February 5, 2015
By Marc Bussanich
Queens, NY—That’s what the president of an insulator local in Long Island City said in a video interview as the insulators with the Heat & Frost Insulators Local 12 begin training in their brand new 25,000 square-foot training center.
In the accompanying video, we interviewed Matty Aracich, Local 12’s business manager, who explains that many people underestimate the value of mechanical insulation when it comes to saving energy and reducing energy costs. According to Aracich, just one man working a single day to properly insulate 45 feet of 8-inch high pressure steam can save an operator $13,600 in one year, and $272,000 over 20 years!
In the video, Aracich takes us on a tour of the training center where he explains how the newest apprentices are learning the tools of the trade.
“We just had a competition for the members. The mechanics actually competed against themselves to see who’s got bragging rights in Local 12. The idea is to create something where they compete together in a time frame of a few hours where they can display their wares against somebody else’s. Here they created a box that leads into a modern elbow, which comes into a lateral wire with a 45-degree pipe that comes into an equal ‘T,’ which then comes into a vessel and up to a stovepipe fitting. And that’s where we are,” said Aracich.
Aracich then noted the critical importance of the expert training that Local 12 apprentices receive before they march off into New York City’s tallest buildings and how the city benefits from that training.
“Some of the things the city wants to do are to prevent things like mold. Mold is something that just keeps growing; it grows on anything. As long as there is moisture and dampness and fresh air to provide a growing pattern, combined with a little heat, and it’s a recipe for disaster. The idea is if everything is well insulated, the city doesn’t experience condensation and is able to mitigate the mold problems, all while saving energy, creating a better and more sustainable and efficient world,” Aracich said.
@marcbuss marc@laborpress.org
