wood furnaces in Southern Vermont.