For those looking to take energy conservation to the next level, many contractors are encouraging the installation of a combination geothermal heat pump and solar energy system.

Not that long ago, if a conversation centered on heat pumps, it was fairly safe to assume that the equipment referred to ducted, split-system, electric, air-source units. That assumption started to change a few years ago with the growing popularity of ductless heat pumps.

The two day event, which was focused on helping dealers strengthen and grow their businesses, featured presentations on WaterFurnace products, marketing tools, training, financing, and more.

As the first of its kind in the U.S., the standard outlines requirements and best practices for geothermal project design, installation, commissioning, and more in the U.S. and Canada.

Every year, The NEWS introduces the latest cooling equipment available for the upcoming summer season in order to help contractors prepare for this busy period by doing the research that will help them to distinguish between brands. The coverage features specific information about each individual product as submitted by the manufacturers.

The law allows a tax credit against the income tax liability of a taxpayer equal to 25 percent of the costs incurred by the taxpayer in the purchase and installation of geothermal machinery in or on a facility in South Carolina and owned by the taxpayer. 

Tightening a home’s envelope may reduce the air supply needed for combustion, and when there’s not enough combustion air, equipment could have combustion ventilation problems. Thus, the people who sealed up homes (often referred to as the weatherization industry) needed a way to determine if sealing a home up would undermine the safe operation of combustion equipment. To meet this safety need, they embraced combustion appliance zone (CAZ) depressurization testing.