A couple of things had my mind on the following topic, the first being I'm a little achy right now(don't laugh!), and secondly the number of folks wondering how to "put their hot tubs away for the summer." Put it away I ask? I then follow with the question why? The response is always similar as the folks in California's Central Valley seem to feel once the temps rise then they can no longer use their hot tubs. It is true the product deemed Americas next great appliance is called a hot tub. .........But that does not mean it has to be hot.
OK, now that I have you in an ah-ha moment I want to share a couple of things regarding hot tubs. The average temperature of a hot tub should be what you like. It is a misconception that a hot tub has to be hot or even super hot to work it's magic. In fact, simply being in a environment where you lose sensation of 75% of your body weight coupled with properly placed hydrotherapy jets is enough to create bliss. The second thing is "Don't Miss Out!!!" use your tub all year around, just simply turn the temperature down to it's lowest setting and enjoy! When I tell folks this on the sales floor I usually get a slight jaw drop followed by an epiphany prompted ....."I didn't think of that."
So there you have it. But before I let you go I have another tip, to keep the direct sunlight from being retained by your hot tub water we always take something like a wash cloth and place it on the bar top preventing a good seal. This will allow the heated water to gas-off thus keeping the water cool. Also, in the middle of writing this blog I came upon a bit of irony as I had a customer call and ask a similar question. I told him of the blog I was composing and he thought it was "kool."
Take care.... and Don't Miss Out!!!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Pool Owners
Ingound and aboveground pool owners living in the California Central Valley you have just experienced the wildest weather swing in years. You know, the kind that has you wearing a sweater one week, and pulling out your favorite shorts the next. Well, while all of this was going on your pool went from that cold crystal blue to rapidly rising temps that have it looking a little hazy. If this is the case for you act quickly! That hazy look is your pool warning you it's about to turn emerald green with algae. We call this a pre-algae condition.
The good news is that your pool did not turn green, and was nice enough to give you a hint as long as you paid attention. The resolve is simple......get chlorine and shock into your pool immediately. I suggest extra shock to eliminate the organics which accumulated over the winter, and extra chlorine to get those levels high enough to stop the pre-algae condition from consuming a normal amount of chlorine. While you are in pool mode, if you did not clean your filters in the fall now is good time. Most folks cut their filter cycles down to an hour or completely off. No way around it, it's time to kick up those cycle times. And finally time to balance the water chemistry. No worries....simply bring in a water sample, we'll put it in the computer and the program will tell us where you are at, where you need to be, and how to get there with no guess work!
Relax, we have it all under control............simple.....easy.....no guess work!
The good news is that your pool did not turn green, and was nice enough to give you a hint as long as you paid attention. The resolve is simple......get chlorine and shock into your pool immediately. I suggest extra shock to eliminate the organics which accumulated over the winter, and extra chlorine to get those levels high enough to stop the pre-algae condition from consuming a normal amount of chlorine. While you are in pool mode, if you did not clean your filters in the fall now is good time. Most folks cut their filter cycles down to an hour or completely off. No way around it, it's time to kick up those cycle times. And finally time to balance the water chemistry. No worries....simply bring in a water sample, we'll put it in the computer and the program will tell us where you are at, where you need to be, and how to get there with no guess work!
Relax, we have it all under control............simple.....easy.....no guess work!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Choosing a Solar Panel Brand
My first encounter with the solar world was much like that of many other folks, solar is solar. After a bit of education and research I soon found this was not the case. In fact, this notion is pretty far from reality. There are a couple of factors in my opinion and which I believe have the consumer in this mindset. The first is there are so many solar companies and contractors in the that any solar voice is drowned out unless it's "loud, repetitive, or by a perceived large organization." These organizations also typically sell an inexpensive product hidden by a concept, therefore the quality of the product is lost.....on purpose. Secondly, because solar is perceived as semi-technical and somewhat expensive, solar consumers are steered away from true measures of quality,and ultimately pacified by price.
With that said I believe there are a few good brands of solar product on the market. But, based on the number of solar panel companies in existence this would make the percentage of good brands minute.
Going one step further down this road I have yet to find one brand superior to the Sunpower brand of solar. I say this for many reasons. Across their entire panel offering, their efficiency rating is much higher than the field. The electric conduction contacts have been increased in size for greater conductivity capacity and removed from the front. This front contact look is what commonly loses eye appeal for most consumers. Also by moving the contacts they increase visual appeal, allow for more sunlight to penetrate, and protect the panels inner integrity form the elements.
A couple of impressive highlighted features in a Sunpower panel not only make it unshoppable but also save the consumer money via increased production. The panel is able to pick up several colors of usable light and convert it to power, so the Sunpower panel wakes up earlier in the morning and captures light later at night vs. the competition. Other panels do not do this. Even more wowing, the Sunpower panel produces power on both overcast, and rainy days...an unheard of feat in the solar world!
To my point all solar is not created equal, the biggest solar companies are not better,efficiency and product features are pretty darn important to production, and cheap and less money do not always equal a good deal. The latter was a reality few weeks ago when a lady purchased a system from a large solar organization who is no longer in business looked to us for assistance. We were curious why she made them her choice.....her answer was the size of the organization and price. 6 years to the day she was responsible for purchasing a 5 thousand dollar failed inverter used to convert usable power from her panels. My thoughts? How much did she really save......?
With that said I believe there are a few good brands of solar product on the market. But, based on the number of solar panel companies in existence this would make the percentage of good brands minute.
Going one step further down this road I have yet to find one brand superior to the Sunpower brand of solar. I say this for many reasons. Across their entire panel offering, their efficiency rating is much higher than the field. The electric conduction contacts have been increased in size for greater conductivity capacity and removed from the front. This front contact look is what commonly loses eye appeal for most consumers. Also by moving the contacts they increase visual appeal, allow for more sunlight to penetrate, and protect the panels inner integrity form the elements.
A couple of impressive highlighted features in a Sunpower panel not only make it unshoppable but also save the consumer money via increased production. The panel is able to pick up several colors of usable light and convert it to power, so the Sunpower panel wakes up earlier in the morning and captures light later at night vs. the competition. Other panels do not do this. Even more wowing, the Sunpower panel produces power on both overcast, and rainy days...an unheard of feat in the solar world!
To my point all solar is not created equal, the biggest solar companies are not better,efficiency and product features are pretty darn important to production, and cheap and less money do not always equal a good deal. The latter was a reality few weeks ago when a lady purchased a system from a large solar organization who is no longer in business looked to us for assistance. We were curious why she made them her choice.....her answer was the size of the organization and price. 6 years to the day she was responsible for purchasing a 5 thousand dollar failed inverter used to convert usable power from her panels. My thoughts? How much did she really save......?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Why?
Over the years we've have had folks ask us "why?" Why your brand? Or, let's turn it around and state why we carry our current brands. It's simple....quality. It's real easy to chose an item in your offerings based on price. However, if you don't mind an infinite number of repairs, service calls, and complaints then O.K.. The Energy House only chooses the strategy of quality products and services, and this has proven successful based on our number of referrals and accolades over the years. Lets briefly look at each offering.
In the hot tub world we sell HotSpring Spas which is the number selling hot tub globally. In a world when the hot tub industry was down 10% each year for the past two years, HotSpring was up 14% and 10% consecutively in this same period. Why? Quite simple... quality, energy efficiency,and double the field life.
In the solar world we sell Sunpower. Sunpower is the leading solar manufacturer globally. Much like the HotSpring spa Sunpower's materials are far superior to the competition, their efficiency is the highest in the industry, and the product performs under conditions others can only dream. Who would think that solar panels would work in low light, overcast or sunny days.....Sunpower Solar does!
In wood, gas, and pellet stoves our premier stove lines are Lennox, Kozy Heat, and Hearthstone respectively. We chose these lines based on the same parameters as our other products lines. Other factors include superior electronics, higher grade steel, and repair records. Hearth products are considered a need in many cases and reliability is a major concern amongst our customer base. Therefore, we offer products that fit these factors.
So this is why we do, and always will offer the products we have in our offering. Today's consumers want products that offer a an experience they can enjoy, recommend, and give them peace of mind they made the correct choice. Therefore we are always evaluating our current product lines and if they deviate from our original intent, then relationship is re-evaluated. With confidence we say when you purchase from The Energy House, hands down you have the finest products in their category.
In the hot tub world we sell HotSpring Spas which is the number selling hot tub globally. In a world when the hot tub industry was down 10% each year for the past two years, HotSpring was up 14% and 10% consecutively in this same period. Why? Quite simple... quality, energy efficiency,and double the field life.
In the solar world we sell Sunpower. Sunpower is the leading solar manufacturer globally. Much like the HotSpring spa Sunpower's materials are far superior to the competition, their efficiency is the highest in the industry, and the product performs under conditions others can only dream. Who would think that solar panels would work in low light, overcast or sunny days.....Sunpower Solar does!
In wood, gas, and pellet stoves our premier stove lines are Lennox, Kozy Heat, and Hearthstone respectively. We chose these lines based on the same parameters as our other products lines. Other factors include superior electronics, higher grade steel, and repair records. Hearth products are considered a need in many cases and reliability is a major concern amongst our customer base. Therefore, we offer products that fit these factors.
So this is why we do, and always will offer the products we have in our offering. Today's consumers want products that offer a an experience they can enjoy, recommend, and give them peace of mind they made the correct choice. Therefore we are always evaluating our current product lines and if they deviate from our original intent, then relationship is re-evaluated. With confidence we say when you purchase from The Energy House, hands down you have the finest products in their category.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Spring is Approaching
Spring is approaching which is an exciting time for both spa and pool owners. The smell of the blossoming flowers, fresh cut grass, birds chirping, and that overall good feeling that winter is behind us is enough to make most of us smile....that is unless you love winter. So here are a few tips;
Spa owners unless you have done so recently, drain and wipe out your spa, chemically clean the filters, and refill. Then bring a sample in to have our computer tell you where the chemistry is at, where it needs to be, and how to get there with absolutely no guess work. Our staff is well qualified to advise you on any water care questions. Also, it's not a bad time to "hit" the cover with a little cover shield protectant. And as we get into summer it is not a bad idea to do this twice a month to increase the covers life.
Pool owners I know spring has sprung but I urge you to have a little patience and make sure the water temp is above 55 degrees and rising. If this is the case, bring in a water sample just as I have explained to the spa customers. It's also not a bad idea to turn on the pump and check the entire system to make sure it weathered the winter without issue. You want repair all necessary items if needed before we are truly in season. If you are above 55 degrees and rising increase your pools run time from 1-3 hrs per day depending on it's size until you get over 65-68 degrees. Once this is the case, run your pump on it's full cycle per day to help maintain a clean, clear, and inviting pool.
If you have any questions you may call, email, tweet, or facebook us at the following locations;
559.432.1500
energyhouse@sbcglobal.net
twitter@theenergyhouse
facebook@energyhousefresno
Happy Spring!
Spa owners unless you have done so recently, drain and wipe out your spa, chemically clean the filters, and refill. Then bring a sample in to have our computer tell you where the chemistry is at, where it needs to be, and how to get there with absolutely no guess work. Our staff is well qualified to advise you on any water care questions. Also, it's not a bad time to "hit" the cover with a little cover shield protectant. And as we get into summer it is not a bad idea to do this twice a month to increase the covers life.
Pool owners I know spring has sprung but I urge you to have a little patience and make sure the water temp is above 55 degrees and rising. If this is the case, bring in a water sample just as I have explained to the spa customers. It's also not a bad idea to turn on the pump and check the entire system to make sure it weathered the winter without issue. You want repair all necessary items if needed before we are truly in season. If you are above 55 degrees and rising increase your pools run time from 1-3 hrs per day depending on it's size until you get over 65-68 degrees. Once this is the case, run your pump on it's full cycle per day to help maintain a clean, clear, and inviting pool.
If you have any questions you may call, email, tweet, or facebook us at the following locations;
559.432.1500
energyhouse@sbcglobal.net
twitter@theenergyhouse
facebook@energyhousefresno
Happy Spring!
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