Industry News
We would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to this month's sponsor -- Taco Inc. Headquartered in Cranston, R.I., Taco, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of hydronic-based HVAC equipment and accessories for use in residential, commercial and institutional buildings worldwide. The company, privately owned and in business since 1920, manufactures a wide range of pumps and circulators, valves, tanks, heat exchangers, electronic controls, accessories and systems. Manufacturing facilities are located in Cranston, R.I. and Fall River, Mass., with a Canadian distribution and sales facility in Mississauga, Ontario. Taco sells through wholesale distributors and also provides select OEMs with product. Visit www.taco-hvac.com for more information.
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Unsafe water kills more people than war
In a recently released report from the United Nations (UN), it has been stated that more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence. March 22, 2010 marked World Water Day, where UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said, “These deaths are an affront to our common humanity, and undermine the efforts of many countries to achieve their development potential,” in his message for the Day, which this year focuses on “Clean Water for a Healthy World” as its theme.
“Our growing population’s need for water for food, raw materials and energy is increasingly competing with nature’s own demands for water to sustain already imperiled ecosystems and the services on which we depend,” he noted.
“Day after day, we pour millions of tons of untreated sewage and industrial and agricultural waste into the world’s water systems. Clean water has become scarce and will become even scarcer with the onset of climate change,” added the Secretary-General.
"At the beginning of the 21st century, the world faces a water crisis, both of quantity and quality, caused by continuous population growth, industrialization, food production practices, increased living standards and poor water use strategies," stated the report by the U.N. Environmental Program.
According to the report, “Sick Water?” 90 percent of wastewater discharged daily in developing countries is untreated, contributing to the deaths of some 2.2 million people a year from diarrhea-related diseases caused by unsafe drinking water and poor hygiene. At least 1.8 million children younger than five die every year from water-related diseases.
PHCC vice president George Raburn dies
It is with sad news to report that George Raburn, vice president of the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association, passed away on Saturday, March 20, after a recurrence of cancer.
“We are extremely sad to lose such a wonderful man and supporter of our industry,” said PHCC—National Association President Skip Pfeffer. “He was always ready to make the extra effort to ensure an issue was heard or an event was a success. George was a happy, positive-thinking southern gentleman that we are all going to miss.”
George and wife Karen Raburn founded Raburn & Raburn Plumbing Company, Inc., Stockbridge, Ga., in 1989. Raburn was a member of the PHCC Board of Directors from 2006-2009, representing Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. He was elected PHCC vice president in 2009.
He held several committee positions within PHCC — National Association, including the Insurance Trust, Retirement Plan Trust and 2008 Convention (Atlanta, Ga.) Planning Task Force. He also was a member of the PHCC Educational Foundation Board of Directors and was the Invest in Your Future Committee co-chair.
At the state level, he was a member of the board of directors for PHCC of Georgia since 1995 and served as state president in 1999-2000 and 2003-2004. He represented PHCC of Georgia on the Department of Community Affairs State Codes Advisory Committee from 1997-1999, served on the board of the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia from 1997-2000, and was chair of the PHCC of Georgia Plumbing Apprenticeship Program and Trade Council from 1998-2000. In 1998 PHCC of Georgia recognized their company with the Contractor of the Year Award.
Raburn is survived by his wife Karen, four children and seven grandchildren.
WaterSense releases final specs for showerheads
On March 4, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program released its final specification for showerheads. Manufacturers can now submit their showerheads for testing to earn the WaterSense label, and consumers will soon be able to renovate their bathrooms with the full suite of WaterSense labeled products.
Showering is one of the leading ways we use water in the home, accounting for nearly 17% of residential indoor water use, or about 30 gallons per household per day. WaterSense labeled showerheads will use 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models. The final specification sets the maximum flow rate at 2.0 gpm at a flowing pressure of 80 psi.
Like all WaterSense labeled products, showerheads must be independently tested and certified to meet EPA’s criteria for water efficiency and performance. To determine what makes a good shower, EPA conducted consumer testing and worked with a variety of stakeholders to develop performance attributes, such as water coverage and spray intensity. As a result, WaterSense labeled showerheads can be tested and certified to ensure that users will not have to sacrifice a good shower in order to achieve water savings.
With WaterSense labeled showerheads expected to be on retail shelves later this spring, contractors can offer their customers a full bathroom makeover that saves about $60 each year on utility bills. Replacing older, inefficient fixtures with WaterSense labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads can save a home more than 7,000 gallons of water annually, or enough to wash six months’ worth of laundry.
WaterSense is an EPA partnership program that seeks to enhance the market for water-efficient products and services. WaterSense is both a label for products and a resource to help people use water more efficiently.
To learn more about WaterSense labeled showerheads, click here.
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