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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Heating in New Hampshire: How Pellet Stoves Work

October 21st, 2013

Although we no longer use fireplaces and wood-burning stoves as the only way of heating a New Hampshire home, they can still help out during the cold months if you want to gather around a roaring flame and take in the loveliness of an old-fashioned hearth.

But just because the fireplace is an old-fashioned idea doesn’t mean that a fireplace has to be old-fashioned—or even inefficient. The wood pellet stove is a great alternative to a fireplace for people who don’t want to worry about woodpiles. And a pellet stove is also an effective method of providing heat for your home, much better than a standard fireplace. If you want to know more, contact HB Energy Solutions, where we install top-of-the-line pellet stoves.

A wood pellet stove burns pellets made of recycled wood and sawdust leftover from the lumber industry. The pellets have low-levels of pollution and are inexpensive to purchase. They are very dense, so they burn slowly, and with their low moisture, they produce hotter flames.

The pellets go in a hopper on the top or bottom of the stove. An auger (resembling a long screw) delivers the pellets into a burn pot, which electricity then ignites and begins burning the compressed pellets. Ashes fall into an ash pot, which you will need to clean out regularly.

To get your home heated, a pellet stove uses convection. A convection blower draws in air from the room and passes it over the pellets, which helps them burn stronger and also raises the temperature of the air. The heated air passes through a heat exchanger, and a room blower sends warm air into the room, very much like a furnace does. The exhaust goes out a pipe in the back to the outside—which means you don’t need a chimney installed to get the benefits of a pellet stove. However, insert pellet stoves can fit into your existing fireplace if you want to upgrade.

With the control offered by a thermostat, you can get the right amount of heat you want. That’s something you’d have a much harder time doing with a traditional fireplace.

HB Energy Solutions installs and maintains pellet stoves that can give you a cozy home with the benefits of a fireplace and few of the drawbacks. We’ve been heating New Hampshire homes for 21 years, and so call us today to learn more!

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New Hampshire Heating Installation FAQ: Why Install a Boiler

October 15th, 2013

A boiler is one of the most common methods of heating homes in the United States. Boilers work by heating water, with the steam or hot water circulated through pipes or radiators in your home. As the water or steam cools, it travels back to the boiler to start the process again. When it comes to installing a new heating system in your New Hampshire home, boilers make a lot of sense. Why install a boiler in your home? The answers vary, but boilers provide a number of tangible advantages. A few of the biggest are listed below.

  • Evenly distributed heat. Unlike furnaces, which usually use a system of ducts to blow hot air throughout the house, boilers don’t heat the space unevenly. Water-based heating infuses the existing air with heat, rather than redistributing hot air throughout the system. This can eliminate drafts, cold spots and other problems with furnace heating.
  • Efficient heating. Boilers can easily heat larger houses and apartment buildings. Big spaces are less of a problem for a properly sized boiler than they are for furnaces or space heaters, and boilers can be scaled to fit the size of whatever space they are heating. Besides that, boilers don’t blow dust around the way furnaces do, and they don’t generate much noise the way that furnaces do. All of that increases their overall efficiency.
  • Zone controls. With boilers it’s very easy to install zone controls, which let you tailor the heat to fit specific tastes and needs. You can choose to heat just the area you’re occupying while leaving the rest of the house cold, or set one temperature for your kitchen and another for the bedroom. That not only gives you greater control over the heat, but helps keep monthly costs in check.

If you know the answer to “why install a boiler?” and need further advice on your New Hampshire heating installation options, call the experts at HB Energy Solutions for advice. We can explain your options to you, then install a boiler in your home with courtesy and professionalism. Contact us today to set up an appointment.

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HB Energy Solutions is Hiring!

October 8th, 2013

HB Energy Solutions is looking for a few good people to help fill some open positions. If you’re in the market for a job that offers excellent wages and superior benefits including insurance, paid holidays, and employee discounts, then look no further. Our company continues to enjoy steady, sustained growth. We are currently hiring experienced professionals for the following positions: Electrical Estimator/Salesman; Plumbing Estimator/Salesman; Mechanical Systems Estimator/Salesman; Solar Systems Estimator/Salesman, Licensed Plumbers; Licensed Electrician; Oil Burner Technicians; Propane Technicians; Solar Technician; Septic Tank Pumper/Driver.  If you have experience in any of the positions linked here then please apply today!

We are a local, family business dedicated to providing excellent energy solutions to the state of Vermont and New Hampshire. Apply today to join our growing team and become a part of a company that cares about its customers and community.

Click Here for a List of Open Positions

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Southern Vermont Heating Guide: Protect Your Budget This Winter

October 7th, 2013

Few winter landscapes look more beautiful than those in Vermont. But beauty does not equal comfort. You’ll need a dependable and efficient heater in your home this coming winter to keep you warm enough to enjoy the season.

But just getting sufficient heat is not enough: you want to get heat that won’t drain your budget by the end of the season. Is it possible to get decent, comfortable heating without seeing your energy bills balloon? There are some basic steps you can take to protect your budget from unpleasant surprises this winter. HB Energy Solutions has advice for your heating system that will help you keep those energy bills under control:

Find a pleasant, lower temperature on the thermostat

The U.S. department of energy has found that simply dropping your thermostat ten degrees for eight hours a day can mean an almost 20% savings on your annual energy bill. Don’t set the thermostat up to the high 70s or 80s: with an extra layer of clothing, you’ll find that 68°F is ideal for comfort. When you’re sleeping, you may be able to turn the temperature down even more.

Update to a programmable thermostat

This goes hand-in-hand with keeping the thermostat down. A programmable thermostat gives you precision control over temperature, and the automation means you won’t need to remember to change the setting when it’s necessary. You can also have the thermostat lower the temperature when you leave for the day, and then start warming the house up before you return.

Schedule maintenance for your heater

Getting a maintenance check-up on your heater isn’t only to avoid extra repairs and abrupt breakdowns. The maintenance technician will give your heater a tune-up so it won’t drain extra power when it runs. A heater in good repair is a heater that will run its best, and you won’t see unnecessary spikes in your power bills.

It’s a good idea to schedule maintenance for your heater right now, so you’ll not only be prepared for winter, but you’ll take advantage of a slower time for HVAC professionals. We at HB Energy Solutions offer a maintenance plan that will keep your heater in prime health. We’re ready to answer any questions you may have about getting additional savings on heating in Southern Vermont.

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Southern Vermont Plumbing Tip: Why Small Leaks Matter

September 30th, 2013

If you detect a small water leak in your home piping, you might decide to place a water pan underneath the drip and forget about it until you need to empty out the pan. “Oh, it will stop soon,” you think to yourself. But no leak should be ignored unless you want to incur larger damages or require emergency service down the road.

If you’ve sprung a leak and aren’t sure how to repair it, or if you are concerned that you might have a larger problem on your hands, get hold of the Southern Vermont plumbing experts at HB Energy Solutions right away.

A small leak isn’t necessarily a localized issue with your plumbing: it might be the only visible part of more significant trouble, such as pressure building up from clogs, or a widespread corrosion problem that is only now starting to appear. You may already have other leaks in places you can’t see, and these leaks may be much larger ones. None of these leaks will get better on their own—they will probably continue to get worse.

A leak is not just an indication of trouble with your plumbing. It can create its own trouble. No matter the amount of water dripping out of the leak, when water drips where it shouldn’t and starts to form stagnant pools, it can lead to mold growth. This extra water can also cause a rise in humidity and the warping of wood and other building materials that can lead to damages. It only takes a small amount of standing water to damage drywall, plaster, paneling, wallpaper, and paint—and the repair needs will mount the longer the problem continues. Don’t wait for sections of your ceiling to start falling before you address the problem.

Professional plumbers can fix a small leak fast, but they will also be able to determine if the leak is a symptom of a bigger problem. Don’t rely on your own patchwork fixes to solve the trouble, since there might be much more going on than you can see. For excellent help from an experienced and friendly company, look to HB Energy Solutions to handle your Southern Vermont plumbing worries.

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