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Summit County looking to turn its guts green

Breeana Laughlin
blaughlin@summitdaily.com
Solar system on the roof
Getty Images/iStockphoto | iStockphoto

Longtime heating and plumbing expert Dennis Bellanti says professionals in his field need to keep engaged in emerging green technology or they’re going to be left behind.

“The bottom line is that the plumbing and heating world has changed, no question,” said Bellanti, the hydronics and solar manager with Ferguson Enterprises.

Innovative new systems are emerging from around the world, and consumers are starting to pay more attention to the environmental implications of their heating and water systems, he said. “People take a little different attitude about the environment than they did 20 or 30 years ago, especially younger people because they realize the impact and they’re the ones who will have to deal with what goes on today.”



Bellanti said he’s seen a shift in the market that reflects these values. “We’ve sold more hot water solar systems in the past three years than in the previous 15 years combined.”

A seminar at Copper Mountain on Aug. 22 is aimed at teaching plumbing and heating contractors, sustainable energy companies, engineers and architects about what other countries are doing with their building mechanical systems to reduce their carbon footprints.



The World of Green Heating seminar will be presented by trade journal author Dan Holohan. He’ll offer a three-hour “technical travelogue” outlining the heating systems he’s visited around the world. He’ll explain the ideas and designs behind the systems and preview technologies that may be coming to the United States.

Bellanti describes Holohan as the “guru for hot water and heating in the U.S.”

“We’ve had Dan come in and speak for us in the past and he’s always very popular,” Bellanti said. “He travels all over the world, writes in major trade magazines and gets to see a huge variety of systems that are out there.”

A lot of the current technology in plumbing and heating systems is European, not American, technology, Bellanti said. “The Europeans are typically five to 10 years ahead of us.”

Holohan will talk about innovations adopted by European countries, including how the Swedes and the French are collecting body heat created in their train stations and using it to heat the apartments above. He’ll outline energy performance certificates that score home heating and energy systems and that may increase the resale value of homes. He’ll also discuss ground-source heat pumps and geothermal, low-carbon wood-burning technologies and many other topics, Bellanti said.

The World of Green Heating presentation and hydronics trade show will be held on Thursday, Aug. 22 at Copper Mountain Resort. It costs $67 per person and includes breakfast and lunch. For more information or to purchase a ticket, call (866) 564-4901 or email stacy.white@ferguson.com.


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