How to Size a Heating and Cooling System – 101 Older space conditioning systems (more than 10 years old) are often unreliable and much less efficient than a modern system. When it’s time for a new replacement, choosing one of the correct size (heating and/or cooling output) is critical to… Continue reading “How to Size a Heating and Cooling System – 101”
11 Tips for Proper Manual J Calculations for Geothermal Contractors Many geothermal and general contractors pay a subcontractor to perform Manual J calculations when its required. Accurate heating and cooling loads are absolutely critical to properly designing a geothermal system (See 4 Steps to Designing a Geothermal System) and according… Continue reading “11 Tips for Proper Manual J Calculations for Geothermal Contractors”
[Free Whitepaper] Solar Thermal Design and Installation 101 As the traction for the solar thermal industry grows, solar thermal SRECs being developed, and Massachusetts revamping solar thermal incentives, the demand for understanding how solar thermal projects work as well as how to design and install them has been… Continue reading “[Free Whitepaper] Solar Thermal Design and Installation 101”
VERY Basic Geothermal Training Ground Source Heat Pumps, GeoExchange, Ground Coupled Heat Pumps…the list goes on. The Geothermal Heat Pump industry has had a lot of names over the years. In this three minute video, HeatSpring Instructor John Manning explains what Geothermal Heat Pumps… Continue reading “VERY Basic Geothermal Training”
The 5 Criteria You Should Use When Selecting a (Good) Solar Distributor If you’re getting into the solar industry, read the 16 questions that every profitable solar company can answer. It will give you a good understanding of the business strategy, sales, marketing and installation questions you must answer as a new… Continue reading “The 5 Criteria You Should Use When Selecting a (Good) Solar Distributor”
3 Expert Led Free Coures on SRECs, Geothermal Tax Credits and Solar Lead Generation Our first free course was a huge success. How to Make Money in Renewable Energy had a great turnout, well over 140 attendees with solid content helpful to newcomers to the industry. With such interest, we have decided to expand… Continue reading “3 Expert Led Free Coures on SRECs, Geothermal Tax Credits and Solar Lead Generation”
The Solar Interconnection Process 101 The “interconnection process” is the processes by which an electric generating facility (solar, wind, biomass, coal, etc) is allowed to connect to and supply the grid with power. The interconnection process is sometimes overlooked by new solar companies but it’s very important… Continue reading “The Solar Interconnection Process 101”
16 Questions Every Profitable Solar Startup Should Be Able to Answer We recently installed a chat feature on HeatSpring so that we could better assist visitors and customers with any questions they may have. Last week, I had a great conversation with a fellow from New Jersey who was looking to… Continue reading “16 Questions Every Profitable Solar Startup Should Be Able to Answer”
Sizing Heat Pumps to Maximize Geothermal Economics in the Design Process [Video Tutorial] Yes, that’s my picture from my first video tutorial. Last week, I wrote a article on the 4 basic steps to deseigning a geothermal heat pump system for a residential home. To refresh your memory, those steps are 1) perform… Continue reading “Sizing Heat Pumps to Maximize Geothermal Economics in the Design Process [Video Tutorial]”
Getting Your Business Found: SEO Techniques for Home Energy Professionals. According to research by BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, 97% of consumers now use the internet to find local businesses, or to research local businesses before making purchases. What this means for your business — which is, after all, an inherently local… Continue reading “Getting Your Business Found: SEO Techniques for Home Energy Professionals.”
4-Step Guide to Designing Geothermal Systems The first part to understanding any aspect of the geothermal industry, whether it be marketing, sales, design or installation is to understand how the technology works and it is designed. By understanding the design process, even if you are never… Continue reading “4-Step Guide to Designing Geothermal Systems”
7 Must Read Books for the Clean Energy Professional (or Enthusiast) I’m not a huge fan of lists, but I think this topic fits the structure well. The vast majority of people I speak with are eager and excited to learn about this new industry, either for personal interest or for… Continue reading “7 Must Read Books for the Clean Energy Professional (or Enthusiast)”
2 Things Electricians Should Ask Themselves When Going Solar At HeatSpring Learning Institute, we do a lot of NABCEP solar training for electricians who are going to be starting companies in solar or moving their existing business into solar. After 4 years and 500 solar alumni who have gone through… Continue reading “2 Things Electricians Should Ask Themselves When Going Solar”
Five Key Items for Writing a Solid Renewable Energy Sales Proposal If you’re currently a contractor and interested in entering or expanding your business into the renewable energy industry, there are four main hurdles you will face. Understanding the technology. See this free course to learn more about the technology basics.… Continue reading “Five Key Items for Writing a Solid Renewable Energy Sales Proposal”
How You Can Use Geothermal To Gain LEED Certification Here is an excerpt from a white paper I just published on how and where a ground source heat pump can be utilized to gain LEED certification. By now, nearly everyone has at least heard of LEED but not many… Continue reading “How You Can Use Geothermal To Gain LEED Certification”
The 9 Best Geothermal and Solar Resources on the Internet This is a simple post. Here are our favorite solar and geothermal resources we’ve run into (or created!) over the past couple years that are really useful resources for understanding the technology, basic design, policy and sales of solar and… Continue reading “The 9 Best Geothermal and Solar Resources on the Internet”
Free Course: How to Make Money in Renewable Energy Here is one thing we know how to do really well at HeatSpring, help contractors get into and excel in the solar and geothermal business. We do this through a variety of means; advice, contacts, training, and resources. We talk… Continue reading “Free Course: How to Make Money in Renewable Energy”
Which is Better: Solar Thermal Flat Plate or Evacuated Tube Collectors? Solar thermal flat plate or evacuated tube collectors? This is an incredibly common question in the solar thermal industry. Strangely enough, many people weigh in, and take different sides. Like a Red Sox vs Yankees type of rivalry, it’s a heated debate. In the end, it… Continue reading “Which is Better: Solar Thermal Flat Plate or Evacuated Tube Collectors?”
Software Can Decrease Your Costs, Close More Sales and Grow your Solar Business I’m always on the hunt for the new products, trends and technologies that are decreasing the cost of clean energy solutions. In the past few years the innovation has mainly come from decreasing the cost of the large system components… Continue reading “Software Can Decrease Your Costs, Close More Sales and Grow your Solar Business”
5 Helpful Tips to Sizing and Selecting Solar Thermal Equipment Today’s guest post comes from Bob Ramlow, the instructor if our Solar Thermal Boot Camp. Bob Ramlow has more than 30 years of experience with solar-energy systems and is a co-founder and Board member of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.… Continue reading “5 Helpful Tips to Sizing and Selecting Solar Thermal Equipment”