diff --git a/tests/TestOfMailer.php b/tests/TestOfMailer.php
index b02e837ef1..8aba437d7c 100644
--- a/tests/TestOfMailer.php
+++ b/tests/TestOfMailer.php
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 require_once THINKUP_WEBAPP_PATH.'_lib/extlib/simpletest/autorun.php';
 require_once THINKUP_WEBAPP_PATH.'config.inc.php';
 
-class TestOfMailer extends ThinkUpBasicUnitTestCase {
+class TestOfMailer extends ThinkUpUnitTestCase {
 
     public function setUp() {
         parent::setUp();
@@ -59,12 +59,24 @@ public function testFromName() {
         $email_body);
 
         $config->setValue("app_title_prefix", "My Other Installation of ");
-        $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = "my_other_hostname";
+        $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = null;
+        $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] = "my_other_hostname";
         Mailer::mail('you@example.com', 'Testing 123', 'Me worky, yo?');
         $email_body = Mailer::getLastMail();
         $this->debug($email_body);
         $this->assertPattern('/From: "My Other Installation of ThinkUp" <notifications@my_other_hostname>/',
         $email_body);
+
+        $config->setValue("app_title_prefix", "Yet Another Installation of ");
+        $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = null;
+        $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] = null;
+        $builder = FixtureBuilder::build('options', array('namespace'=>'application_options',
+        'option_name'=>'server_name', 'option_value'=>'testservername') );
+        Mailer::mail('you@example.com', 'Testing 123', 'Me worky, yo?');
+        $email_body = Mailer::getLastMail();
+        $this->debug($email_body);
+        $this->assertPattern('/From: "Yet Another Installation of ThinkUp" <notifications@testservername>/',
+        $email_body);
     }
 
     public function testMandrill() {
diff --git a/tests/TestOfUtils.php b/tests/TestOfUtils.php
index b014232584..76f730da5c 100755
--- a/tests/TestOfUtils.php
+++ b/tests/TestOfUtils.php
@@ -218,6 +218,29 @@ public function testGetSiteRootPathFromFileSystem() {
         $this->assertEqual($filesystem_site_root_path, $cfg_site_root_path);
     }
 
+    public function testGetApplicationHostName() {
+        //no $_SERVER vars set, but with application setting set
+        $builder = FixtureBuilder::build('options', array('namespace'=>'application_options',
+        'option_name'=>'server_name', 'option_value'=>'testservername') );
+        $host_name = Utils::getApplicationHostName();
+        $expected_host_name = 'testservername';
+        $this->assertEqual($host_name, $expected_host_name);
+
+        //SERVER_NAME, not HTTP_HOST
+        $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = null;
+        $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] = 'mytestservername';
+        $host_name = Utils::getApplicationHostName();
+        $expected_host_name = 'mytestservername';
+        $this->assertEqual($host_name, $expected_host_name);
+
+        //HTTP_HOST, not SERVER_NAME
+        $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] = 'myothertestservername';
+        $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'] = null;
+        $host_name = Utils::getApplicationHostName();
+        $expected_host_name = 'myothertestservername';
+        $this->assertEqual($host_name, $expected_host_name);
+    }
+
     public function testGetApplicationURL() {
         $cfg = Config::getInstance();
         $cfg->setValue('site_root_path', '/my/path/to/thinkup/');
diff --git a/webapp/_lib/class.Mailer.php b/webapp/_lib/class.Mailer.php
index d994caab06..a81c299d94 100644
--- a/webapp/_lib/class.Mailer.php
+++ b/webapp/_lib/class.Mailer.php
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public static function mail($to, $subject, $message) {
      */
     public static function mailHTMLViaMandrillTemplate($to, $subject, $template_name, $template_params) {
         $config = Config::getInstance();
-        $host = self::getHost();
+        $host = Utils::getApplicationHostName();
         $app_title = $config->getValue('app_title_prefix'). "ThinkUp";
         $mandrill_api_key = $config->getValue('mandrill_api_key');
 
@@ -92,19 +92,8 @@ public static function mailHTMLViaMandrillTemplate($to, $subject, $template_name
             // We want to be able to handle this specific error differently.
             throw $unknown_template_error;
         } catch (Mandrill_Error $e) {
-            throw new Exception('An error occurred while sending email via Mandrill. ' . get_class($e) .
-            ': ' . $e->getMessage());
-        }
-    }
-    /**
-     * Return the current host's name, ie, $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] if it is set.
-     * @return str Host name
-     */
-    private static function getHost() {
-        if (isset($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'])) {
-            return $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
-        } else {
-            return "";
+            throw new Exception('An error occurred while sending email to '.$to.' from '.$from.' via Mandrill. '
+            . get_class($e) . ': ' . $e->getMessage());
         }
     }
     /**
@@ -142,7 +131,7 @@ public static function mailViaPHP($to, $subject, $message) {
         $config = Config::getInstance();
 
         $app_title = $config->getValue('app_title_prefix'). "ThinkUp";
-        $host = self::getHost();
+        $host = Utils::getApplicationHostName();
 
         $mail_header = "From: \"{$app_title}\" <notifications@{$host}>\r\n";
         $mail_header .= "X-Mailer: PHP/".phpversion();
@@ -168,7 +157,7 @@ public static function mailViaMandrill($to, $subject, $message) {
         $config = Config::getInstance();
 
         $app_title = $config->getValue('app_title_prefix') . "ThinkUp";
-        $host = self::getHost();
+        $host = Utils::getApplicationHostName();
         $mandrill_api_key = $config->getValue('mandrill_api_key');
 
         try {
diff --git a/webapp/_lib/class.Utils.php b/webapp/_lib/class.Utils.php
index 793ae914ab..c9d9dde158 100644
--- a/webapp/_lib/class.Utils.php
+++ b/webapp/_lib/class.Utils.php
@@ -294,19 +294,18 @@ public static function getSiteRootPathFromFileSystem() {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Get the application's full URL, i.e., https://example.com/thinkup/
-     * @param $replace_localhost_with_ip Default to false
-     * @return str
+     * Get the application's host name or server name, i.e., example.com.
+     * @return str Host name either set by PHP global vars or stored in the database
      */
-    public static function getApplicationURL($replace_localhost_with_ip = false) {
+    public static function getApplicationHostName() {
         //First attempt to get the host name without querying the database
         //Try SERVER_NAME
         $server = empty($_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']) ? '' : $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'];
-        //Try HTTP_HOST
+        //Second, try HTTP_HOST
         if ($server == '' ) {
             $server = empty($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']) ? '' : $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
         }
-        //Then fall back to stored application setting set by Installer::storeServerName
+        //Finally fall back to stored application setting set by Installer::storeServerName
         if ($server == '') {
             $option_dao = DAOFactory::getDAO('OptionDAO');
             $server_app_setting = $option_dao->getOptionByName(OptionDAO::APP_OPTIONS, 'server_name');
@@ -314,11 +313,21 @@ public static function getApplicationURL($replace_localhost_with_ip = false) {
                 $server = $server_app_setting->option_value;
             }
         }
+        //domain name is always lowercase
+        $server = strtolower($server);
+        return $server;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get the application's full URL, i.e., https://example.com/thinkup/
+     * @param $replace_localhost_with_ip Default to false
+     * @return str
+     */
+    public static function getApplicationURL($replace_localhost_with_ip = false) {
+        $server = self::getApplicationHostName();
         if ($replace_localhost_with_ip) {
             $server = ($server == 'localhost')?'127.0.0.1':$server;
         }
-        //domain name is always lowercase
-        $server = strtolower($server);
         $site_root_path = Config::getInstance()->getValue('site_root_path');
         if (!isset($site_root_path)) { //config file not written yet (during install)
             $site_root_path = self::getSiteRootPathFromFileSystem();