Marspec Technical Products Welcomes Patrick Ruland as Inside/Outside Sales Representative for the Mississippi Gulf Coast!

Patrick Ruland is Marspec's newest addition to the team, joining the company January 5, 2009. Patrick comes to Marspec from a construction equipment rental company where he worked as an outside sales representative.

Prior to becoming the outside sales representative/account manager for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Patrick will spend the first couple of months training as an inside sales representative, allowing for a thorough understanding of the products, customers and procedures here at Marspec.

Patrick graduated from Auburn University in December of 2006, with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. He currently resides in Mobile, Alabama and enjoys hunting and Auburn football.

Welcome, Patrick!

Marspec Christmas Party

The Marspec team held its annual Christmas lunch on Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Marspec executives did a great job of spoiling us this year with food catered by Wintzells Oyster House and
Saucy Q Bar B Q, followed by desert from Pollman’s bakery. Kay Turner, Controller, got everyone in the Christmas spirit by having several colleagues read holiday passages aloud. My favorite passage was by Dr. Suess, from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: “….then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?” Mr. Tom Kelly, President, made some inspiring comments and special announcements about the ending year of 2008 and the New Year of 2009 before passing out a generous gift for each and every employee in the company.

On behalf of everyone at Marspec, we wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ole Miss Chooses Tower Tech for New Expansion

The University of Mississippi selected Tower Tech cooling towers for the new law school building under construction on the Oxford campus.

Tower Tech was selected for it's overall energy efficiency characteristics due primarily to its ability to match its cooling capacity to the load demand. This advanced technology greatly reduces the amount of electricity consumed during the summer months and ultimately helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the power plant level.

The installing contractor liked the fast installation of the Tower Tech cooling towers - each tower can be lifted from the flatbed truck and set in place in about an hour.

For more details about Tower Tech visit the manufacturers web site.

Marspec’s CEM Co-Delivers Presentation at Environmental Conference

(Birmingham, AL) – Marine Specialty/Marspec Technical Products’ Certified Energy Manager, Wayne Hoggle, co-delivered a presentation on reducing wasted energy titled Energy, Money and the Environment – The Green Connection, at Manufacture Alabama’s Environmental Conference in Birmingham, Alabama on October 29, 2008. Wayne Hoggle was one of the professionals chosen to speak due to his vast experience in helping company’s identify and implement energy reduction projects.

Along with Glenn Corley of Cimtec, Wayne Hoggle demonstrated how to reduce energy waste by identifying steam and compressed air leaks, recovering steam condensate and utilizing efficient piping insulation. Mr. Corley and Mr. Hoggle stressed the importance of how reducing energy consumption will not only improve a company’s bottom line, but will also reduce its environmental impact.

Other topics covered in Manufacture Alabama’s Environmental Conference were The Science of Global Warming, Carbon Footprints What Are They & What Good Are They, Legislative Committee on Water Policy & Management, and Regulatory Agency Updates & Enforcement Trends. This environmental conference was designed to benefit plant managers, environmental and production managers, process engineers, and other individuals with environmental planning responsibilities and consultants who assist their clients with environmental matters.

Marspec on the Road

It's been a busy month for the Marspec team.

We participated in the vendor table top display at the Alabama Energy Services Coalition Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Conference in Prattville October 22. A lot of state government facilities managers were present and it was heartening to hear that energy use reduction is a prime goal for them.

Later in the month found us attending the annual meeting of the Alabama Society for Healthcare Engineering in Destin, Florida. Marspec again set up the table top display and enjoyed the company of dozens of facility engineers. Again, energy use reduction was a common topic among attendees.

Stay tuned - we might coming to an event near you!

Strategic Energy Management Plan for Healthcare

An interesting article is on the betterbricks web site detailing a case study of how energy management planning paid big dividends to a chain of west coast hospitals. The story of PeaceHealth's efforts can be found here.

Congress Extends Energy Tax Incentives through Economic Recovery Package

The following is a press release from ASHRAE regarding extended energy tax incentives. Hopefully this information is helpful to those out there looking for well deserved tax breaks when upgrading to more energy efficient buildings, equipment, etc. Enjoy!



For Release: October 6, 2008
Contact: Wendy AngelPublic Relations 678-539-1216 wangel@ashrae.org

Congress Extends Energy Tax Incentives through Economic Recovery Package

ATLANTA – With the passage of the economic recovery package by Congress last week, banks aren’t the only ones relieved; proponents of energy efficiency efforts are as well. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) commends Congress on including in the package provisions for the extension of expired and expiring tax incentives for renewable energy, energy-efficient building upgrades, and appliance and equipment purchases. “These energy provisions are essential to realizing ASHRAE’s goal of reaching net-zero-energy buildings,” says Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “But more importantly, they are essential for the energy independence of our nation. While the banking industry may be visibly suffering now due to these economic times, we will all suffer if we don’t find ways to take advantage of alternative energy sources and make our buildings more efficient.” Though several attempts were made during the 110th Congress to extend these credits and incentives, those attempts failed due to disagreement over funding issues. One key provision in the legislation is the extension of the Commercial Building Tax Deduction (CBTD) through 2013. This allows building owners to claim a deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot for HVAC, lighting or envelope upgrades resulting in 50% savings over ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2001. This five-year extension allows for the planning schedules often needed in design and construction, whereas the provision previously was only certain for shorter periods, affecting its usefulness. The legislation additionally creates new credits for combined heat and power system property, small wind energy property, and geothermal heat pump systems through 2016.

Other energy provisions in the legislation include:
• Extending the Renewable Energy Production Credit for wind to 2010, biomass, geothermal, solar and hydro to 2011, and adds a marine/tidal credit through 2012.
• Extending credits for solar energy property, fuel cell property and microturbines through 2016.
• Establishing provisions for Energy Conservation Bonds issued by states or localities to conduct energy conservation projects
• Extending residential tax credits for energy saving appliances, energy efficient homes, and on-site renewables.
• Adding accelerated depreciation period for smart meters and smart grid systems, encouraging investment in these systems.
• Extending a program providing tax-exempt bond designation to designated green building and sustainable design projects on brownfields.
• Extending the expired business research credit through 2009.
For more information on ASHRAE Government Affairs, please visit www.ashrae.org/advocacy.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education. ###