Some links: Design Mistakes, Business Footprints and False Hopes

A few business related articles I read and bookmarked over the last couple of days...

• Top 5 Web Design Mistakes Small Businesses Make ( Mashable )
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• Beyond Business Cards: Marketing Tools You Need ( Intuit Blog )
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• The Four Os: a Four-Step Guide to Successful Blogging ( ProBlogger.net )
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• How To Spread Your Business Footprint Around The Web ( Open Forum )
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• Hiring Up, But Optimism Down in March (NFIB )
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• The False Hope of Higher Prices (The Reformed Broker )

2011 Federal Tax Credits for HVAC Consumer Energy Efficiency

Many customers ask about tax credits and rebates that may be available on air conditioning units and furnaces. So I thought I would post the 2011 tax credits that are available from Energy Star for HVAC applications. A few include $300 for a new central air conditioning system, $150 for a new natural gas, propane or oil furnace and $150 for a new gas, propane or oil hot water boiler. Below are screenshots of the current tax credits available. Just click on any and it will take you to the Energy Star website for more details and how to apply.

From www.energystar.gov

If you live in the Glens Falls, NY area and are looking for a quote on a new gas furnace or central air conditioning system, go to www.kesheetmetal.com to call or send us an email.

Related articles

• 7 Tips for Saving Energy (And Money) This Summer (cnprojectgreen.wordpress.com)
• Tax credits are not Government Spending? (businessinsider.com)
• Tax Credits, Deductions, and Deferrals (education.com)
• Carrier's Performance Series AC (cousinsair.wordpress.com)

Photos of Some Recent Custom HVAC Fabrication

Here are a few photos of some recent fabrication that has left the shop. Business has been slower but not totally dead.

The first photo was an order for two 25 x 16 to 25 x 10 cold air boots (aka buffalo boots). These are as common as plenums and trunk duct when it comes to installing a forced air furnace. These are for a retro-fit change out in town.

The next photo is a basic plenum, customized with a flat top instead of a normal plenum style cap that would recess 1/2" down inside the top of the box. The customer needed a flattened top for this particular installation.

The last photo is a small order of trunk duct and some small fittings.

Nothing fancy, just a few photos showing the kind of work we do on a daily basis. All of these items are custom made and are what keeps the shop moving along. We concentrate on the residential market consisting of smaller HVAC companies and homeowners with some work coming from very small commercial clients.

Check us out at : www.kesheetmetal.com

Related articles

• When My Air Ducts Smell how do I Make Them Smell Better (brighthub.com)

Oil Hits $110/Barrel, Our Input Costs Continue to Rise

Seeing that Crude Oil hit $110 today, I thought I would post a few charts showing the performance of oil, gas prices and steel over a one year period. As you can see, all three have been moving consistently to the upside over the course of the last year to date. This is troublesome for a number of reasons both personally and from a business standpoint.

Senate Bill Could Bring More HVAC Business to The Northeast

One thing that could help jump start the HVAC business here in the Northeast is a bill being introduced to the Senate by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M to update the efficiency standards for many appliances and building systems, including furnaces, heat pumps, and central air conditioners.

From achrnews.com
Titled the “Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act of 2011,” or INCAAA, the bill (S. 398) divides the nation into three regions with different efficiency standards for each. It also recommends more stringent building codes for new construction.

Sheet Metal Prices Continue to Rise, Hurt Margins

Our input costs are quickly rising. The load of metal I received Friday afternoon was the highest metal has been in over three years and until oil and other commodities stop rising, I see no end. A 25% increase in our metal price since the end of the fourth quarter 2010 is a tough pill to swallow. This scenario is a killer for our business because