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One can’t help but notice fuel costs have been inching upwards in the last few weeks.  Short of moving to a warmer climate or wearing arctic wear inside our homes what can we do? Lowering the thermostat only works for so long.  Eventually things freeze.

For the past number of decades we have enjoyed relatively inexpensive fuel to heat our homes, our water and to power our many combustion engines.  Even back in the 1970’s there were plenty of warnings that we were running out.  Today we are even extracting oil from the tar sands to meet our growing needs.  Whether we are on the verge of running out or not, the unavoidable truth is we will be paying more for our energy.  We may not like it, and we may complain but it isn’t going to stop the increases.  Oil is a commodity and like all commodities, supply and demand will govern the price.  We want more and there is less.

Europeans have been dealing with these higher costs for many years.  One only need look at their homes and communities to see the model we need to reduce our dependence.  They took a proactive approach to reduce consumption.  It seems in North America, we are trying to find new sources of energy to waste, rather than reduce the amount we use.

There have been many, very highly efficient systems available to us for a number of years now, however the higher costs associated with these have deterred many from replacing their fuel hungry appliances.  It may take even higher fuel prices to make these options look inviting.

Geo-exchange heating and cooling ( erroneously called Geothermal ), has been around for a while now and has proven to be a very cost effective way of using electricity to heat and cool our homes.  That’s right, I said “use electricity”.  A lot of people aren’t aware that Geo-exchange is really electric heat, albeit very efficient electric heat.  When using ground source geo-exchange it can be four times as efficient as electric resistance heating, but one has to consider the cost of electricity carefully when comparing systems.

If you are currently heating your home and hot water using oil, there are many systems today that can reduce your consumption by as much as 50%, depending on your current system.  Most North American hot water heating systems utilize boilers that operate on a high low Aquastat.  The burner runs until the water in the boiler reaches a predetermined set-point, then shuts off until the water in the boiler cools to the lower Aquastat setting.  This continues 24 hours a day, 365 days a year whether your home needs heat or not.  It’s a lot like leaving your car idling in your driveway so it is warm when you need it.  Convenient, but not very efficient.  Using cold start technology means your burner will only run when there is a heating demand.  A very simple concept, but until now we preferred convenience over efficiency and fuel costs weren’t really a concern.

Oil or gas fired domestic hot water heaters are another big consumer of costly fuels.  Using an indirect water heater connected to your boiler can cut costs drastically.  Even on demand water heating solutions can save you money.

So why aren’t we all taking advantage of these systems.  The answer seems to be cost.  We look at the capital cost of replacing our current system and it seems like we are wasting money.  What we really need to examine is how long it will take to recover those costs.  Keep in mind when considering these costs that while eventually you will pay down the installation price, the savings will continue for as long as you use these systems.  The higher fuel costs climb the more you will be saving.  Should we yell and scream for cheaper fuels or find ways to use the energy we have more wisely?  I think we all know which will actually work.

Hi Omer,

After all the work Mr Plumber has done for us over the last number of

years we thought it was time to write and let everyone there know how

pleased we’ve been with the quality of the products as well as the work

and service provided.

As you know, since the first time we came in you have been our primary

contact and we always appreciated your ideas and advice as well as

straight forward information on products and options.

Having completely renovated the ensuite bathrooms in the master bedrooms

of both our former house and our current one as well as updating two other

bathrooms we’ve certainly had lots of experience with Mr Plumber’s staff

and sub contractors. Good service early on kept us coming back.

As happens in many renovations there were a few things that went wrong but

each was well handled and always to our satisfaction which is one of the

reasons we continued to call on Mr Plumber.

Thanks again,

Sandra & Harry Gaudet

While Geothermal heating and cooling can seem like a daunting concept to many, it really is a simple process when broken down to its component parts.  Like all forms of energy it is really just solar energy stored for us.

First of all the term geothermal when used in reference to our heating and cooling needs is a misnomer.  Geothermal actually refers to getting heat directly from the earth in areas where superheated water or steam is vented directly to the surface.  The system we use in areas where this heat is not available is more correctly called geo-exchange.

There are several systems of extracting energy from the ground.  Most common here on Prince Edward Island is what is referred to as pump and dump.  Water from a well is pumped to the surface, some of the available heat ( or cooling ) is extracted and the water is returned to the ground using a return well.  If these wells are kept a suitable distance apart there will always be an available supply.  Another system that is arguably less efficient, is to bury plastic tubing below the ground and circulate a non-freeze solution through it to extract the available energy.

There are other systems that work well also but in an effort to keep this simple they can be discussed at another time.  For now, let’s stick with using pumped water at a constant temperature.

The water that is pumped from the ground is put through a mechanical device called a heat pump.  This equipment uses refrigerant piping to extract some of the available heat from the water and transfer it into a storage tank.  This heat can then be distributed throughout the house using a ductwork system similar to what we know as warm-air heating or it can be distributed through in-floor heating or  another low temperature heating system.  It should be noted that Geo-exchange cannot produce water hot enough for standard residential baseboard radiation.  Because of this limitation, it can be very expensive to retrofit existing homes.  If a ductwork system is used the heat pump can also provide air conditioning ( heating and cooling ).  The Ductwork must be sized properly for cooling however.

A geo-exchange system may not be for everyone and it’s anyone’s guess what energy costs will be in the future, but it is a pretty safe bet that over the long term these systems will save the homeowner money.  It also makes sense to use the energy we have as wisely as possible.  Our children and our Grandchildren  will thank us for it.

If you have an oil fired boiler with a tank-less coil (for hot water), your boiler must maintain a high boiler temperature to produce a minimal amount of hot water for domestic use such as showering and cleaning. Oil fired boilers with tank less coils are constructed of either cast iron or steel and contain between 12 and 40 gallons of water. That is allot of water to heat, even in the summer time. We suggest a Cold start boiler (does not need to maintain a high temperature), Low mass (low water content 4 – 7 gallons) and multi pass which means that the heat produced from the oil burner will pass through the heat exchanger (cast iron sections) multiple times. A tri-pass boiler will have about 7 feet of heat exchange verses a conventional pin type boiler which has about 18″ of heat exchange. This results in a much lower exiting flue temp of about 350 degrees verses 500 or higher from a conventional boiler. That is a big difference. The cold start boiler we recommend is a Biasi boiler.

Perhaps one of the prettiest times everywhere on our Island.  Fields are being harvested, the leaves are turning, our beaches are uncrowded and it is still warm enough many days to enjoy them.

That slight chill in the air is also a reminder that it will soon be time to turn the thermostat up a little and that also means energy bills will increase.  There are ways to reduce your energy costs and now is the time to start thinking about it.  The easiest and most affordable method is to reduce the amount you turn that thermostat up.  It is amazing how much you can save with a sweater and or an extra blanket.  While this isn’t for everyone its a big help in reducing our consumption.

Given the forecast for the weekend and the recent heavy rainfalls, it is a good idea to test your sump pump to make sure it works.

“Matt Lawless is a funny guy. At least, we think he’s funny.  Although, we’re not sure how funny the guys he threw in the pool at the staff party think he is. They’re too busy plotting they’re revenge to tell us.

Matt has been with Mr. Plumber for the past 6 years and is one of our lead plumbers. He’s a hardworking guy with loads of personality who keeps the crew in good spirits. We can always count on Matt to get the job done right and keep our clients happy.”

Our annual gathering at the exhibition is once again here.  For many it signals the end of summer and for others the beginning of our quieter season.  We hope everyone enjoys their favorite part, whether its the Candy Apples or the Harness Racing.  Its a part of our heritage so lets get out and enjoy it .

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Hannah Duguay is one extraordinary woman! Along with enduring regular well natured teasing and banter from the 15 guys she works with, she keeps things running smoothly in the Service Department every day.

As Service Manager, Hannah is the lady who most often will greet you on the phone when you require our services. She’s friendly and charming with a big laugh and always happy to help.

We’re lucky to have Hannah on our team.