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Brower Mechanical GEOTHERMAL POWERHOUSE Brower Mechanical is an HVAC specialist company established in 1979. Besides offering traditional power sources, they also specialize in nontraditional sources like geothermal heat pumps and radiant heating.
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Editor-in-Chief Todd Weaver Editor Diana Doyle Executive Editor Jonathan Mack Assistant Editor Joseph Orange Creative Director Emily Detoro Art Director Stephanie Hess Director of Advertising Julian Vu Production Coordinator Jason Rone Assistant Production Coordinator Elizabeth Macks Photography Editor Ian Palmer Video Director Susan Maybach Editorial Director Kate Darling Editorial Production Rachel Goldberg Copy Editor William Finch Assistant Copy Editor Amy Roberts Content Director Brandon McBride (Nation), Aaron McGaskey (SW), Juan Orellana (NE), Kirk Kirby (W), Cyndel Ponce (Intl) Vendor Relations Director Diana Stephens Vendor Relations Eric Miller, Steve Peters Advertising Sales Director Peter Jostens Advertising Sales Coordinator Patricia O’Brien Advertising Sales Moe Kazemi, David Levi, Tom Nichols Publisher Steve Reed oZ WORLD MEDIA, LLC 1100 H Street NW, Suite M Washington D.C. 20005 www.constructionleaderstoday.com Construction Leaders Today is an international quarterly B2B trade journal that services the construction industry in custom build, geothermal, green building, heavy, residential, commercial, civil engineering and specialty trade sectors. CLT has a readership of 200,000 C-Level executives within the construction industry. We do not accept subscription requests from the general public, however an abbreviated version is available on our website.
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heat wave Founded in 1979 as an HVAC specialist company, Brower Mechanical Inc. has since expanded its repertoire to delve into alternative energy sources. In addition to steadfastly abdicating the use of solar power as a main energy source, the Northern California company offers their services in the installation and maintenance of untraditional products like Geo-Thermal heat pumps and radiant heating. Brower Mechanical has created a brand for itself as a company that provides durable, high-quality goods and excellent service. The company emphasizes that investments into their products often pay for themselves over time. Customers who purchase a Geo-
Thermal heating and cooling system, for example, will save between 40 and 60 percent on their electric heating and cooling bills, according to an estimate by the Black Hills Power company. Geo-Thermal heat pumps create heat by transferring heat to and from the soil under customers’ houses. The pump unit itself is a compact object that fits into a cabinet inside the house. While in heat mode, the unit can produce heat at 110 degrees, and the cool setting makes the air a brisk 55 degrees. Besides the obvious advantage of a decrease in heating bills, the installation of a Geo-Thermal pump eliminates the need
for outdoor equipment. The device also operates completely silently. Radiant heating is another atypical method of heating. Brower Mechanical specializes in hydronic heating, a type of radiant heating, in which warm water circulates through tubes installed underneath the floor. Of all their services, Brower Mechanical is the most enthusiastic about the use of solar power as an energy source. Their enthusiasm comes with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approval this past May of a $350 million rebate system for residents who install solar heating. California is incentivizing the use of solar
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energy because it is the most economically and environmentally savvy energy source to use. The state’s goal is to install 300,000 solar heating systems over the next 8 years, which would save Californians six million cubic feet of natural gas and three million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, according to Brower Mechanical Inc. Brower Mechanical uses a photovoltaic (PV) system to process solar energy. The PV process converts light to electricity through solar panels, usually located on the roof of a house. The home uses what it needs and excess electricity is sent back to a power grid. The extra electricity results in credits with the utility company that are given back to consumers during winter months when the system creates less electricity than what is needed. Brower Mechanical has even organized a “Summer Symposium” of two weekends in August to address how homeowners and small businesses can capitalize on the solar energy rebates. According to the company, commercial PV systems can convert 7 to 17 percent of sunlight into electricity. Using solar energy eliminates waste, emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. The amount of solar energy used to run one million homes reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 4.3 million tons per year. The economic pros to utilizing solar energy are obvious as well. The installation of solar heating units increases a house’s value by 20 times the annual savings, according to Brower Mechanical. Houses with solar heating units are also exempt from property tax increases and qualify for federal tax credit. Of course, Brower Mechanical still provides the standard services that it began with as an HVAC provider. The company installs and maintains the basic HVAC utilities as well as fireplaces and insulation. More information about Brower Mechanical Inc. can be found online at http://www. browermechanical.com. CLT
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1. Brower mechanical crew at well installation site. 2. Drilling a well in a custom home in Atherton, Calif., 2008. 3-4. Goldman Guest, Palo Alto, Calif. Radiant Floor tubing and the flowcenters, 2007. 5. Drilling in Dansville, Calif., 2009. 6. Spanish Springs Middle School site. Geothermal wells awaiting horizontal manifolding, Nev., 2003. All photos by Jeff Brower.
MELINE
Meline Engineering Corporation has provided energy efficient mechanical system designs for commercial and residential buildings for the past 15 years. Located in Sacramento, Calif. Meline is considered the West Coast industry leader in designing geoexchange and related applications. Fall 2010 7
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