IAPMO GreenPlumbers Training is now offering a free solar hot water workshop online through Hanley Wood University. The 20‐minute program is a sampling from IAPMO’s GreenPlumbers Training and Accreditation core classes of environmental literacy, which are appropriate for plumbers or individuals who are interested in improving the performance of solar thermal water heaters and in sustainable plumbing designs and installations.

The program’s goal is to reintroduce solar thermal concepts and business opportunities to the plumbing trade. It will provide the viewer with the information needed to briefly describe the design strategies for solar thermal systems, to identify the types of systems and know each system’s geographic limitations.

The webinar is availablehere.Doug Kirk, IAPMO’s director of Green Plumbing curriculum, said solar thermal water heating was quite popular from the mid‐1970s to the mid‐1980s, especially in the Southwestern United States. The cessation of state and federal tax incentives and a decline in energy rates dramatically slowed solar sales until just a few years ago, he said, when consumers began to search for more renewable energy options.

“With more environmental concerns, some property owners are looking for ways to reduce operating costs, as well as their carbon footprint,” Kirk said. “GreenPlumbers Training believes reintroducing this technology can reignite the plumbing trade’s participation in developing green jobs and making happy property owners.”

All of the courses found on hanleywooduniversity.com are free and may be accessed at any time.

GreenPlumbers Training, a subsidiary of The IAPMO Group, is an innovative accreditation program that assists homebuilders, architects and plumbers in understanding their roles in the environment and public health. The focus is on changing consumer and plumbing behavior through the use of energy-efficient and water‐saving technologies.

Source: IAPMO