Winter Procurement Notes from the AltE Store

During the cold and snow season for many of us, our thoughts and projects turn to indoors and warmer past-times. Outdoor work is simply not practical or possible. But for those who wish to plan ahead, this time of year is a great opportunity to plan and purchase products for the alternative energy projects you may be considering for 2009.

Right now is our slow season which enables us to offer something that is in shorter supply as folk’s ramp up projects in the warmer months. That ’something’ happens to be time. Time in the supply chain is at a premium in the spring and summer as customers, suppliers, manufacturers, and even truck and freight companies are inundated with orders from all points on the compass.

This week I have noticed that our distribution warehouses are shipping orders with items not from our own stock the same day we place the order with them. And these are not  the so-called ‘rush’ or urgent orders which can often carry a cost-premium during the busier times of the year.

Purchasing goods at this time of year allows our customers and us breathe a bit easier with standard (and lower cost) shipping on most orders. Inventory levels at AltE are strong for many of our items and our supplier network is also showing robust fill rates on most orders.

One other advantage of purchasing your alternative energy products right now are the deals being offered throughout the supply chain. Certain commodities are being featured for sales and package deals as winter inventories are strong in some product categories. For instance, a wind turbine can fetch you a free inverter.

The alternative power sector tends to be seasonal and cyclical like many industries. If a 2009 alternative energy project is part of your New Year resolution, now may be the smart time to begin procuring your materials.

I finally had a visit from the plumber, as promised by my landlord. It happened while I was at work one day last week. I found out he’d been there after I got home when I turned on a water tap in my apartment and was startled by the loud burst of air and water that indicated the pipes had been partly emptied. I knew right away what must have happened and went down to the basement to see the result. Indeed, my hot water tank had been plumbed backwards, as evidenced by the fact that the plumber had refit the pipes to switch the hot and cold connections.

So last weekend I set to work installing the insulation I’d purchased earlier, for the tank and the hot water pipes. Here are some snaps of the process and results.

Fitting the insulation blanket

Wrapping the tank is easy enough, but I’m fortunate in having the most accessible, isolated tank in the basement of my building. Some of the others are pressed right against one another, making the prospect of wrapping them individually somewhat less than rosy. As it was, access to the back of the tank was tight enough. I passed the blanket inside the gas pipeline (which descends from the basement ceiling right beside the tank), but outside the pressure relief downpipe, which was plumbed very close to the tank.

The only unfortunate part about these blankets is that they’re not designed to cover the tops of the tanks, where heat loss is substantial; that’s to avoid interfering with the exhaust port. So some heat loss will continue to occur from the top of the tank. Still, I expect it’s a winning proposition.

The blanket installed

Above is a shot of the finished tank. The insulation kit (purchased a Lowe’s) included vinyl tape to close the jacket.

Thermal pipe sleeve

Next, I installed thermal sleeves on the exposed hot water pipes, starting at the hot water tank. The plumbing is a mix of copper and Pex (or equivalent).

There’s something of a spider’s web of 1/2″ pipes on the ceiling because each unit has hookups for a washing machine, resulting in a lot more plumbing. I’m not using my hookups, so the hot water lines are basically just unfortunate radiators in my case. (Well, they would be in any case, wouldn’t they?)

I purchased the cheaper insulating sleeves and used up three 6′ lengths but ideally need more. I covered the main line going to my bathroom, but skipped the line to the washer/sinkhookup and the line going toward the kitchen. I can do those later when I buy more lengths of insulation. In some places, I’ll have to separate the hot and cold lines, as they were sometimes anchored together, in contact, probably for the plumber’s convenience.

Freshly sleeved piping

Here’s a shot of my work, showing the compromises I had to make to get around the flush-mount pipe hangers. Using this ready-made product is very simple and takes very little time (unless your plumbing is awkwardly placed). Learning how to make turns can also be rather fun!

In any case, it’s a good starting project and can be done by almost anyone with a scissors and reasonable manual dexterity.

And it puts you one step further along on the road toward energy efficiency. Conservation and efficiency are often achieved incrementally. Start now!