Unlocking the Combi: Lessons from the First North American SANCO2 Retrofit

/
Unlocking the Combi: Lessons from the First North American SANCO2 Retrofit

If you’ve explored our Small Planet Supply website a bit, you may have run into our SANCO2 for Space Heating page.   If you haven’t, a SANCO2 combi system refers to when a SANCO2 heat pump water heater is also used to heat a home in addition to providing domestic hot water.  This innovation of doing this in North America really started here in the Western United States.  In fact, the first SANCO2 combi used in a retrofit application in North America was done by Small Planet Supply CEO Albert Rooks in 2015.  If you’ve ever wondered about the backstory using a SANCO2 combi system in retrofit construction, this interview is worth a read.

Read More

Tax Credits and Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act for Homeowners and Consumers

/
Tax Credits and Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act for Homeowners and Consumers

As a homeowner, you might be wondering how you can take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to improve the energy efficiency of your home.  People have been talking about different components of the plan individually, so if you’re having problems looking at how the different pieces of the act can fit together, it totally makes sense!

Since the unexpected announcement of the IRA, Small Planet Supply has been following (as well as we can) the features of the act homeowners (and even renters, in the case of the electric vehicle credit) might be most interested in.  Here’s a brief summary of what we found exciting in the legislation.

Read More

How the Inflation Reduction Act can Benefit Commercial & Residential Construction

/
How the Inflation Reduction Act can Benefit Commercial & Residential Construction

The Inflation Reduction Act contains numerous incentives for multifamily and commercial buildings, whether you’re a manufacturer, developer, architect, designer or a small construction company. Small Planet Supply’s Ben Wong has been researching what some of these benefits are in his latest blog post. 

Read More

SANCO2's New Cold Climate Heat Pump Water Heater

/
SANCO2's New Cold Climate Heat Pump Water Heater

SANCO2 heat pump water heaters make for a super-efficient domestic hot water system (so great in fact, that they are a key component of the WaterDrop System, learn more here). These heat pumps work in a wide range of climates and are very efficient down to -27*f. Being used in such cold temperatures brings a common issue however, and that is the issue of ice. Read on to learn more about what’s happening to these units in super cold climates, and what ECO2 Systems has done to remedy the problem.

Read More

Five Things We Love About Prosoco Products

/
Five Things We Love About Prosoco Products

Prosoco R-Guard products are an excellent choice for an air and water barrier system.  They’re a popular product line but not everyone understands why these products are an excellent choice for building.  This brief blog post highlights the top five things we love about Prosoco and a little bit about the Prosoco R-Guard products we carry at Small Planet Supply.

Read More

Take a Load Off with Phase Change Materials

/
Take a Load Off with Phase Change Materials

In a world where energy prices are rising, power grids are being overtaxed, and evolving building codes are pushing for electrification, a greater need for shifting electricity loads is emerging. Thermal Energy Storage (TES) can help by allowing energy to be stored during off peak hours for later use when it is needed most. Shifting energy loads off peak is a strategy that is being implemented by more utilities. It reduces strain on already burdened power grids and allows for energy demands to be met and paired with greener methods when they are available.

Phase change materials (PCM) are quickly being recognized as a great way to utilize this strategy of storing thermal energy and releasing it on demand. A phase change material has a phase transition temperature that can utilize the absorption and release of energy in practical applications. For buildings, this is usually in the range of temperatures that are comfortable for humans. These materials can be incorporated in different applications within buildings, be it space heating or domestic hot water heating, and are becoming more and more available for use by builders and manufacturers.

Read More

BC Code and Beyond: Why Heat Pumps Are Valuable for Builders

/
BC Code and Beyond: Why Heat Pumps Are Valuable for Builders

Space heating and water heating account for 82% of conventional housing energy use and 46% of net zero energy-ready housing energy consumption. There’s vast potential to improve heating and cooling strategies to be more energy efficient and less fossil fuel reliant. Heat pumps serve both space heating and cooling, and they can be used for domestic water heating as well. As heat pumps don’t generate heat but instead, they move heat from one place to another. That is why heat pumps are so energy efficient, resulting in lower energy bills. It’s also why many building departments are encouraging their use in new builds and renovations.

Read More

Don't Get Gaslit: Ways to Meet Washington's Building Code Without Using Natural Gas

/
Don't Get Gaslit: Ways to Meet Washington's Building Code Without Using Natural Gas

Since Washington increased its energy efficiency credit requirements in the residential building code, I’ve run across a few blog articles that suggest ways to meet using natural gas heating or water heaters. Since a key reason for changing codes is to build homes or multi-family buildings that are better for the environment, I thought I’d take some time to look at the code and see how hard (or easy) it is to meet the code without using natural gas. WSU’s Energy Program was an excellent resource for learning about the code and all the informative graphics (except for the drain water recovery system) are from their PPT presentations.
A quick caveat: these totals are based on Washington State Building Code requirements there may be additional requirements for local building jurisdictions.

Read More

California's Title 24, The Recovery Ventilator, and You

/
California's Title 24, The Recovery Ventilator, and You

In our last blog post about California’s Title 24, we outlined how the new mandatory building code energy credits system works, and how a recovery ventilator can give a massive boost to EDR credits. California’s Title 24 requirements continue to call for improvements to a new building’s energy usage, and we’re back with more data further prove that best-in-class recovery ventilators are the way to go for efficiency, comfort, and meeting regulations. Based on tests done by Build Smart Group and Luke Morton, Mortan Building Group, the following findings display just how beneficial any Recovery Ventilator can be, and especially so for best-in-class, such as the Zehnder systems carried by Small Planet Supply.

Read More

Keeping Your Cool: Four Low-Tech (and One High-Tech) Way to Keep Your House Cool in the Coming Heat Waves

/
Keeping Your Cool: Four Low-Tech (and One High-Tech) Way to Keep Your House Cool in the Coming Heat Waves

Okay, we all just experienced it. Summer temperatures in the nineties or low one hundreds. In the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia this used to be an anomaly that happened once every three or four years. Now it is something that seems to be happening a couple times or more every summer. When the hot weather comes, it’s easy to go to the quickest thing that will cool you down whether it be a window air conditioner or dragging out the kiddie pool.

Read More

Eklund Innovation Center Dedication for Our Tumwater WaterDrop DHWP Systems

/
Eklund Innovation Center Dedication for Our Tumwater WaterDrop DHWP Systems

At the end of May, Small Planet Supply gathered with a small group of friends and colleagues to celebrate the official opening of the Eklund Innovation Center. The Eklund Innovation Center presently serves as the assembly plant for WaterDrop DHW plant systems and is named after Ken Eklund. Ken was dedicated to saving the planet and working to find ways to increase energy efficiency, harness natural energy and reduce carbon to protect the planet he loved. Ken was instrumental in working to bring SANCO2 heat pump water heaters (back then they were manufactured by Sanden) from Japan.

Read More

Fresh-r: Smart Ventilation that Automatically Adjusts When You Need It

/
Fresh-r: Smart Ventilation that Automatically Adjusts When You Need It

Small Planet Supply is excited to offer Fresh-R HRV systems to our customers. These systems are of particular interest to our customers who want to add an HRV to an existing build or as part of a retrofit, as they are designed differently than other HRV systems. Fresh-R eschews tubing in walls or ceiling as a way to distribute fresh air within a home. Instead, it uses de-centralized in-wall units or on-wall units to bring air in and out of your home and some grills or forward ventilators on interior walls to ensure fresh air is received in all rooms of your home.

Read More

Earth Day Action: Big and Small Changes to Decrease Your Carbon Footprint at Home

/
Earth Day Action: Big and Small Changes to Decrease Your Carbon Footprint at Home

So, while the debate rages on regarding whether there is anything we can do individually to impact climate change, I’m going to write this blog with the assumption that what we do as individuals can help the planet by making changes in our home. Many or our customers are already super committed to reducing their carbon footprint, so I’m mostly singing to the choir. However, since we all eat and need clean clothes, I thought I’d focus on these two areas for this year’s Earth Day blog post.

Read More

Messana Radiant Ceiling Panels Equal Space Heating and Cooling Magic for You

/
Messana Radiant Ceiling Panels Equal Space Heating and Cooling Magic for You

Small Planet Supply is excited to offer a new heating and cooling option for our customers. We now carry Messana’s Ray Magic Radiant Ceiling panels. These panels handle room temperature regulation in a different way than most people are used to seeing radiant panels used. These radiant source panels are hung from the ceiling and then covered with drywall to provide an unobtrusive heating and cooling solution. Paired with a heat pump which flows hot or cold water through a matrix of channels, these panels operate similarly in principle to other radiant sources. While radiant is familiar, this less familiar way of providing radiant may inspire some questions. We’re providing some answers to a few common questions here.

Read More

Zehnder: Exterior Maintenance Keeps Clean Air Flowing

/
Zehnder: Exterior Maintenance Keeps Clean Air Flowing

Recently our Zehnder Commissioning Agent Steve Lamberg reported an issue at some of his customer maintenance calls: Zehnder units not getting any supply air because the exterior ports were clogged. Dust builds up on the metal grill, then there is some moisture, and the result is a paste that prevents supply air from getting in.

While this may not be an issue for some of our customers, we wanted to ensure that all Zehnder owners are aware of this maintenance step and check their outside ports, especially the supply ports, as part of their usual seasonal maintenance. If you check your exterior ports and they are dirty or clogged, here is what to do.

Read More

Heat Pumps Will Save Us: These Myths Get in the Way

/
Heat Pumps Will Save Us: These Myths Get in the Way

With legislation and subsidies putting forth an effort to rid modern homes of gas burning heating, there is thankfully more attention now being put towards combating climate change. One of the stalwart warriors in this push for electrification is currently the humble heat pump. While this modern marvel of heating and cooling technology might seem like a rather new player in the field, but this technology has been developing and maturing for the last 150 years. Public perception of this technology is dubious for a vast majority of consumers, leading to hesitancy in adopting this highly efficient method of heating and cooling. Dispelling some of the myths and misconceptions around heat pumps can hopefully lead to more widespread adoption of this wonderful technology.

Read More

Climate, Carbon and Cork: Using ThermaCork to Decrease Embodied Carbon in Your Build

/

ThermaCork continues to be a very popular product with Small Planet Supply customers. Between the natural beauty and impressive insulative value, there is certainly a lot to love about this 100% natural product. One great thing not everyone is aware of though is how ThermaCork has a less than zero carbon footprint. This negative carbon footprint is an important part of the fight against climate change and ThermaCork is a great way to help bring down the overall carbon footprint of a building.

Read More

SpacePak Systems: Where Running Hot and Cold is a Good Thing

/
SpacePak Systems: Where Running Hot and Cold is a Good Thing

Small Planet Supply is pleased to bring you another option for heating and cooling spaces in your home. SpacePak is our newest addition to our hydronic products. SpacePak and their parent company Mestek have been providing quality products made in America for over 70 years. While these two companies offer a variety of HVAC technologies, Small Planet Supply is only focused on providing the best heat pump hydronic systems that SpacePak has developed.

Read More