Starting July, 2010 there will be a new law in place regarding the compliance rules for any Massachusetts homes heated with oil. The Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law is not only changing the regulations for home heating systems, but also includes new legislation for insurance companies that offer homeowner policies. Although the law may require some people to upgrade their systems, costing anywhere from $150 to $350, the hope is to end the possibility of oil leaks which have reeked havoc on dozens of Massachusetts homes each year. The cost of an oil leak cleanup can be anywhere from a couple thousand to $200,000 depending on the severity of the case. Even “simple” leaks have been found to cost as much as $15,000. When oil leaks seep into a water source or reach other properties the situation can become much more complicated. The new law requires the installation ...
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A Minneapolis nursing home has been found negligent for allowing a
resident with dementia to sustain severe burns on his legs and feet from
a radiator next to his bed. The resident at Redeemer Health and Rehab on Lake Street suffered
second- and third-degree burns. He was taken to a hospital emergency
room and died about four weeks later, the state Health Department said
Tuesday. State investigators ruled that Redeemer was negligent in the Jan. 2
incident because the resident was known to wedge his feet between the
bed and heater and because the radiator cover was known to come loose. (more)
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BEIJING –
China's top economic planner said Wednesday it would ban sales of
energy-wasting air conditioners from June 1 by raising the market
threshold based on their energy efficiency. New standards will evaluate each model
according to their coefficient of performance (COP), the efficiency
ratio of the amount of heating or cooling provided by a heating or
cooling unit to the energy consumed by the system. The higher the COP,
the more efficient the system. (more)
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During a visit to a technical school in Savannah, Georgia on Tuesday,
President Obama announced the initiatives for HOMESTAR, a program that
would offer incentives for people to make their homes more
energy-efficient. The President explained that the new program will save families several
hundred of dollars on utilities, make the economy less dependent on
fossil fuels, create work for small businesses and contractors, and
bring back construction jobs. (more)
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One time only. Ya snooze, ya lose. Full details here.
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NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - People who burn wood or other "biofuels" for heat or cooking
may have a heightened risk of emphysema and related lung conditions, a
new study suggests. (more)
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BAINBRIDGE Owners of all-electric homes are upset
and moved to action against Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. for
pulling the plug on special rate discounts in place since the 1970s.
Residents say their January heating bills spiked more than double
over the previous year. Some received bills totaling $800 or more for
one month of usage.
State Sen. Tim Grendell filed a class action law suit Feb. 16 in
Geauga County Common Pleas Court against the company on behalf of the
residents. The lawsuit accuses CEI of breaking verbal contracts with
homeowners promising an all-electric-home discount for as long as they
owned their homes. (more)
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LANCASTER, Pa., Feb 25, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --
Burnham Holdings, Inc., (Pink Sheets: BURCA), a leading domestic
manufacturer of boilers, and related HVAC products and accessories for
residential, commercial and industrial applications, today reported its
financial results for the year ended December 31, 2009. (more)
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DES MOINES — The Iowa Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would prohibit a fuel vendor from withholding or refusing sale of propane for home heating use to pre-paid customers under certain circumstances between Nov. 1 and April 1. Senate File 2235, which passed 34-16, is designed to minimize situations where rural customers are denied heating fuel during the winter months due to bad credit, said state Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center. State law currently protects natural gas and electric customers from service shut-offs between Nov. 1 and April 1, but propane customers currently have no such protection. “This addresses a very dangerous problem that we have here in Iowa,” Sodders said. (more)
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