July 2010 Feature
NAOHSM Honors ‘Superheroes of Service’

The National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers’ (NAOHSM) 57th Annual Convention and Trade Show took place in Providence, R.I., from May 23 to 27, and saw professionals from various trades, including Oilheat, plumbing, HVAC, and chimney services, gather for education and networking.

This year’s theme was “Superheroes of Service,” and according to Judy Garber, executive administrator of NAOHSM, this year’s convention was “a tribute to the men and women who make our industry shine.”

The business seminars focused on a variety of topics for home heating professionals, from updates on codes and regulations to discussions about biofuel availability. In addition to technical sessions, there were also marketing segments that gave retailers information on how to grow their companies through new technologies and communications strategies.

John Barba, Dan Holohan, Dave Yates, and other industry experts led some of the seminars that were offered. George McQueeney, national president of NAOHSM, emphasized the importance of continued education, saying that the seminars “covered subjects that are pertinent not only to our industry, but also to the emerging-alternative energy market.”

With the 2012 requirement for newly installed boilers to contain an outdoor reset control, Taco’s Barba gave advice at one session for technicians on some common mistakes made when setting up controls and how technology has made controls more dynamic.

He said that the first mistake many installers make is assuming the worst weather when setting up new systems.

“People are sizing an entire heating system for the coldest day of the year, which is going to occur less than 3 percent of the time,” Barba said.

By sizing the system incorrectly, the system can experience a cascading series of problems, according to Barba.

“Heat loss will vary with weather,” he said. “This leads to short-cycling, kills cycle efficiency, and increases wear and tear and standby loss.”

By adding a boiler reset that automatically adjusts the boiler temperature, homeowners can realize an instant conservation of fuel, according to Barba.

“A conservative savings estimate is 5 to 15 percent for an old iron non-condensing boiler,” he said—assuming it is set up correctly.

“Many outdoor controls, at least 90 percent, are probably not programmed or used correctly,” Barba added.

Using these controls correctly adds a new dynamic to the system by allowing the boiler to have a standardized target temperature and monitoring the differential. This can prevent short-cycling, according to Barba, by automatically adjusting when the weather calls for it.

There are also optional plug-ins for the controls that can add further functionality, according to Barba. These plug-ins include a post-purge timer, priority protection and pump exercise.

The timer maintains power to the circulator once a zone has been filled, but does not fire the boiler. It can help minimize stand-by loss during warm weather. The priority protection helps prevent systems from freezing up by allowing all zones to act independently if the priority zone calls for heat continuously for more than an hour. The pump exercise works to cycle pumps at selected time intervals to prevent issues during cold weather months.

In the spirit of service, the convention also hosted three unique charity events. The first was held on Sunday, May 23, and Oil Heat Cares partnered with Honeywell and the local rep agency, EDOS, to clean up and rehab the YMCA Sheppard Reservation Day Camp in Smithfield, R.I. You can view a video of this effort by visiting NAOHSM’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/NAOHSM1.

Monday kicked off with two more charity events. Golfers participated in the Annual Dave Nelsen Golf Tournament at Triggs Memorial Golf Course. This event, led by the Rhode Island Chapter’s George Fantacone, raised funds for the Dave Nelsen Scholarship. This scholarship assists students planning to further their education in the Oilheat industry. The golf tournament was a huge success, according to NAOHSM, raising more than $10,000.

While the golfers were at the tournament, other convention participants were walking, biking and motorcycling for another industry cause at the Care to Ride event for Oil Heat Cares. Oil Heat Cares is a non-profit foundation that assists needy persons and organizations with the replacement of their oil heating equipment. Kevin Bowman, Mark Chaffee and Don Farrell organized the routes for the event and NAOHSM reported that this year’s event raised more than $58,000. The top fundraisers by category are:

Team: Team Connecticut

Walking: Judy Garber

Biking and Overall: Roger Marran

Motorcycling: David Bessette

That night, NAOHSM held an opening reception where Care to Ride participants were recognized and Bob Craig was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his “outstanding service and commitment to the industry.”

Exhibitors showcased their products and services at a widely attended trade show and students and technicians had a lively competition that tested their skills.

The ladies who attended this year’s conference also were able to partake in a special trip. After a day of sightseeing in Providence, they gathered for a cooking show presented by a local celebrity, Chef Terranova. The event featured Rhode Island cuisine and raised money for Dorcas Place, an organization that gives educational opportunities to low-income Rhode Islanders.

NAOHSM’s Awards Banquet took place on Tuesday, May 25, and honored the many “superheroes of service” to the industry. The New York Chapter received the Oil Heat Cares Cup for their work at the Lawrence F. Keene American Legion Post in the Bronx. Led by Angel Gonzalez, students from the Alfred E. Smith Vocational Career School had the opportunity to work side by side with professional installers on this project.

The renamed Lou Ehrlich Award (previously known as the Associate of the Year Award) was given to Robert O’Rourke of the Westchester Chapter. The Technician of the Year Award was presented to Wayne Lawrence, who works for Petro, and remarked that “this industry is all about family.”

The Manufacturer of the Year Award was given to Hydrolevel. The Rhode Island Chapter honored Judy Garber by presenting her with a basket of products from Rhode Island. Ed Frazier was honored with the Instructor of the Year Award and Al Breda of Sippin Energy, member of the Fairfield County and New Haven chapters, received the Service Manager of the Year Award. Scott Hinkley was named the Hugh McKee Award winner and remarked, “This association has meant the world to me, as does this award.”

The recipients of the Dave Nelson Scholarship were also honored at the Awards Banquet. Twelve students, out of more than 70 who applied, were awarded $2,000 scholarships for furthering their education in the field. The winning students are: Michael Foley, Benjamin Forst, Matthew Fulmer, David Gidron, Ryan Gombert, Nathan Higgins, Michael McMahon, Ronald Mannino, Joseph Manzo, Alrick Crowe, Bradley Rydbom and Jesse Sutherland.

NAOHSM’s 57th Annual Convention and Trade Show succeeded in its goal of strengthening our industry through education, according to NAOHSM.

Matt Spink, co-education chairman of NAOHSM, said, “We are a group of concerned individuals who get together and stay together for the betterment of our industry as a whole. We pride ourselves on the comfort we provide to our customers. We do that by constantly educating ourselves on the new products and technologies that are available to us today and we are proud to pass this knowledge on to the next generation.”

For more information on the convention, see www.naohsm.org. Next year’s convention and trade show is scheduled for May 22 to 26 in Hershey, Pa.