Hearthlist Digest #173 - Sunday, July 26, 1998 computer programs by "tony" <[email protected]> MYOB by "Rod Poplarchick" <[email protected]> Vent Free in NY by "Craig Issod" <[email protected]>
(back) Subject: computer programs From: [email protected] (tony) Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 19:16:20 -0500 We have customized software for sales and inventory. Some features are: Ability to adjust inventory (if it's incorrect) as we are making a sale (on the same screen) Quick lookup of EVERY invoice ever made by customer name Printout of inventory that's running low Built in mailing list accumulated with every invoice Ability to change prices of all items from one vendor by a straight percentage by one keystroke Customized monthly reports for each dept (hearth, patio, accessories, service) Lots more of course. You can email me for more details. Tony Palmer [email protected]
(back) Subject: MYOB From: "Rod Poplarchick" <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 21:48:33 -0500 I have tried to send this 4 time kept getting it back. (webmasters note: remember, the new list address is [email protected]) We have been using MYOB "Mind you own Business " for 8 years in the Mac format can get in PC Cost is around $150 with the Payroll It has the best data base I have ever seen. many features for tracking Jobs, sales, Customers, inventory. truck the amount of $$$ your employee has sold. contact log for each customer you can even call or fax your customer from MYOB and it will log on their card when you called them last. Point and click. You can get a demo from the maker. Rod Poplarchick [email protected] * http://www.surfus.com Anette Poplarchick [email protected] * http://www.surfus.com/ann Climate Control Systems [email protected] * http://www.surfus.com/ccs Ahwahanee Fire Dept [email protected] * http://www.surfus.com/avf
(back) Subject: Vent Free in NY From: Craig Issod <[email protected]> Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 10:15:45 -0500 According to various sources, the final approvals for sale, installation and use of vent free products in NY state will occur within the next few weeks. The following is a press release from the Vent Free Alliance which deals with some aspects of this: PRESS RELEASE: Contact: Mary S. Carson Program Director 703-875-8625 fax 703-276-8089 [email protected] www.gamanet.org New York State Homeowners Now Have the Choice of Vent-Free Gas Products Arlington VA. - New York State Senator Carl Marcellino and Assemblyman Paul Tokasz announced today that vent-free gas products have been approved for sale in New York State. Vent-free gas appliances operate efficiently and safely without a chimney or vent, so they can be installed anywhere in the home where there is access to a gas line. The movement to authorize sale of these products in New York began in 1995 when an executive secretary in a New York State legislator's office asked if she could purchase a vent-free gas-heating product for supplemental heat in her New York home. The answer was "no," because laws that had been in force for many years prevented the use of these products. Although 43 states had adopted codes by 1995 that permit residential use of vent-free gas products, seven states, including New York, still prohibited these products. Meetings began in the winter of 1996 between legislators in Albany and members of the Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance. The Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance is a coalition of 22 manufacturers who are members of the Vent-Free Gas Products Division of the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA). State Senator Marcellino and Assemblyman Tokasz introduced amendments to Section 322-C of the 1967 General Business Law permitting the sale and use of vent-free gas appliances. The legislation was supported by the New York Propane Gas Association, the New York (natural) Gas Association, and major heating equipment distributors in the state. Bill Passed Unanimously in 1997 Although the State Senate and Assembly voted to accept the bill in 1996, Governor George Pataki asked that several questions be answered about the use of these products before he would sign the bill. The governor said he was willing to work with interested parties to develop guidelines for the safe use of vent-free gas appliances in the state. The bill was again presented and passed unanimously by the Senate and Assembly. On August 20, 1997 Governor Pataki signed this legislation permitting the sale and installation of vent-free gas products in New York State. Over the last two years, the NY Dept. of Health and the Building and Code Division of the Department of the State office have conducted an intensive study of the safety and use of vent-free gas appliances. The study included a wide-ranging peer review by experts from all sections of the U.S. including California, where regulations are now being developed to implement the law that the state recently enacted allowing the use of vent-free gas products. Following the peer review, a special Alliance Task Force answered all questions that were raised by officials from the state Health Department, Building and Code Division of the Secretary of State's office, and Consumer Protection Board. Don Denton, chairperson of the GAMA Vent-Free Division Technical Committee and Sue Walker, chairperson of the Division and the Alliance, headed the Alliance Task Force. The study resulted in the finding by the relevant state agencies that all vent-free gas appliances tested to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z21.11.2 standard should be allowed for sale and use in New York State. Walker: "Homeowners the True Beneficiaries" Walker said she is pleased with the dedicated work conducted by all parties, especially John Vandervort, of the Vandervort Group, who worked with the New York legislators, and Bob Estep, a former New York gas utility employee, who represented the natural gas and propane industries. "After three years of hard work and an extremely comprehensive study of vent-free gas products, the true beneficiaries are homeowners in New York State," said Walker. "They can now take advantage of these remarkably efficient and money-saving appliances, which comprise the fastest-growing segment of the gas heating market. Last year alone, more than one million units were purchased, and seven million American homeowners now depend on vent-free gas appliances." As part of a concluding agreement between state agencies and the Alliance, every vent-free gas product sold in New York must have a printed label, using a 14-point font, with the following wording: "CAUTION: THIS APPLIANCE IS A SUPPLEMENTAL HEAT SOURCE AND SHOULD NOT BE THE PRIMARY HEAT SOURCE. THIS APPLIANCE MUST BE INSTALLED AND SERVICED ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS AND LOCAL AND STATE BUILDING CODES. SELECT A MODEL WITH APPROPRIATE HEAT OUTPUT USING GUIDELINES PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER. USING A HEATER WITH GREATER HEAT OUTPUT THAN RECOMMENDED MAY BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH. AS WITH OTHER FUEL BURNING APPLIANCES, LOCAL BUILDING CODES MAY REQUIRE INSTALLATION OF A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR IN YOUR HOME." In the future, the state will require that sizing guidelines be permanently displayed in all stores selling vent-free products. Studies by the American Gas Association Research Division have determined that if a vent-free product is correctly sized there are no concerns about emissions. All vent-free gas products have inputs of 40,000 Btu/hr or less. Some units have inputs as low as 5,000 Btu/hr. Vent-free gas products are available as room heaters, gas logs, gas fireplaces, and gas stoves. * Gas logs are installed in a traditional masonry or factory-built fireplace designed for wood burning. * Gas fireplaces look just like traditional fireplaces, and are available in full-size or compact models. * Gas stoves are easily mistaken for wood stoves, but cost considerably less to install and operate. * Vent-free gas fireplace inserts are installed within an existing masonry or factory-built fireplace and also offer a blower for improved heat distribution. * Vent-free gas space heaters come in a great variety of styles and in sizes that range from 5,000 to 40,000 Btu/hr. Because they are nearly 100% efficient and operate on natural or propane gas, they heat for only pennies per hour. Flexible, Safe and Money-Saving Flexibility is a key benefit of vent-free units; they can be installed almost anywhere in the home. In addition, many homeowners use vent-free units to significantly cut their heating costs. Adding a supplemental vent-free heating unit in a primary gathering area, such as the living room, kitchen, family room, dining room or home office, allows the homeowner to lower the thermostat for their central heating system. Furthermore, vent-free units offer peace of mind: most vent-free appliances do not use electricity, so they provide heat whenever it is needed, even during power outages. All vent-free gas products incorporate a revolutionary European technology called an Oxygen Detection Safety-pilot (ODS). These pilots were introduced in the U.S. in the early 1980s and are now standard equipment on all vent-free gas products. The pilot is designed to be stable within a very narrow operating range. In the rare instance that oxygen in the room approaches the ANSI defined minimum, the ODS turns off the gas supply to the appliance. The unit will not operate until the space is properly ventilated and the appliance is manually restarted. Worldwide, more than 40 million ODS units have been sold. Vent-Free on TV: Check Out PBS In the fall, be sure to check your cable channels for "The American Environmental Review," hosted by Charlton Heston. An entire segment of this series features vent-free gas appliances. Copies of this video will be distributed throughout the country to local TV stations, hearth product retailers and gas utilities. Vent-free gas products can be found in hearth product retail shops, hardware stores, specialty shops and home centers. For more information, you may obtain a free 16-page Consumer Guide to Vent-Free Gas Products brochure by writing to the Vent-Free Gas Products Alliance at 2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 800, Arlington, VA 22201 and ask for publication 98-1. Or, visit the Web site at http://www.gamanet.org/consumer/ventfree.