Happy Holidays!

December 23rd, 2013

Holiday greetings from HB Energy Solutions! We hope you are having safe and pleasant season, enjoying your favorite traditions for this time of year. We wish you the very best, and we thank you for your business this year.

In honor of the season, here are some fun facts about one of everyone’s favorite holiday movies: It’s a Wonderful Life.

For years, one of the enduring December traditions in the United States was watching the movie It’s a Wonderful Life playing almost nonstop on numerous television stations. No matter the time of the day, you could turn on the TV set, flip through channels, and discover It’s a Wonderful Life playing. Whenever you needed him, you could find Jimmy Stewart shouting, “Hello, Bedford Falls!”

But now… It’s a Wonderful Life only appears on broadcast television a few times during December, and most families instead choose to watch the movie on video. What happened?

The reason goes back to the film’s initial wide release in January 1947. (That’s right, it opened after the holiday season. It was not even promoted as a holiday film.) It’s a Wonderful Life was a box-office disappointment at the time, and its studio, RKO Radio Pictures, lost more than half a million on it. The movie’s production company, Liberty Films, was sold to Paramount to avoid bank foreclosure. (A bit ironic, considering the movie’s plot.) In 1955, the National Telefilm Associates (NTA) took over the rights to It’s a Wonderful Life, which included the television syndication rights.

However, NTA failed to properly renew the copyright in 1974 because of a clerical error, which allowed the film’s images to enter into the public domain. Although the movie’s plot was still under copyright protection because it was adapted from a published story called “The Greatest Gift,” television stations across the world could now broadcast it with only minimal royalty payments.

In 1993, Republic Pictures, which now owned the NTA library, tried to enforce their claim to the copyright of the film, as they possessed the rights to “The Greatest Gift.” Republic Pictures succeeded, and licensed exclusive television rights to NBC. Suddenly, It’s a Wonderful Life vanished from local television stations, and NBC made the movie’s broadcasts—usually twice during December—into major events. As of 1998, Paramount again has the rights to It’s a Wonderful Life… 43 years after they lost them.

It’s still easy to make It’s a Wonderful Life a part of whatever traditions you observe during the holidays, whether through home video or television broadcasts. Despite its lackluster initial reception in 1947, Frank Capra’s film is now an inseparable part of December in the United States.

Have a great holiday week!

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What’s Causing That Drain Clog?

December 17th, 2013

No plumbing problem is more common, or more of daily hassle, than a drain clog. Sometimes you can fix the problem with a basic sink plunger, and other times the clog will steadfastly refuse to go away. When that happens, you can call on a professional plumber to eliminate the trouble. Plumbers like those at HB Energy Solutions have seen every kind of clog imaginable, and they can get rid of the clog that’s stopped up your kitchen or bathroom drain. Call us for any plumbing service in Southern Vermont that you need done.

Here are some of the common causes of drain clogs:

Hair and soap scum

It’s almost impossible to prevent some hair and soap scum from getting into the drains of bathroom sinks and showers. A drain cap will help prevent excess build-up of both; without a cover of some kind, the hair and soap will start to build up in the p-trap (the curved section of pipe beneath the sink) and eventually create a complete clog.

Fat, grease, and oil

This is a common issue with kitchen sink drains. People often assume that liquid fat, grease, and oil are harmless when poured down drains, but this is untrue. Once these liquids dry, they turn into waxy solids that will rapidly begin to coat the inside of drain pipes and eventually lead to extremely difficult, heavy clogs. To avoid this problem, pour fat, grease, and oil into a can and deposit it in the trash.

Damage to the sewer line

The most serious reason for drain clogs is one that goes deeper than the drain pipe itself and originates in the sewer line that carries waste water from your home to the municipal sewer system. If the sewer lines sustains damage (often because of tree roots, landslides, or construction), it will start to back-up drainpipes around your home. If you notice clogs in numerous sinks, you need to have plumbers investigate the sewer line immediately; if not repaired, sewage could begin to flood into the lower parts of your home.

Some drain clogs are simple enough for you to break them apart using a plunger. If the plunger doesn’t work, then don’t turn to caustic and dangerous chemical cleaners: call for professional plumbers to assist. Plumbers can use advanced tools like mechanical drain snakes and hydro-jetters to clean out your drainpipes thoroughly. And if you have a sewer line problem, they can remedy that as well with pipe replacement.

Contact HB Energy Solutions for your professional plumbing service in Southern Vermont. We’re available 24/7.

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New Hampshire Heating Tip: How to Choose the Right Heating System for Your Home

December 9th, 2013

If you are currently looking for a new heating system in your New Hampshire home, the amount of choices you face can feel burdensome. It seems like having many choices should be a positive, but when you consider the consequences of choosing the wrong system to provide you with the heating for a long winter, having so many options will turn stressful.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We’ll show you how to make the right choice for heating your home. HB Energy Solutions has helped heat homes for 21 years, and over that time we’ve developed a strong reputation for reliable and professional work.

How to pick the right heating system

  • First, hire a professional HVAC contractor. Don’t wait until it’s time to install the heater; you want professional opinions from the beginning.
  • Second, have the professionals perform a heat load calculation in your home. This special calculation takes into account multiple factors about your home’s heating requirements, from its size to the number of windows. After the calculation, the installers will have a good sense of what sort of heater will work best for your home, and how large it should be.
  • Third, consider your available power source. If you have access to a natural gas line, that will play an important part in what kind of heater you get: natural gas heaters tend to cost less to run than electrical heaters. If you only have electric power, you will need to focus more on efficiency among the available models, or consider using a propane or oil-powered heater as an alternative.
  • Fourth, consider your budget plans, both short- and long-term. Some heaters cost less to purchase up front and install, but incur higher heating bills and possibly more repairs in the future. Other heaters have high initial prices, but will pay for themselves with their energy savings within a number of years. Talk over the options with the professionals to find what fits best with your budget.

If you follow these steps, you should end up with the optimal heater for your house and your needs. Make sure the professionals who helped you make the choice of heating system also take care of the work installing it, so that your new heater works to the best of its ability for many years to come.

We hope you’ll make HB Energy Solutions your choice for guidance in finding a new home heater. We can take care of all your needs for heating in New Hampshire. We do it all: one call, one company!

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How Prompt Heating Repair in Southern Vermont Protects Your Comfort and Your System

December 2nd, 2013

If you start to experience issues with your heater—a rumbling boiler, a gas furnace with a flickering pilot light, a general loss in heating power—your first instinct might be just to ignore it. Maybe it’s nothing and it will go away soon. However, this rarely occurs. When your heater shows signs of a malfunction, you need to have prompt repairs performed on it. Call a professional HVAC contractor (try to find one with 24-hour emergency service) and summon their assistance. Leaving small repairs until later usually means big trouble sooner—both for your comfort and for your heating system.

For the necessary heating repair in Southern Vermont, look to HB Energy Solutions. We have over two decades of experience. And yes, we offer 24/7 emergency service.

Why prompt heating repair is so important

The reason that getting timely repairs done on your heating system is crucial is that malfunctions tend to increase and cause a chain reaction of other malfunctions. This will lead to your heating system requiring a serious and expensive repair to keep it operating. As your heater continues to decline, your comfort will suffer as the system begins to struggle to maintain the warmth you expect. Something that seems simple, like cracks in a blower motor fan belt, can quickly turn into a major problem when the belt breaks loose and begins to strike other components in the cabinet. Problems with wiring that sound minor won’t seem so when they start tripping circuit breakers and continually cutting off the power.

Eventually, unattended repair needs will lead to your heater shutting down entirely until emergency repairs restore it. You know when this will happen, right? Correct, it will happen on the coldest day of the year. This isn’t some invisible hand of fate at work; it’s because the heater will be pushed to the limits of its ability on that day, leading to those malfunctions that will finally cause it to break down.

However, you can avoid the need for emergency calls to get your heater back in operation with regular preventive maintenance and care. If you enroll your heater in a maintenance program that provides an annual check-up and tune-up so that it runs its best, you will encounter far fewer repair issues and enjoy better comfort throughout the year.

Whether you need immediate heating repairs or you want to start with regular maintenance, contact HB Energy Solutions. One call to us will have your problems taken care of. We have served Southern Vermont with heating repair and maintenance for 21 years. Join our family of satisfied clients today.

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The History of Thanksgiving

November 25th, 2013

Thanksgiving is upon us: a time to get together with relatives, eat some great food, watch a little football or the parade, and stop to appreciate the good things we have in life. Beyond all that, however, there’s a fascinating history to the holiday and its traditions.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 in the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Records are spotty at the time, but indicate that the harvest was particularly good that year due to help from the local Native Americans. The meal was probably much different than the one we’re used to, with venison and fish more likely than turkey, but the general principle was unchanged.

It wasn’t a few centuries later, however, that Thanksgiving became an annual tradition. George Washington called for a “national day of Thanksgiving” in 1789, and again in 1795, but they were both “one shot” declarations, rather than a call for an annual tradition. Individual cities and states picked up the ball, but it wasn’t until 1863 that Thanksgiving became a national once-a-year event. President Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November to be a Thanksgiving “to heal the wounds of the nation and restore it.”

From there, it remained a tradition until Franklin Roosevelt signed a law in December of 1941 making it a federal holiday. The law also changed the date from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday in November, making it a little earlier in some cases (which Roosevelt hoped would give the country an economic boost).

Wherever you celebrate the holiday and whoever you choose to celebrate it with, we wish you nothing but happiness and joy this Thanksgiving.  

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Introducing: The HB Energy Solutions Rewards Program!

November 22nd, 2013

To thank our customers for their continued loyalty, we created a customer rewards program. Earn HB Reward Bucks simply by doing business with us. Upon final completion and payment of a project, big or small, 5% of the total cost will be added to your customer reward fund in the form of HB Bucks. HB Bucks can be used for the future purchase of any HB product or service. Every delivered gallon of fuel oil or propane will earn 2 cents for your reward fund, and every ton of wood pellets purchased will earn 2 dollars for your reward fund.

A great feature of our reward program is that HB Bucks can be transferred to another customer. For instance, you could use your HB Bucks to help a family member pay for oil, or a friend pay for a pellet stove, or a septic tank pumping, etc. You can also show your support for a local charity or religious organization by donating some or all of your HB Bucks for their benefit! To learn more about our customer Rewards Program call our office at 802-885- 2300.

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New Hampshire Plumbing Guide: What Is a Well Pump?

November 18th, 2013

If your home is removed from a municipal water supply, then you likely have a well serving your needs for running water. Or you may have moved into an older home that already uses a well as its source for water. Regardless of the reason for having a well, you require the action of a well pump to provide you with the water you use daily for bathing, drinking, cooking, and household chores.

If you need repairs for your well pump—or any other troubles with your plumbing in New Hampshire—look to a company with more than two decades of experience: HB Energy Solutions.

What exactly is a well pump and how does it operate? Most of the ones used today are submersible pumps, also known as electric submersible pumps (ESP): they sit completely submerged inside the water of the well. The advantage of a submersible pump is that it doesn’t need to pull fluids via suction like a jet pump; it achieves much higher efficiency by pushing the water instead.

The pump contains a motor inside hermetic sealing so it won’t receive water damage. Along the bottom of the unit are the electrical connections that hook it to the power source above ground. The pump itself is a stacked series of impellers above this lower section. Water enters the bottom of the pump through an intake screen, where the centrifugal force of the impellers forces the water through a pipe and into the plumbing system of your home.

Because well pumps operate out of sight underground, people frequently don’t think about them and imagine they will run forever. But well pumps can begin to wear down with age. If you notice a slow but steady decrease in water pressure throughout your home, then the well pump may have reached the point where it will need replacement.

However, trouble with a well pump doesn’t necessarily mean the whole unit must be replaced. Sometimes professional repairs will get it working again. Because the pump is submerged inside a deep well (often 100-300 feet below the surface), it needs a pro to retrieve it and perform the necessary repairs. HB Energy Solutions has experience with well pumps and all kinds of repairs for plumbing in New Hampshire. If you suspect your well pump has issues that need an expert to remedy, contact HB Energy Solutions any time of the day or night.

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Pros and Cons of Different Heating Fuels

November 13th, 2013

When it comes to picking out a heating system from among the various options—furnaces, boilers, heat pumps—one of the main considerations to keep in mind is the variety of heating fuels available. Most types of heaters run from different fuels depending on the model. For example, furnaces can use natural gas, electricity, propane, or oil.

If your home is already hooked up to a particular fuel source, then you will probably want to match your heating system to it. However, you will still have some flexibility, so to help you out with your choice, we’ll list the pros and cons of the most common kinds of heating fuels.

Contact HB Energy Solutions when you need further help making the important choices for heating in your New Hampshire home. We have more than 20 years of experience with installing heaters of all types.

Electricity

  • Pros: Electricity offers the cleanest option of the fuels, since it creates no emissions. Electrical systems are usually the easiest and least costly to install. Since electricity is already a basic part of your home, electrical heating systems are always a choice.
  • Cons: Electricity usually costs more than other fuels, and therefore electrical heaters can cost much more to keep your home comfortable during the coldest months.

Natural gas

  • Pros: Gas offers some of the highest efficiency of any of the fuels, with many heaters returning more than 90% of their gas source as heating power. You can expect lowered heating bills with natural gas at work for you.
  • Cons: There is some (albeit minor) risk of carbon monoxide leaks and explosions.

Oil and Propane

  • Pros: Neither fuel poses the same explosive combustion risk of natural gas, or toxic leaking. Because you store and use oil and propane from independent suppliers, there are no monthly fees involved.
  • Cons: You have to plan ahead to purchase the fuel, and you store it on the premises (unlike natural gas, which is piped in). Oil and propane tend to be less efficient than natural gas, although they still tend to be less expensive to heat with than electric systems.

Of course, there are also other fuel types beyond these most common ones, including bio diesel and wood pellets.

Regardless of the different advantages and disadvantages of these fuels sources, the one that will work best for you depends on your home. This is why you should have experts involved in the installation process from the beginning; they can help you select a heating system and fuel source that will match your home’s needs as well as your long-term energy budget. When you need quality installation for your heating in New Hampshire, look to the experience of HB Energy Solutions.

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Benefits of Heating with Wood Pellets in Southern Vermont

November 4th, 2013

In Southern Vermont, wood pellets make an excellent alternative form of heating, whether you use them in furnaces, boilers, inserts or old-fashioned stoves. Pellet heating goes hand-in-hand with a cozy home on a cold winter’s day, providing a romantic atmosphere in addition to reliable heat. But that’s only one of the advantages the fuel source provides. Here are some of the other benefits of heating with wood pellets in Southern Vermont.

  • Ease of use. Wood pellet stoves usually have a fuel hopper to store the pellets until you need to burn them, and they have a feeder device which drops the pellets into the combustion chamber. This allows a slow and steady burn all day without you needing to manually add pellets. Pellet stoves usually only need to be refueled once a day.
  • Clean burning. Wood pellets are dry and tightly compressed, which means they burn cleaner than normal wood. They also don’t create as much smoke and they give off less creosote (which can coat your chimney and eventually create a fire hazard), making them much friendlier to the environment than wood-burning fireplaces.
  • Less expensive. Wood pellet stoves use very little energy, which means they cost you a little more than the price of the pellets themselves to operate. That’s an immense savings here in Southern Vermont, where the winters get cold and the snows piles on thick.

The best part is that wood pellet burners can be readily installed by qualified service technicians, leaving them ready for use by the time autumn turns to winter. To help reap the benefit of heating with wood pellets in Southern Vermont, contact the experts at HB Energy Solutions. We can match a pellet stove, furnace or boiler to suit your house, and then install it with your complete satisfaction in mind. Maintenance and repair programs are available as well, so don’t hesitate to give us a call and set up an appointment.

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Southern Vermont Electrical Guide: What Are GFCI Outlets?

October 28th, 2013

The presence of electricity at the flick of a switch is one of the marvels of the modern home—one that we now almost take for granted. We not only expect electrical devices in our home to work when we turn them on, but also that they won’t produce a dangerous electrical shock. This is why it’s vital to get electrical repairs done as soon as anything goes wrong: you not only risk the loss of the power you need in your daily life, but you also risk a shock.

One of the key parts of your electrical system that keeps you safe from injuries are GFCI outlets—something your home may not have if it’s older. Here are the basics you need to know about these crucial safety devices. If you want help keeping your electrical system in your Southern Vermont home operating safely, contact HB Energy Solutions today.

GFCI stands for “ground-fault circuit interrupter.” A GFCI outlet is designed specifically to prevent you from receiving an electrical shock from your household appliances, and in this way is different from a fuse, which protects wiring from overloads that could cause a fire. The way a GFCI outlet works is to detect differences between the two sides of the current from the outlet, the “hot” and the “neutral” side. If it detects an imbalance—even one as small as 4 or 5 milliamps—it could mean that power is flowing into a person. The outlet immediately cuts off the power supply to the device that is leaking electricity to prevent further shock. The reaction time can occur as fast as 1/30th of a second.

You can usually tell if you have GFCI outlets in your house: they will have reset buttons located between the two outlets. They are usually installed in your home in places with a lot of water use, such as your bathrooms and kitchen.

At HB Energy Solutions, we strive to be your one-call service company: heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and electrical. We have local Southern Vermont electrical experts ready to provide you complete services that will satisfy your needs. Contact us today for your home energy solutions.

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