Ten years ago, after working for conventional plumbers and recognizing a need for a “green” mechanical contractor who could meet the energy efficiency and home-comfort needs of the Vineyard, Brian Nelson and David Sprague teamed up as Nelson Mechanical Design (NMD). They design and install just about anything to do with alternative heating and air conditioning systems, as well as traditional plumbing, heating, and cooling systems. They call themselves “green” mechanical contractors. Their work includes water treatment, geothermal systems, heat pump systems, fossil fuel systems, air conditioning, solar hot thermal, plumbing, well water drilling, water treatment, ventilation, and Internet-accessible control systems.
Longtime business manager Megan Lizotte of Edgartown said about 60 percent of their work is with sustainable “green systems” for both residential and commercial buildings.
Master plumber Brian Nelson has a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master sheet-metal license, and is licensed by the EPA to handle refrigerants. He has lived on the Vineyard for 20 years, and resides in Vineyard Haven with his wife, five children, and three dogs. In the summer he can be found around the Island playing saxophone with his band Jelly Roll Horns.
David Sprague, an Island resident for about 15 years, is also a master plumber and master sheet-metal license holder, as well as an accredited geothermal installer, and a geothermal pipe fusion welder. He resides in West Tisbury with his four children, and is an avid fisherman.
Their residential work includes the design and installation of mechanical systems for the Vineyard’s first two LEED homes. LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program.
Several of their projects have won national awards: They were awarded first prize in “Most Innovative Green Design” and second prize in “Best Residential Green Design” in the 2009 nationwide Green Mechanical Awards. Their solar hot water systems include the Island’s largest residential solar hot water system, utilizing 20 panels, and the Island’s first commercial solar hot water installation, at the Edgartown restaurant Atria.
In the commercial world, NMD has helped business owners save tens of thousands of dollars in reduced fuel use through energy efficiency projects, according to their website. They designed and installed the extensive green geothermal heat exchanger system at the Mansion House hotel in Vineyard Haven that makes it one of the “greenest” hotels in the Northeast.
For more information call 508-696-3120.
