Taco Family of Companies, based in Cranston, R.I., has acquired the Taconova Group, which creates innovative hydronic solutions for heating, plumbing and solar energy applications in residential and commercial buildings.

John Hazen White, Sr., second-generation owner of Taco, started Taconova in 1961 as a European trading company for Taco Inc. before selling it to the Guinness Group in 1980. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Taconova specializes in intelligent building technology solutions. The company offers a broad range of hydronic applications, including hydronic balancing, underfloor heating, distribution technology, system technology and valves. This acquisition now strengthens Taco’s presence in Europe, especially the northern markets.

In a call to the BNP Media Plumbing Group on Nov. 21, John Hazen White, Jr., announced, “This little company of mine has become something larger and is moving fast. It’s an amazing time.

“As of last Wednesday, we closed on that company [Taconova] in Zurich. It’s bringing home my father’s baby from 1961, which is very emotional for me, and it’s a company that provides advanced valving, flow balancing, heating and HVAC.”

He added, “We’re ending up with this global leader in energy efficiency and comfort solutions. The ECM pumps currently exceed all upcoming DOE efficiency standards, and we’re publishing these products now on the Hydraulic Institute website, where people can go to reference what products manufacturers have available to meet the requirements.”

What's in store for Taco

The company plans on expanding its domestic hot water recirculation product line. During a Q&A with our group, Hazen White, Jr., addressed the DOE and small circulator standards. “The fact is the standards for ECM high-efficiency circulators haven’t been written, but we have not waited for the standards to be written. We have gone out and impactfully worked through with the energy-efficiency rebate organizations in a way which has driven and is driving the market to ECM circulators much faster than the DOE. There’s money out there — lots and lots of money — to be given out in rebates. To wait for the DOE to write these things would put you five years behind the market.”

Taco is also concentrating on adapting to the needs and growth of the hydronics industry. This includes technology. In regards to its product connectivity, Hazen White, Jr. said, “Taco eLink is a first in the industry. There has been a bit of a wow factor.

“What can’t you do with technology these days. One of our goals is to make our products easily connected to us and our customers. If there are problems, we can help diagnose them.”