OWINGS MILLS, MD, February 24, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A new website launched this week to help those located in Baltimore or Harford county Maryland looking for a licensed, certified quality electrical contractor electrician. Calling the right MD electrician is a real thrill since this makes your job of planning and getting qualified work accomplished easier from start to finish.
Visit the free web site http://www.SnapperElectric.com to receive MD's premier electricians report 10 Mistakes People Make When Hiring An Electrician - How Hiring The Right Electrician Can Save You Money, Your House, Family And Business From Danger!.
Snapper Electric said, with the twists and turns of the economy I decided to give this free information which features savvy electrical planning ideas and other brilliant tips from a certified Md. electrician whether you are on a budget or just want to enhance your home or commercial project this web site was specifically created for you.
All our electricians are home owner and commercial property manager approved who love what they do which shines through during each call. All Snapper Electric electrical contractors and electricians are thoroughly screened so we know they can finish each job timely and correctly.
For more information contact Maryland licensed electrical contractor Snapper Electric (410) 808-4215 or visit their free web site http://www.SnapperElectric.com
For more information on this businesses fresh web site , visit http://www.SnapperElectric.com or call (410) 808-4215.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Jobs Near the Water
By The Mainebiz News Staff
Yesterday
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery plans to hire 250 new employees over the next seven months, adding to the 110 new apprentices enrolled in its training program this month.
Paul O'Connor, president of the Metal Trades Council at the shipyard, told Seacoast Online that about $85 million in construction work has been or will be started at the yard in 2010. He says that work is performed by outside private contractors, who will bring their crews to the yard. However, the net gain of jobs will only be 160, as 200 workers are slated to leave this year through attrition.
The facility will hire a variety of new workers, including machine tool operators, welders and electricians. Eddy also told the newspaper the shipyard will also recruit applicants for engineers, engineering technicians and administrative positions. Shipyard officials said the new hires are needed to work on the Navy's new Virginia-class nuclear submarines and the USS Virginia is scheduled to arrive at the shipyard for a scheduled overhaul this October, according to the website.
Yesterday
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery plans to hire 250 new employees over the next seven months, adding to the 110 new apprentices enrolled in its training program this month.
Paul O'Connor, president of the Metal Trades Council at the shipyard, told Seacoast Online that about $85 million in construction work has been or will be started at the yard in 2010. He says that work is performed by outside private contractors, who will bring their crews to the yard. However, the net gain of jobs will only be 160, as 200 workers are slated to leave this year through attrition.
The facility will hire a variety of new workers, including machine tool operators, welders and electricians. Eddy also told the newspaper the shipyard will also recruit applicants for engineers, engineering technicians and administrative positions. Shipyard officials said the new hires are needed to work on the Navy's new Virginia-class nuclear submarines and the USS Virginia is scheduled to arrive at the shipyard for a scheduled overhaul this October, according to the website.
Friday, February 26, 2010
electricians part of Google attack?
The University of Michigan is closely monitoring developments following allegations that cyber attacks were launched from the China campus of a university with ties to U-M.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with which U-M has a joint institute, is a central focus of an investigation into global cyber attacks on American companies like Google. The attackers reportedly gained access to the American companies’ servers in 2009 and spread malicious software in hopes of stealing sensitive information.
Analysts familiar with China’s political system and a professor who taught last summer at U-M’s Joint Institute with SJTU in Shanghai said they weren’t surprised the attacks may be connected to other branches of the Shanghai school.
University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman signs an agreement in 2005 establishing a Joint Institute with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. Federal investigators have traced global cyber attacks on companies like Google to SJTU computers in China. U-M's Joint Institute with SJTU, however, has not been tied to the attacks.
Photo courtesy of University of Michigan
But U-M, which sends about 10 engineering professors a year to teach at the Joint Institute, has no plans to reconsider its relationship with SJTU unless further evidence implicates its international educational partner.
“The Joint Institute provides an excellent opportunity for students from both schools to study abroad and come to better understand the implications of globalization,” James Holloway, associate dean for undergraduate education for U-M’s College of Engineering, said in an e-mail.
Internet protocol addresses for SJTU computers were identified as the source of attacks that resulted in security breaches at Google, which immediately threatened to leave China, according to the New York Times.
Technology experts told AnnArbor.com it’s possible investigators won’t be able to determine the exact location of the attacks. Attackers may have shrouded their operation under the guise of IP addresses from SJTU computers.
But SJTU is essentially controlled by China’s Communist government, which is actively involved in clandestine cyber intelligence operations. China’s government has denied any involvement in the cyber attacks.
David Munson, dean of U-M’s College of Engineering, which operates the Joint Institute along with SJTU, said he doesn’t see much reason for concern.
“We don’t know anything other than what we’ve read in places like the New York Times, and there isn’t any indication that the Joint Institute, which is our initiative over there, is involved in any way,” Munson said. “There isn’t any reason to believe that our relationship would be affected.”
U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said evidence tying SJTU to the attacks isn’t firm.
Cyber attacks and Shanghai Jiao Tong University
“It’s way too early to talk about how this will affect the relationship,” he said. “This is one incident where no one is really sure where the source is. It’s clearly one of those things where we’re watching the situation closely.”
Munson and U-M professors said they don’t teach advanced computer science skills to students at the Joint Institute with SJTU, although some basic algorithmic and computer programming skills are taught there.
U-M officials stressed the Joint Institute consists of electrical and mechanical engineering students, not computer science majors.
“The focus here is really on engineering,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not computer science programming.”
SJTU, which has more than 30,000 full-time students, is a sprawling university with a broad range of expertise and initiatives.
Some 160 SJTU students are currently studying at U-M in Ann Arbor through the Joint Institute, Fitzgerald said. About 50 SJTU students had received U-M degrees as of 2005, the most recent data available.
U-M electrical engineering and mechanical engineering professors teach courses to SJTU Joint Institute students in China and in Ann Arbor. The only U-M professor currently working at SJTU in Shanghai is Jun Ni, the dean of the institute. He did not respond to requests seeking comment.
U-M engineering associate professor Mingyan Liu, who taught SJTU students in Shanghai in the summers of 2006 and 2009, said she wouldn’t be shocked if SJTU students were involved in the Google attacks.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if students did mischievous things on their own. Perhaps mischievous is not the right world. Let’s say illegal. Students have been known to do that,” Liu said. “If they’re capable, they’re probably intrigued and challenged to do things they’re not supposed to do. That happens all the time.”
But Liu said she would be surprised if SJTU students were coordinating global cyber attacks on behalf of China’s Communist government or its industrial leaders.
“The government can certainly do this on their own. They have the resources,” she said. “Would they actually commission the students to do it? Now that seems far fetched.”
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with which U-M has a joint institute, is a central focus of an investigation into global cyber attacks on American companies like Google. The attackers reportedly gained access to the American companies’ servers in 2009 and spread malicious software in hopes of stealing sensitive information.
Analysts familiar with China’s political system and a professor who taught last summer at U-M’s Joint Institute with SJTU in Shanghai said they weren’t surprised the attacks may be connected to other branches of the Shanghai school.
University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman signs an agreement in 2005 establishing a Joint Institute with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. Federal investigators have traced global cyber attacks on companies like Google to SJTU computers in China. U-M's Joint Institute with SJTU, however, has not been tied to the attacks.
Photo courtesy of University of Michigan
But U-M, which sends about 10 engineering professors a year to teach at the Joint Institute, has no plans to reconsider its relationship with SJTU unless further evidence implicates its international educational partner.
“The Joint Institute provides an excellent opportunity for students from both schools to study abroad and come to better understand the implications of globalization,” James Holloway, associate dean for undergraduate education for U-M’s College of Engineering, said in an e-mail.
Internet protocol addresses for SJTU computers were identified as the source of attacks that resulted in security breaches at Google, which immediately threatened to leave China, according to the New York Times.
Technology experts told AnnArbor.com it’s possible investigators won’t be able to determine the exact location of the attacks. Attackers may have shrouded their operation under the guise of IP addresses from SJTU computers.
But SJTU is essentially controlled by China’s Communist government, which is actively involved in clandestine cyber intelligence operations. China’s government has denied any involvement in the cyber attacks.
David Munson, dean of U-M’s College of Engineering, which operates the Joint Institute along with SJTU, said he doesn’t see much reason for concern.
“We don’t know anything other than what we’ve read in places like the New York Times, and there isn’t any indication that the Joint Institute, which is our initiative over there, is involved in any way,” Munson said. “There isn’t any reason to believe that our relationship would be affected.”
U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said evidence tying SJTU to the attacks isn’t firm.
Cyber attacks and Shanghai Jiao Tong University
“It’s way too early to talk about how this will affect the relationship,” he said. “This is one incident where no one is really sure where the source is. It’s clearly one of those things where we’re watching the situation closely.”
Munson and U-M professors said they don’t teach advanced computer science skills to students at the Joint Institute with SJTU, although some basic algorithmic and computer programming skills are taught there.
U-M officials stressed the Joint Institute consists of electrical and mechanical engineering students, not computer science majors.
“The focus here is really on engineering,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s not computer science programming.”
SJTU, which has more than 30,000 full-time students, is a sprawling university with a broad range of expertise and initiatives.
Some 160 SJTU students are currently studying at U-M in Ann Arbor through the Joint Institute, Fitzgerald said. About 50 SJTU students had received U-M degrees as of 2005, the most recent data available.
U-M electrical engineering and mechanical engineering professors teach courses to SJTU Joint Institute students in China and in Ann Arbor. The only U-M professor currently working at SJTU in Shanghai is Jun Ni, the dean of the institute. He did not respond to requests seeking comment.
U-M engineering associate professor Mingyan Liu, who taught SJTU students in Shanghai in the summers of 2006 and 2009, said she wouldn’t be shocked if SJTU students were involved in the Google attacks.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if students did mischievous things on their own. Perhaps mischievous is not the right world. Let’s say illegal. Students have been known to do that,” Liu said. “If they’re capable, they’re probably intrigued and challenged to do things they’re not supposed to do. That happens all the time.”
But Liu said she would be surprised if SJTU students were coordinating global cyber attacks on behalf of China’s Communist government or its industrial leaders.
“The government can certainly do this on their own. They have the resources,” she said. “Would they actually commission the students to do it? Now that seems far fetched.”
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Creating Jobs for Electricians
By David Johnson
Special to The Times
PREV of NEXT
Enlarge this photo
THE jobs crisis in Washington has been well-documented, but nowhere has the lack of jobs hit harder than in the construction industry. As the head of the statewide coalition of construction unions, representing 50,000 workers, I have seen our industry endure 23 straight months of job losses and account for nearly a third of all jobs lost in the state in 2009.
We are usually prepared as an industry for an unemployment rate of around 9.5 percent, which is where statewide unemployment stands right now; but instead the construction industry is experiencing an average of 35 percent unemployment, and as high as 50 percent in some parts of the state.
In previous lean times, our state's construction workers were able to find work in others parts of the country, such as car plants in the Midwest or oil refineries off the California coast. But our country is in the middle of the worst economy since the Great Depression, and even those jobs have dried up.
There don't seem to be many hopeful signs in sight. Experts say commercial construction, which accounts for 40 percent of the construction industry, will probably continue to decline nationally and statewide until the third quarter of 2011.
Our Legislature, however, has the power to help. While our state lawmakers have proposed several bills this session to create jobs, which we appreciate, we as an industry have focused much of our efforts on House Bill 3147 and Senate Bill 6789, companion bills that would remove a major barrier to bringing data-center construction — and thousands of jobs — back to Washington.
The legislation would authorize a temporary sales-tax exemption on the purchase and installation of computers and energy equipment for new data centers in rural counties. The bills have legislative support from both parties and from all parts of the state, and data-center builders and owners have already testified that they would build quickly in Washington if the tax burden were lifted.
It was not so long ago that the data-center industry was thriving in Eastern Washington, which has the inexpensive hydropower, temperate climate and fiber-optic infrastructure that data-center operators covet. Just a few years ago, we had up to 1,000 construction workers on duty at one time in Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties on multiple data-center projects. For the state's electricians alone, the projects amounted to work for 900 people, 2.7 million hours worked and $8.6 million to the local economy.
But in November 2007, everything changed. That was when the state attorney general determined that data centers do not qualify for an existing sales-tax exemption designed to attract business to rural areas.
Since then, no data centers have been built in Washington, and the industry has moved elsewhere. Just last month, Facebook announced it was building a data center in Prineville, Ore., instead. Google, Disney, Apple and even Seattle's Amazon have seriously considered Washington data centers and decided against them because of the tax climate.
Each of these data centers provides hundreds of construction jobs, 30 to 50 permanent high-wage jobs for operations and property-tax revenue for years to come — all for parts of the state that need it the most.
The data-center legislation in Olympia would bring a growing high-tech industry back to the state, create an economic stimulus for rural Washington and provide hundreds of jobs for our state's working families. It is an opportunity that our Legislature can't afford to pass up.
David Johnson is executive secretary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, a coalition of 15 construction unions across the state.
E-mail E-mail article Print Print view Share Share
More Opinion
NEW - 04:08 PM
Joni Balter / Seattle Times editorial columnist: Rossi paying attention to short-attention-span voters
NEW - 04:08 PM
Guest columnist: Lawmakers should bring back construction jobs by spurring data-center industry
Thomas Friedman / Syndicated Columnist: Seven years after Saddam, Iraq's fate still an open question
The president's high-stakes gamble on health care
NEW - 02:27 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: The people take a back seat to the corporation
More Opinion headlines...
Special to The Times
PREV of NEXT
Enlarge this photo
THE jobs crisis in Washington has been well-documented, but nowhere has the lack of jobs hit harder than in the construction industry. As the head of the statewide coalition of construction unions, representing 50,000 workers, I have seen our industry endure 23 straight months of job losses and account for nearly a third of all jobs lost in the state in 2009.
We are usually prepared as an industry for an unemployment rate of around 9.5 percent, which is where statewide unemployment stands right now; but instead the construction industry is experiencing an average of 35 percent unemployment, and as high as 50 percent in some parts of the state.
In previous lean times, our state's construction workers were able to find work in others parts of the country, such as car plants in the Midwest or oil refineries off the California coast. But our country is in the middle of the worst economy since the Great Depression, and even those jobs have dried up.
There don't seem to be many hopeful signs in sight. Experts say commercial construction, which accounts for 40 percent of the construction industry, will probably continue to decline nationally and statewide until the third quarter of 2011.
Our Legislature, however, has the power to help. While our state lawmakers have proposed several bills this session to create jobs, which we appreciate, we as an industry have focused much of our efforts on House Bill 3147 and Senate Bill 6789, companion bills that would remove a major barrier to bringing data-center construction — and thousands of jobs — back to Washington.
The legislation would authorize a temporary sales-tax exemption on the purchase and installation of computers and energy equipment for new data centers in rural counties. The bills have legislative support from both parties and from all parts of the state, and data-center builders and owners have already testified that they would build quickly in Washington if the tax burden were lifted.
It was not so long ago that the data-center industry was thriving in Eastern Washington, which has the inexpensive hydropower, temperate climate and fiber-optic infrastructure that data-center operators covet. Just a few years ago, we had up to 1,000 construction workers on duty at one time in Chelan, Douglas and Grant counties on multiple data-center projects. For the state's electricians alone, the projects amounted to work for 900 people, 2.7 million hours worked and $8.6 million to the local economy.
But in November 2007, everything changed. That was when the state attorney general determined that data centers do not qualify for an existing sales-tax exemption designed to attract business to rural areas.
Since then, no data centers have been built in Washington, and the industry has moved elsewhere. Just last month, Facebook announced it was building a data center in Prineville, Ore., instead. Google, Disney, Apple and even Seattle's Amazon have seriously considered Washington data centers and decided against them because of the tax climate.
Each of these data centers provides hundreds of construction jobs, 30 to 50 permanent high-wage jobs for operations and property-tax revenue for years to come — all for parts of the state that need it the most.
The data-center legislation in Olympia would bring a growing high-tech industry back to the state, create an economic stimulus for rural Washington and provide hundreds of jobs for our state's working families. It is an opportunity that our Legislature can't afford to pass up.
David Johnson is executive secretary of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, a coalition of 15 construction unions across the state.
E-mail E-mail article Print Print view Share Share
More Opinion
NEW - 04:08 PM
Joni Balter / Seattle Times editorial columnist: Rossi paying attention to short-attention-span voters
NEW - 04:08 PM
Guest columnist: Lawmakers should bring back construction jobs by spurring data-center industry
Thomas Friedman / Syndicated Columnist: Seven years after Saddam, Iraq's fate still an open question
The president's high-stakes gamble on health care
NEW - 02:27 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: The people take a back seat to the corporation
More Opinion headlines...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Electrician Thank You
Feb. 23, 2010
KALAMAZOO--The retirements of three faculty and 25 staff members were approved by the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees at its February meeting.
Trustees also signed off on the return of four administrators to the faculty as well as a military-related faculty leave. The resignations of five faculty members were also accepted.
Retiring faculty members
All of the faculty members who are retiring are doing so with emeritus status.
Dr. Bruce M. Haight, professor of history, 45-1/2 years of service, effective April 30, 2015
Dr. Barbara Speas Havira, associate professor of history, 46 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2015
Dr. Richard L. Hodges, associate professor of accountancy, 25 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2010
In addition, the previously announced posthumous retirement of Dr. Elen M.C. Cutrim, a professor of geography who died April 15, 2009, was changed to Feb. 18, 2010.
Retiring staff members
Following is a list of the staff members retiring, in order of length of service.
Carl W. Doubleday, associate director of the School of Music, 42 years of service, effective June 6, 2010
Theodore J. Petropoulos, director of the Bernhard Center, 41 years of service, effective March 9, 2010
Kathryn A. Dalman, accountant in plant accounting, 33 years of service, effective April, 23, 2010
Margie P. Johnson, manager in Dining Services-Valley II, 33 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Cindy Lou Thorpe, custodian in Facilities Management-auxiliary custodial, 32 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Robert E. Norlin, carpet cleaner in Facilities Management-custodial and support services, 32 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Linda Jones, skilled trades helper in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 31-1/2 years of service, effective March 31, 2010
Jewell M. Street, assistant director of the Office of Institutional Equity, 31 years of service, effective March 17, 2010
Dawn Southworth, finance assistant in the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, 30 years of service, effective April 30, 2010
Annie Marton, custodian in Facilities Management-building custodial and support services, 25-1/2 years of service, effective April, 30, 2010
Ruth A. Bosch, registered nurse in the Sindecuse Health Center, 24-1/2 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Raymond H. Wolfram, manager of campus construction in Facilities Management-campus facilities, 24 years of service, effective April 26, 2010
Sabine J. Hayes, head cook in the Bernhard Center Dining Services, 24 years of service, effective Nov. 30, 2009
Joanne K. VandenBerg, office associate in Extended University Programs-Muskegon Regional Site, 23 years of service, effective April 30, 2010
Linda Doremus, manager of facilities and events for the Bernhard Center, 23-1/2 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
David L. Bunch, carpet/tile layer in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 23 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Randy D. VanAvery, carpenter in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 22-1/2 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Jeanne L. Bloemsma, office assistant in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 22-1/2 years of service, effective March 31, 2010
Janice S. Weaver, utility person/cash operations in Dining Services-Draper, 21-1/2 years of service, effective April 30, 2010
Rosanna F. Metoyer, coordinator of business operations in Auxiliary Enterprises, 21 years of service, effective Nov. 30, 2009
Patricia Nelson, office associate in the Department of Philosophy, 19-1/2 years of service, effective Jan. 31, 2010
Patricia S. Pulphus, senior clerk in the WMU Bookstore, 19 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Andrew C. Huang, systems specialist in Extended University Programs-Online Education, 16-1/2 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Michael J. Woodhams, licensed electrician in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 12 years of service, effective Oct. 22, 2009
Elinor R. Zantjer, utility food worker in Dining Services-Davis 10-1/2 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
KALAMAZOO--The retirements of three faculty and 25 staff members were approved by the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees at its February meeting.
Trustees also signed off on the return of four administrators to the faculty as well as a military-related faculty leave. The resignations of five faculty members were also accepted.
Retiring faculty members
All of the faculty members who are retiring are doing so with emeritus status.
Dr. Bruce M. Haight, professor of history, 45-1/2 years of service, effective April 30, 2015
Dr. Barbara Speas Havira, associate professor of history, 46 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2015
Dr. Richard L. Hodges, associate professor of accountancy, 25 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2010
In addition, the previously announced posthumous retirement of Dr. Elen M.C. Cutrim, a professor of geography who died April 15, 2009, was changed to Feb. 18, 2010.
Retiring staff members
Following is a list of the staff members retiring, in order of length of service.
Carl W. Doubleday, associate director of the School of Music, 42 years of service, effective June 6, 2010
Theodore J. Petropoulos, director of the Bernhard Center, 41 years of service, effective March 9, 2010
Kathryn A. Dalman, accountant in plant accounting, 33 years of service, effective April, 23, 2010
Margie P. Johnson, manager in Dining Services-Valley II, 33 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Cindy Lou Thorpe, custodian in Facilities Management-auxiliary custodial, 32 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Robert E. Norlin, carpet cleaner in Facilities Management-custodial and support services, 32 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Linda Jones, skilled trades helper in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 31-1/2 years of service, effective March 31, 2010
Jewell M. Street, assistant director of the Office of Institutional Equity, 31 years of service, effective March 17, 2010
Dawn Southworth, finance assistant in the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, 30 years of service, effective April 30, 2010
Annie Marton, custodian in Facilities Management-building custodial and support services, 25-1/2 years of service, effective April, 30, 2010
Ruth A. Bosch, registered nurse in the Sindecuse Health Center, 24-1/2 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Raymond H. Wolfram, manager of campus construction in Facilities Management-campus facilities, 24 years of service, effective April 26, 2010
Sabine J. Hayes, head cook in the Bernhard Center Dining Services, 24 years of service, effective Nov. 30, 2009
Joanne K. VandenBerg, office associate in Extended University Programs-Muskegon Regional Site, 23 years of service, effective April 30, 2010
Linda Doremus, manager of facilities and events for the Bernhard Center, 23-1/2 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
David L. Bunch, carpet/tile layer in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 23 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Randy D. VanAvery, carpenter in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 22-1/2 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Jeanne L. Bloemsma, office assistant in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 22-1/2 years of service, effective March 31, 2010
Janice S. Weaver, utility person/cash operations in Dining Services-Draper, 21-1/2 years of service, effective April 30, 2010
Rosanna F. Metoyer, coordinator of business operations in Auxiliary Enterprises, 21 years of service, effective Nov. 30, 2009
Patricia Nelson, office associate in the Department of Philosophy, 19-1/2 years of service, effective Jan. 31, 2010
Patricia S. Pulphus, senior clerk in the WMU Bookstore, 19 years of service, effective Feb. 28, 2010
Andrew C. Huang, systems specialist in Extended University Programs-Online Education, 16-1/2 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Michael J. Woodhams, licensed electrician in Facilities Management-maintenance services, 12 years of service, effective Oct. 22, 2009
Elinor R. Zantjer, utility food worker in Dining Services-Davis 10-1/2 years of service, effective Dec. 31, 2009
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Electricians Supprt Cancer Awareness
Press Release
For immediate release: 22 February 2010
Press contact: Louise Garrahan, Media Relations Officer, Breast Cancer Campaign,
DD 0207 749 3724, Email: lgarrahan@breastcancercampaign.org
Local electrician’s marathon effort to fund breast cancer research
Budding runner Ben Skingsley from Woodford Green, Essex has pulled on his running shoes to train for the Virgin London Marathon in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign.
The electrician will join thousands of runners at the starting line on Sunday 25 April in memory of his mother Tracy who sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2001 aged 38.
Ben said: “I want to run this marathon to raise money and awareness for a very worthy cause. I hope the sponsorship money I raise will be able to contribute and help others to survive this disease so that families do not have to suffer the loss of a loved one, like mine. Running the marathon will also hopefully make my mum proud of me.”
To help Ben reach his fundraising target of £1,500 please visit www.justgiving.com/ben-skingsley and donate what you can.
If you have a place in this year’s Virgin London Marathon and would like to join Ben on Campaign’s running team, please call the Events team on 0207 749 3700 or visit www.breastcancercampaign.org. As part of the team you will automatically become members of Linford’s All Stars – a new exclusive club captained by Linford Christie, who offers all his supporters helpful training tips and nutritional advice.
Ends
Picture caption: Ben Skingsley
Notes to editors
• Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure
• Currently it supports 112 research projects, worth over £16.8 million, in 42 centres of excellence across the UK and Ireland
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women
• In the UK, nearly 46,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year - that’s 125 a day
• Visit www.breastcancercampaign.org
• Read Chief Executive Pamela Goldberg’s blog http://pamelagoldbergblog.blogspot.com/
• Breast Cancer Campaign is campaigning for all candidates standing for election to Westminster to sign up to the breast cancer research pledge: www.breastcancercampaign.org/election
Press contact: Louise Garrahan, Media Relations Officer, Breast Cancer Campaign,
DD 0207 749 3724, Email: lgarrahan@breastcancercampaign.org
For immediate release: 22 February 2010
Press contact: Louise Garrahan, Media Relations Officer, Breast Cancer Campaign,
DD 0207 749 3724, Email: lgarrahan@breastcancercampaign.org
Local electrician’s marathon effort to fund breast cancer research
Budding runner Ben Skingsley from Woodford Green, Essex has pulled on his running shoes to train for the Virgin London Marathon in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign.
The electrician will join thousands of runners at the starting line on Sunday 25 April in memory of his mother Tracy who sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2001 aged 38.
Ben said: “I want to run this marathon to raise money and awareness for a very worthy cause. I hope the sponsorship money I raise will be able to contribute and help others to survive this disease so that families do not have to suffer the loss of a loved one, like mine. Running the marathon will also hopefully make my mum proud of me.”
To help Ben reach his fundraising target of £1,500 please visit www.justgiving.com/ben-skingsley and donate what you can.
If you have a place in this year’s Virgin London Marathon and would like to join Ben on Campaign’s running team, please call the Events team on 0207 749 3700 or visit www.breastcancercampaign.org. As part of the team you will automatically become members of Linford’s All Stars – a new exclusive club captained by Linford Christie, who offers all his supporters helpful training tips and nutritional advice.
Ends
Picture caption: Ben Skingsley
Notes to editors
• Breast Cancer Campaign aims to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure
• Currently it supports 112 research projects, worth over £16.8 million, in 42 centres of excellence across the UK and Ireland
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK and accounts for nearly one in three of all cancers in women
• In the UK, nearly 46,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year - that’s 125 a day
• Visit www.breastcancercampaign.org
• Read Chief Executive Pamela Goldberg’s blog http://pamelagoldbergblog.blogspot.com/
• Breast Cancer Campaign is campaigning for all candidates standing for election to Westminster to sign up to the breast cancer research pledge: www.breastcancercampaign.org/election
Press contact: Louise Garrahan, Media Relations Officer, Breast Cancer Campaign,
DD 0207 749 3724, Email: lgarrahan@breastcancercampaign.org
Monday, February 22, 2010
Electricians Dies for Country
The Associated Press
Posted: 02/20/2010 10:12:07 PM PST
Updated: 02/20/2010 10:12:07 PM PST
SAN DIEGO—The Navy says a 36-year-old sailor from San Diego was killed in an electrical accident aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
In a statement released Saturday, the Navy says Electrician's Mate Chief John G. Conyers suffered severe electrical shock while conducting routine work as the ship underwent repairs at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego Bay.
Conyers was taken by ambulance to Sharp Coronado Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Friday afternoon.
The statement says Conyers was an 11-year Navy veteran and is survived by a wife and daughter.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Posted: 02/20/2010 10:12:07 PM PST
Updated: 02/20/2010 10:12:07 PM PST
SAN DIEGO—The Navy says a 36-year-old sailor from San Diego was killed in an electrical accident aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
In a statement released Saturday, the Navy says Electrician's Mate Chief John G. Conyers suffered severe electrical shock while conducting routine work as the ship underwent repairs at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego Bay.
Conyers was taken by ambulance to Sharp Coronado Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Friday afternoon.
The statement says Conyers was an 11-year Navy veteran and is survived by a wife and daughter.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Big Boys to Spend Big Bucks for Construction
Friday, February 19, 2010
REAL ESTATE
AvalonBay cranks up apartment building
AvalonBay Communities, the second-largest publicly traded apartment owner in the United States, plans to start $400 million worth of construction this year, expecting record vacancies to give way to a rental shortage by 2012.
The Alexandria company began projects in Massachusetts and New Jersey in the fourth quarter after a nine-month hiatus, AvalonBay chief executive Bryce Blair said. Work on as many as seven more will get underway this year, as competitors wait for the market to improve or financing to become available.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021805573.html
REAL ESTATE
AvalonBay cranks up apartment building
AvalonBay Communities, the second-largest publicly traded apartment owner in the United States, plans to start $400 million worth of construction this year, expecting record vacancies to give way to a rental shortage by 2012.
The Alexandria company began projects in Massachusetts and New Jersey in the fourth quarter after a nine-month hiatus, AvalonBay chief executive Bryce Blair said. Work on as many as seven more will get underway this year, as competitors wait for the market to improve or financing to become available.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021805573.html
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Electricians Know the Power
The Associated Press
Posted: 02/19/2010 11:08:34 AM PST
Updated: 02/19/2010 11:08:34 AM PST
EAST PALO ALTO, Calif.—Crews have replaced an electrical tower that was damaged when a small plane struck its power transmission lines and went down in a Silicon Valley neighborhood.
A spokeswoman for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says a new tower was erected around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Crews were expected to finish reattaching power lines to it Friday.
The fatal crash cut electricity to most of Palo Alto and surrounding areas for about 10 hours Wednesday. The utility says customers will not experience any outages during the tower work.
The crash that rained fiery debris onto East Palo Alto homes killed the three Tesla Motors employees on board: Doug Bourn, Andrew Ingram and Brian Finn. No one on the ground was injured.
Authorities are still investigating the cause and expect to release preliminary findings next week.
Posted: 02/19/2010 11:08:34 AM PST
Updated: 02/19/2010 11:08:34 AM PST
EAST PALO ALTO, Calif.—Crews have replaced an electrical tower that was damaged when a small plane struck its power transmission lines and went down in a Silicon Valley neighborhood.
A spokeswoman for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. says a new tower was erected around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Crews were expected to finish reattaching power lines to it Friday.
The fatal crash cut electricity to most of Palo Alto and surrounding areas for about 10 hours Wednesday. The utility says customers will not experience any outages during the tower work.
The crash that rained fiery debris onto East Palo Alto homes killed the three Tesla Motors employees on board: Doug Bourn, Andrew Ingram and Brian Finn. No one on the ground was injured.
Authorities are still investigating the cause and expect to release preliminary findings next week.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Indian Electricians Look at Long Term Contract♦
BANGALORE: After a recent high-voltage midnight drama over the e-tender process for projects worth crores of rupees, BBMP is stuck in another controversy over tenders for streetlights.
A team of ex-mayors and contractors on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, alleging discrepancies in awarding contracts. These include projects worth nearly Rs 500 crore, which were to be recommended for some contractors by BBMP.
A copy of the memorandum to the Lokayukta was released to the media on Wednesday. K N Sundararajulu, former deputy mayor, said BBMP was supposed to have called for a global tender for a project that included energy saving systems and streetlight maintenance.
The Karnataka Lokopayogi Electrical Contractors Association, which he represented, estimated the cost of the contract to be Rs 500 crore.
"The Palike recommended the contract should be given for 15 years. How can that be done when technology keeps changing? There is no elected body in BBMP, so how can the corporation give a contract for such a long period?," he questioned. Alleging that it was unclear who would certify several aspects of streetlight maintenance, he said the estimated cost of the contract itself was not calculated yet.
Now, a formal complaint has been filed with the Lokayukta about alleged discrepancies in recommendations by BBMP to the government.
A team of ex-mayors and contractors on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Lokayukta, alleging discrepancies in awarding contracts. These include projects worth nearly Rs 500 crore, which were to be recommended for some contractors by BBMP.
A copy of the memorandum to the Lokayukta was released to the media on Wednesday. K N Sundararajulu, former deputy mayor, said BBMP was supposed to have called for a global tender for a project that included energy saving systems and streetlight maintenance.
The Karnataka Lokopayogi Electrical Contractors Association, which he represented, estimated the cost of the contract to be Rs 500 crore.
"The Palike recommended the contract should be given for 15 years. How can that be done when technology keeps changing? There is no elected body in BBMP, so how can the corporation give a contract for such a long period?," he questioned. Alleging that it was unclear who would certify several aspects of streetlight maintenance, he said the estimated cost of the contract itself was not calculated yet.
Now, a formal complaint has been filed with the Lokayukta about alleged discrepancies in recommendations by BBMP to the government.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Home Construction for Electricians Hopeful
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER and DANIEL WAGNER (AP) – 4 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Hopes that the economy can sustain its recovery drew support Wednesday from news that industrial ouput rose for a seventh straight month and home construction hit a six-month peak in January.
Analysts cautioned, though, that the gains in both sectors could falter if consumer demand weakens.
The report on industrial production from the Federal Reserve showed gains in all three major categories: manufacturing, mining and utilities. It was the first such collective show of strength since August. Manufacturing output rose 1 percent, led by a nearly 5 percent gain in auto production.
Manufacturing has been a big contributor to the early stages of the economic rebound. In the fourth quarter, for example, roughly two-thirds of growth came from a burst of manufacturing activity. Factories have been churning out goods for businesses that had let their stockpiles dwindle as a way to save cash.
A separate sign of strength came in a Commerce Department report on housing construction. Home building posted a better-than-expected increase last month.
Construction rose 2.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 units. That was better than the 580,000 annual pace economists were forecasting. Applications for building permits, a gauge of future activity, fell 4.9 percent to a rate of 621,000. That followed two months of sharp increases.
Also Wednesday, Federal Reserve policymakers forecast that unemployment will stay high over the next two years. They said it will take "some time" for the economy and the job market to return to normal. The policymakers did not spell out how long that would be. Previously, they suggested it could take five or six years for economic conditions to return to full health.
In its updated projections, the Fed said the jobless rate this year could hover between 9.5 percent and 9.7 percent and 8.2 percent to 8.5 percent next year.
The Treasury Department, meanwhile, said the federal budget deficit through the first four months of the budget year is running at a record-breaking pace. The red ink reflects the continued fallout from the recession and financial crisis. It highlights the challenges President Barack Obama faces in trying to get the deficit down to manageable levels.
In the meantime, U.S. manufacturers are benefiting "across the board" as companies rebuild inventories, creating especially robust demand for metals, chemicals and paper, said Thomas Duesterberg of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, an industry group.
Still, companies will eventually let their inventories fall again unless consumers — who account for about 70 percent of the economy — spend more. Unlike past rebounds driven by the spending of ordinary shoppers, this one appears to hinge on spending by businesses, foreigners and — until it runs out — government stimulus.
Last month's gains in home construction add to evidence that the industry is starting to sustain its recovery from its worst slump in decades. Still, analysts noted that most of the strength came from a jump in the volatile sector of apartment buildings. The much larger single-family category rose only slightly and didn't make up for a sharp decline in December.
Overall housing activity remains sluggish. Construction is now 23 percent above its record low of April. But January's seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 is still far below a normal monthly construction rate in a healthy economy: An annualized rate of about 1.5 million single-family homes and apartments per month.
Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight, said he doesn't think construction will return to that pace until early 2012. He pointed to problems in the market for multifamily buildings, including high rental vacancy rates. Builders also are having trouble getting construction loans.
And economists cautioned that a housing recovery could stall if the government's tax credits for home buyers expire as scheduled at the end of April. They also noted that the gains in industrial production, though encouraging, may provide only limited benefit to the broader economy.
"Unfortunately, activity in other sectors of the economy, such as housing and services, is still relatively weak," Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note. "The problem is that the factory sector is now such a small part of the overall economy that the wider impact will be modest."
The increase in home construction last month was led by a 10 percent jump in activity in the Northeast and an 8.9 percent increase in the West. Construction was up a smaller 1 percent in the South and 3.2 percent in the Midwest.
The strength in January pushed construction activity up 21.1 percent from the pace in January 2009. Even with last month's gain, the annual rate of construction starts remains 72 percent below the peak reached in early 2006, when a speculative boom drove home building to unsustainable levels.
Construction of single-family homes rose 1.5 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 484,000. Far stronger was building of multifamily units. It surged 9.2 percent to an annual rate of 107,000 units.
On Tuesday, the National Association of Home Builders said its housing market index — a measure of builders' confidence — rose two points to 17 in February, after having fallen for two months.
That increase in sentiment was likely influenced, in part, by a report this month that the nation's unemployment rate fell in January to 9.7 percent — still high, but lower than the 10 percent rate in December.
In addition, mortgage rates are hovering around 5 percent, pushed down by a Federal Reserve program to buy mortgage-backed securities. And builders say they are also seeing a boost in the demand for homes coming from a government stimulus program. That program provides tax credits of up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers and up to $6,500 for current homeowners who decide to move.
But private economists worry that the gains in housing could falter if mortgage rates begin to rise once the Fed withdraws its support and once the tax credits expire.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON — Hopes that the economy can sustain its recovery drew support Wednesday from news that industrial ouput rose for a seventh straight month and home construction hit a six-month peak in January.
Analysts cautioned, though, that the gains in both sectors could falter if consumer demand weakens.
The report on industrial production from the Federal Reserve showed gains in all three major categories: manufacturing, mining and utilities. It was the first such collective show of strength since August. Manufacturing output rose 1 percent, led by a nearly 5 percent gain in auto production.
Manufacturing has been a big contributor to the early stages of the economic rebound. In the fourth quarter, for example, roughly two-thirds of growth came from a burst of manufacturing activity. Factories have been churning out goods for businesses that had let their stockpiles dwindle as a way to save cash.
A separate sign of strength came in a Commerce Department report on housing construction. Home building posted a better-than-expected increase last month.
Construction rose 2.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 units. That was better than the 580,000 annual pace economists were forecasting. Applications for building permits, a gauge of future activity, fell 4.9 percent to a rate of 621,000. That followed two months of sharp increases.
Also Wednesday, Federal Reserve policymakers forecast that unemployment will stay high over the next two years. They said it will take "some time" for the economy and the job market to return to normal. The policymakers did not spell out how long that would be. Previously, they suggested it could take five or six years for economic conditions to return to full health.
In its updated projections, the Fed said the jobless rate this year could hover between 9.5 percent and 9.7 percent and 8.2 percent to 8.5 percent next year.
The Treasury Department, meanwhile, said the federal budget deficit through the first four months of the budget year is running at a record-breaking pace. The red ink reflects the continued fallout from the recession and financial crisis. It highlights the challenges President Barack Obama faces in trying to get the deficit down to manageable levels.
In the meantime, U.S. manufacturers are benefiting "across the board" as companies rebuild inventories, creating especially robust demand for metals, chemicals and paper, said Thomas Duesterberg of the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, an industry group.
Still, companies will eventually let their inventories fall again unless consumers — who account for about 70 percent of the economy — spend more. Unlike past rebounds driven by the spending of ordinary shoppers, this one appears to hinge on spending by businesses, foreigners and — until it runs out — government stimulus.
Last month's gains in home construction add to evidence that the industry is starting to sustain its recovery from its worst slump in decades. Still, analysts noted that most of the strength came from a jump in the volatile sector of apartment buildings. The much larger single-family category rose only slightly and didn't make up for a sharp decline in December.
Overall housing activity remains sluggish. Construction is now 23 percent above its record low of April. But January's seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 is still far below a normal monthly construction rate in a healthy economy: An annualized rate of about 1.5 million single-family homes and apartments per month.
Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight, said he doesn't think construction will return to that pace until early 2012. He pointed to problems in the market for multifamily buildings, including high rental vacancy rates. Builders also are having trouble getting construction loans.
And economists cautioned that a housing recovery could stall if the government's tax credits for home buyers expire as scheduled at the end of April. They also noted that the gains in industrial production, though encouraging, may provide only limited benefit to the broader economy.
"Unfortunately, activity in other sectors of the economy, such as housing and services, is still relatively weak," Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note. "The problem is that the factory sector is now such a small part of the overall economy that the wider impact will be modest."
The increase in home construction last month was led by a 10 percent jump in activity in the Northeast and an 8.9 percent increase in the West. Construction was up a smaller 1 percent in the South and 3.2 percent in the Midwest.
The strength in January pushed construction activity up 21.1 percent from the pace in January 2009. Even with last month's gain, the annual rate of construction starts remains 72 percent below the peak reached in early 2006, when a speculative boom drove home building to unsustainable levels.
Construction of single-family homes rose 1.5 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 484,000. Far stronger was building of multifamily units. It surged 9.2 percent to an annual rate of 107,000 units.
On Tuesday, the National Association of Home Builders said its housing market index — a measure of builders' confidence — rose two points to 17 in February, after having fallen for two months.
That increase in sentiment was likely influenced, in part, by a report this month that the nation's unemployment rate fell in January to 9.7 percent — still high, but lower than the 10 percent rate in December.
In addition, mortgage rates are hovering around 5 percent, pushed down by a Federal Reserve program to buy mortgage-backed securities. And builders say they are also seeing a boost in the demand for homes coming from a government stimulus program. That program provides tax credits of up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers and up to $6,500 for current homeowners who decide to move.
But private economists worry that the gains in housing could falter if mortgage rates begin to rise once the Fed withdraws its support and once the tax credits expire.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tough Time for Construction
February 16, 2010
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included an estimated $135 billion dedicated to a host of construction activity. "The legislation held great promise for a construction industry that was just beginning to feel the pain of our sharp economic downturn," said Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractor of America. "In the past 12 months since the stimulus was enacted conditions have gone from bad to worse. Construction spending has declined by $100 billion prompting nearly 1 million layoffs on top of the 1.1 million that had already occurred. Today almost 1 in 4 construction workers are unemployed and many once driving firms are wondering if 2010 will be there last year in business. But as dire as conditions are in the industry, things would have been much worse without the stimulus. Taken on the basic measure of whether stimulus has helped the economy and supporting jobs: yes."
Simonson, along with several contractors, discussed the impact of the Stimulus during a conference call held this afternoon. And while there has been speculation over the past year as to whether the Stimulus would indeed help the construction industry, those on the call today said it indeed has helped them.
"The stimulus is saving construction jobs, driving the demand for new equipment and delivering better and more efficient infrastructure in the economy," said Simonson. "The latest federal employment report showed that heavy and civil engineering remained stable in the past month while total employment declined by 75,000. Given heavy and civil engineering are the categories that have seen the most stimulus benefits so far it shows the stimulus has really made a difference compared to the other categories that have not gotten stimulus money."
So, if the Stimulus was such a success why is so much of the construction industry, particular the architectural segment, suffering from low unemployment levels?
"The sad fact is that overall declines in construction demand overwhelmed the benefits of the stimulus," said Simonson. "While the stimulus made $135 billion available for construction, those funds were spread out over several years. Worse, questions about 'buy American' provisions and the fact that federal and state contracting officials were overwhelmed by having more money than they could get out promptly has slowed the distribution of non-transportation stimulus funds. As a result the benefits of the stimulus in 2009 were concentrated in road construction."
However, Simonson quickly pointed out the bright side, explaining that the delays in construction spending other than transportation in 2009 means there should be significantly more stimulus opportunities for contractors in 2010.
"We expect many more construction projects to come online, especially for building contractors. Work will provide a much-needed lifeline for contractors allowing them to retain many of their workers," said Simonson. "Current trends in private sector and local and state government construction demand, however, mean the stimulus is unlikely to change current construction employment levels. With that said, the Stimulus will keep a bad situation from deteriorating further … the best way to guarantee that construction job are preserved is continuing to fund infrastructure investments; these are not just creating short-term construction worker and supplier jobs, but are adding to the nation's stock of infrastructure that will page dividends and higher productivity competiveness and safety for decades."
Need more info and analysis about the issues?
CLICK HERE to subscribe to USGlass magazine.
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included an estimated $135 billion dedicated to a host of construction activity. "The legislation held great promise for a construction industry that was just beginning to feel the pain of our sharp economic downturn," said Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractor of America. "In the past 12 months since the stimulus was enacted conditions have gone from bad to worse. Construction spending has declined by $100 billion prompting nearly 1 million layoffs on top of the 1.1 million that had already occurred. Today almost 1 in 4 construction workers are unemployed and many once driving firms are wondering if 2010 will be there last year in business. But as dire as conditions are in the industry, things would have been much worse without the stimulus. Taken on the basic measure of whether stimulus has helped the economy and supporting jobs: yes."
Simonson, along with several contractors, discussed the impact of the Stimulus during a conference call held this afternoon. And while there has been speculation over the past year as to whether the Stimulus would indeed help the construction industry, those on the call today said it indeed has helped them.
"The stimulus is saving construction jobs, driving the demand for new equipment and delivering better and more efficient infrastructure in the economy," said Simonson. "The latest federal employment report showed that heavy and civil engineering remained stable in the past month while total employment declined by 75,000. Given heavy and civil engineering are the categories that have seen the most stimulus benefits so far it shows the stimulus has really made a difference compared to the other categories that have not gotten stimulus money."
So, if the Stimulus was such a success why is so much of the construction industry, particular the architectural segment, suffering from low unemployment levels?
"The sad fact is that overall declines in construction demand overwhelmed the benefits of the stimulus," said Simonson. "While the stimulus made $135 billion available for construction, those funds were spread out over several years. Worse, questions about 'buy American' provisions and the fact that federal and state contracting officials were overwhelmed by having more money than they could get out promptly has slowed the distribution of non-transportation stimulus funds. As a result the benefits of the stimulus in 2009 were concentrated in road construction."
However, Simonson quickly pointed out the bright side, explaining that the delays in construction spending other than transportation in 2009 means there should be significantly more stimulus opportunities for contractors in 2010.
"We expect many more construction projects to come online, especially for building contractors. Work will provide a much-needed lifeline for contractors allowing them to retain many of their workers," said Simonson. "Current trends in private sector and local and state government construction demand, however, mean the stimulus is unlikely to change current construction employment levels. With that said, the Stimulus will keep a bad situation from deteriorating further … the best way to guarantee that construction job are preserved is continuing to fund infrastructure investments; these are not just creating short-term construction worker and supplier jobs, but are adding to the nation's stock of infrastructure that will page dividends and higher productivity competiveness and safety for decades."
Need more info and analysis about the issues?
CLICK HERE to subscribe to USGlass magazine.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Electrcians Educate the Public
http://www.modernghana.com/news/263937/1/fighting-electrical-fire-outbreaks-is-a-collective.html
Electricity has become an essential part of our daily lives to the extent that sometimes we feel we cannot live without it. Take a look around your home, work place, church and recreational centres and you will realise how we have inadvertently made electricity an integral part of our whole life.
One should not therefore be surprised that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our country is significantly tied to power supply. It is the lifeline of our industries and all other commercial activities.
Despite the significant role electricity plays in our daily lives, we rarely do think about how destructive it could be when not well taken care of. If one takes a look at the house or the office right now, one will realise the number of things being run on electricity without appropriate or close monitoring. The fact is, though we pay less attention to such items, it takes one of those items to spark an electrical fire and put the whole house or office in danger.
Current Fire Outbreak Statistics from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for the year 2009 reveals that as at January 25th 2010, electrical fires totaled 218, constituting 8.4% of 2,584 total fire outbreak.
It is my personal belief that the 218 electrical fires could have been prevented if we had done the right things because these sort of fires do not just happen instantly without prior warning signals. Sam Sowah Oblejumah, Head of Public Relations at the GNFS agreed with me that with a little bit of caution on our parts, we can all help minimise or possibly eliminate such fire outbreaks since they do not just happen.
Preventing electrical fire outbreaks should be everyone's responsibility instead of hoping that the government will come out with policies and frameworks to guide us in that direction. We have become so much used to depending on the government to the extent that some people now want to rely on the government to organise clean up campaigns before they will clean their own backyards and surrounding gutters. This kind of attitude will not take us far.
The Ghana Electrical Contractors' Association (GECA) took upon itself the responsibility of alerting the general public, particularly those who may require the services of electrical technicians to ensure that they deal with qualified technicians. Individuals or corporate bodies with little or no knowledge on electrical materials have also been advised to seek the assistance of electrical engineers or consultants in purchasing electrical materials.
The directive from GECA I believe addresses the major cause of electrical fires in our homes and offices. It is even now more relevant looking at the dramatic growth of the building industry within the last decade in this country. Admittedly, the increase in the construction of new buildings has resulted in demand for artisans, electrical engineers and other technicians identified with the building industry.
We should therefore not be surprised to see the influx of untrained and unqualified artisans, technicians and a host of others who are ready to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. Let us not be surprised that some customers willingly go for such persons to cut cost though they know very well such persons are not qualified.
Some of the devastating results of the shoddy work and the related use of inferior materials and contracting of unqualified contractors could definitely be the cause of many fire outbreaks in the country.
Studies of electrical fires in homes show that many problems are associated with improper installation of electrical devices by do-it-yourselfers or unqualified persons. Common errors that can lead to fires include the use of improperly rated devices such as switches or receptacles and loose connections at these devices. Both can lead to overheating and arcing that can start fires.
I think corporate bodies should begin to give much attention to their electrical connections and appliances. One suggestion I will put across here is that corporate organisations must possibly employ trained electricians who will solely be in charge of electrical connections, gadgets and accessories. These officers must regularly check all appliances before, during and after work and write reports. The cost of this preventive measure cannot be compared to the damages electrical fire could cause. So why not consider this?
It is also in place for our religious bodies to adopt the same approach. Faulty electrical instruments can cause electrical fires or even electrocution in the course of church activities. Need we wait to see several deaths in this regard before our religious organisations task well trained and qualified persons to examine their electrical gadgets and connections before, during and after church activities?
Back at home, it will be very helpful for all of us to adopt some practical steps that will help in preventing electrical fire outbreaks.
One practice I have become used to and can share here is that anytime I am about to step out of the room, I stand by the door and consider what could cause electrical spark in the room in my absence. By so doing, I make sure every electrical gadget is put off and unplugged from the socket taking into consideration the recent spate of power outage. The only gadget that is kept on is the fridge which has its own socket. You will be amazed how this works.
Sometimes you may have to use an extension cord to plug things in. If you have to use one, be sure not to plug too many things in it at once. Overloading an extension cord with too many appliances can cause it to become overheated, which can cause an electrical house fire. Extension cords are a common cause of electrical fires. You must be careful to use only extension cords that are rated for the power used by the device they are powering. Extension cords should never be used as a long term solution to the need for another receptacle. Extension cords must never be run inside walls or under rugs or furniture. Extension cords can get warm in use and must be able to dissipate this heat or they can start a fire.
Also, whenever you are removing an electrical cord from a wall socket, remove it carefully. Be careful you do not pull it out of the socket by pulling on the cord.
Do not make the mistake of running electrical cords under carpet. They may get trampled and become overheated. Please take note that when the electrical cords are starting to look worn with cracks, and wires are frayed, it is time to get rid of them.
One major area I know the government can step in with respect to this battle against electrical fires is by devising mechanisms to halt the influx of cheap and inferior electrical cables and gadgets into the country. This action apart from helping the fight against electrical fires will also boost our indigenous businesses in the electrical and telecommunication cables manufacturing sector.
Currently, there are three companies in this country that produce high quality electrical and telecommunication cables and other electrical accessories which can match all form of international standards. The advantage is that these companies, namely Nexans Kabelmetal (GH) Ltd., Tropical Cable and Conductor and Reroy Cables Limited can tailor their products to suit our local electrical demands.
Electricity has become an essential part of our daily lives to the extent that sometimes we feel we cannot live without it. Take a look around your home, work place, church and recreational centres and you will realise how we have inadvertently made electricity an integral part of our whole life.
One should not therefore be surprised that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of our country is significantly tied to power supply. It is the lifeline of our industries and all other commercial activities.
Despite the significant role electricity plays in our daily lives, we rarely do think about how destructive it could be when not well taken care of. If one takes a look at the house or the office right now, one will realise the number of things being run on electricity without appropriate or close monitoring. The fact is, though we pay less attention to such items, it takes one of those items to spark an electrical fire and put the whole house or office in danger.
Current Fire Outbreak Statistics from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for the year 2009 reveals that as at January 25th 2010, electrical fires totaled 218, constituting 8.4% of 2,584 total fire outbreak.
It is my personal belief that the 218 electrical fires could have been prevented if we had done the right things because these sort of fires do not just happen instantly without prior warning signals. Sam Sowah Oblejumah, Head of Public Relations at the GNFS agreed with me that with a little bit of caution on our parts, we can all help minimise or possibly eliminate such fire outbreaks since they do not just happen.
Preventing electrical fire outbreaks should be everyone's responsibility instead of hoping that the government will come out with policies and frameworks to guide us in that direction. We have become so much used to depending on the government to the extent that some people now want to rely on the government to organise clean up campaigns before they will clean their own backyards and surrounding gutters. This kind of attitude will not take us far.
The Ghana Electrical Contractors' Association (GECA) took upon itself the responsibility of alerting the general public, particularly those who may require the services of electrical technicians to ensure that they deal with qualified technicians. Individuals or corporate bodies with little or no knowledge on electrical materials have also been advised to seek the assistance of electrical engineers or consultants in purchasing electrical materials.
The directive from GECA I believe addresses the major cause of electrical fires in our homes and offices. It is even now more relevant looking at the dramatic growth of the building industry within the last decade in this country. Admittedly, the increase in the construction of new buildings has resulted in demand for artisans, electrical engineers and other technicians identified with the building industry.
We should therefore not be surprised to see the influx of untrained and unqualified artisans, technicians and a host of others who are ready to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. Let us not be surprised that some customers willingly go for such persons to cut cost though they know very well such persons are not qualified.
Some of the devastating results of the shoddy work and the related use of inferior materials and contracting of unqualified contractors could definitely be the cause of many fire outbreaks in the country.
Studies of electrical fires in homes show that many problems are associated with improper installation of electrical devices by do-it-yourselfers or unqualified persons. Common errors that can lead to fires include the use of improperly rated devices such as switches or receptacles and loose connections at these devices. Both can lead to overheating and arcing that can start fires.
I think corporate bodies should begin to give much attention to their electrical connections and appliances. One suggestion I will put across here is that corporate organisations must possibly employ trained electricians who will solely be in charge of electrical connections, gadgets and accessories. These officers must regularly check all appliances before, during and after work and write reports. The cost of this preventive measure cannot be compared to the damages electrical fire could cause. So why not consider this?
It is also in place for our religious bodies to adopt the same approach. Faulty electrical instruments can cause electrical fires or even electrocution in the course of church activities. Need we wait to see several deaths in this regard before our religious organisations task well trained and qualified persons to examine their electrical gadgets and connections before, during and after church activities?
Back at home, it will be very helpful for all of us to adopt some practical steps that will help in preventing electrical fire outbreaks.
One practice I have become used to and can share here is that anytime I am about to step out of the room, I stand by the door and consider what could cause electrical spark in the room in my absence. By so doing, I make sure every electrical gadget is put off and unplugged from the socket taking into consideration the recent spate of power outage. The only gadget that is kept on is the fridge which has its own socket. You will be amazed how this works.
Sometimes you may have to use an extension cord to plug things in. If you have to use one, be sure not to plug too many things in it at once. Overloading an extension cord with too many appliances can cause it to become overheated, which can cause an electrical house fire. Extension cords are a common cause of electrical fires. You must be careful to use only extension cords that are rated for the power used by the device they are powering. Extension cords should never be used as a long term solution to the need for another receptacle. Extension cords must never be run inside walls or under rugs or furniture. Extension cords can get warm in use and must be able to dissipate this heat or they can start a fire.
Also, whenever you are removing an electrical cord from a wall socket, remove it carefully. Be careful you do not pull it out of the socket by pulling on the cord.
Do not make the mistake of running electrical cords under carpet. They may get trampled and become overheated. Please take note that when the electrical cords are starting to look worn with cracks, and wires are frayed, it is time to get rid of them.
One major area I know the government can step in with respect to this battle against electrical fires is by devising mechanisms to halt the influx of cheap and inferior electrical cables and gadgets into the country. This action apart from helping the fight against electrical fires will also boost our indigenous businesses in the electrical and telecommunication cables manufacturing sector.
Currently, there are three companies in this country that produce high quality electrical and telecommunication cables and other electrical accessories which can match all form of international standards. The advantage is that these companies, namely Nexans Kabelmetal (GH) Ltd., Tropical Cable and Conductor and Reroy Cables Limited can tailor their products to suit our local electrical demands.
Master Electricians Advocating Change
By Ben Sharples
Feb. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Electrical workers urged the Australian government to outline safety standards for the inspection of homes with foil insulation after the electrocution of three people.
The government needs to mandate safety procedures to avoid further fatalities, James Tinslay, National Electrical and Communications Association chief executive, said in Canberra yesterday, the Australian Financial Review reported.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett is under pressure to quit following the deaths of four workers since last October and questions about safety standards. The government has suspended the use of foil insulation and ordered safety checks in thousands of homes following industry warnings that the material can become electrified if installed incorrectly.
Master Electricians Australia said foil should be banned from the national home-insulation program, introduced under economic stimulus measures, the newspaper reported. The government has ordered an audit of 48,000 homes that have had foil insulation installed under the scheme, the Review reported.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Sharples in Canberra at bsharples@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 15, 2010 16:37 EST
Feb. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Electrical workers urged the Australian government to outline safety standards for the inspection of homes with foil insulation after the electrocution of three people.
The government needs to mandate safety procedures to avoid further fatalities, James Tinslay, National Electrical and Communications Association chief executive, said in Canberra yesterday, the Australian Financial Review reported.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett is under pressure to quit following the deaths of four workers since last October and questions about safety standards. The government has suspended the use of foil insulation and ordered safety checks in thousands of homes following industry warnings that the material can become electrified if installed incorrectly.
Master Electricians Australia said foil should be banned from the national home-insulation program, introduced under economic stimulus measures, the newspaper reported. The government has ordered an audit of 48,000 homes that have had foil insulation installed under the scheme, the Review reported.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Sharples in Canberra at bsharples@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 15, 2010 16:37 EST
Monday, February 15, 2010
Australian Electrical Controversy Won't die
February 15, 2010 - 1:40PM
Ads by Google
2010 State of the Union
Offered Little help For These BanksDoomed To Fail. Read The List Free
www.MoneyAndMarkets.com
Embattled federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says he did not need to attend a meeting between government officials and electrical contractors on the controversial home insulation scheme.
Mr Garrett has been under fire over the $3.7 billion program, which has been linked to four deaths.
The opposition has called repeatedly for Mr Garrett to be sacked for letting the insulation scheme continue despite knowing of the lethal risks associated with installing foil insulation.
Mr Garrett is now being criticised for missing today's meeting in Canberra, choosing instead to launch a new $10 million nature survey program at New England National Park in northern NSW.
But he said there was no need for him to attend the meeting, which he instigated, because department officials would report back to him about electrical contractors' concerns.
"I don't go to technical experts' meetings in the normal course of events - my officials go to those meetings," he told reporters in Darkwood in the national park.
"They'll provide me with the appropriate reports and I'll listen to those discussions that have been undertaken.
"There are going to be some silly bits of claim and counter claim as part of the political debate.
"This is a very important announcement (on a biodiversity survey) that we've made today, (but) I'm pleased that the meeting I wanted to take place is happening in Canberra as well."
Mr Garrett defended the insulation program as "one of the most significant energy-efficiency programs that we've ever seen".
"It will leave a tremendous legacy of homes insulated, and safety has always been a priority for us under this program," he said.
"Any installers ... not fulfilling the requirements ... will be dealt with appropriately."
Mr Garrett said he had spoken to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about the controversy surrounding the insulation scheme and welcomed his support.
On Sunday Mr Rudd defended the actions of his environment minister in setting up the insulation program.
"I think the prime minister's very strong and clear statements of support for my performance are there on the record," Mr Garrett said.
AAP
Ads by Google
2010 State of the Union
Offered Little help For These BanksDoomed To Fail. Read The List Free
www.MoneyAndMarkets.com
Embattled federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says he did not need to attend a meeting between government officials and electrical contractors on the controversial home insulation scheme.
Mr Garrett has been under fire over the $3.7 billion program, which has been linked to four deaths.
The opposition has called repeatedly for Mr Garrett to be sacked for letting the insulation scheme continue despite knowing of the lethal risks associated with installing foil insulation.
Mr Garrett is now being criticised for missing today's meeting in Canberra, choosing instead to launch a new $10 million nature survey program at New England National Park in northern NSW.
But he said there was no need for him to attend the meeting, which he instigated, because department officials would report back to him about electrical contractors' concerns.
"I don't go to technical experts' meetings in the normal course of events - my officials go to those meetings," he told reporters in Darkwood in the national park.
"They'll provide me with the appropriate reports and I'll listen to those discussions that have been undertaken.
"There are going to be some silly bits of claim and counter claim as part of the political debate.
"This is a very important announcement (on a biodiversity survey) that we've made today, (but) I'm pleased that the meeting I wanted to take place is happening in Canberra as well."
Mr Garrett defended the insulation program as "one of the most significant energy-efficiency programs that we've ever seen".
"It will leave a tremendous legacy of homes insulated, and safety has always been a priority for us under this program," he said.
"Any installers ... not fulfilling the requirements ... will be dealt with appropriately."
Mr Garrett said he had spoken to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about the controversy surrounding the insulation scheme and welcomed his support.
On Sunday Mr Rudd defended the actions of his environment minister in setting up the insulation program.
"I think the prime minister's very strong and clear statements of support for my performance are there on the record," Mr Garrett said.
AAP
Sunday, February 14, 2010
New Electrical Contractor Leading the Way
An electrical contracting firm founded by a former Carlisle United player has appointed a new boss.
Joan PattinsonTerris Electrical was formed by ex-Blues full back Jim Terris in 1961 after he stopped playing.
He retired from the firm in 1992 and left partners Mike Zema and David Withrington to run it. Now Mr Zema has also decided to take a back seat and hand the reins to new managing director, Joan Pattinson.
The company carries out domestic electrical contracting and has also been involved with big industrial contracts including refurbishing the Guild Hall, Preston.
Mrs Pattinson, of Burgh by Sands, who joined Terris as an office assistant in 1981, said: “It’s a honour to take over the company.
“There won’t be any huge changes, we will continue to do what we always have.
“Trust and reliability are the most important things to us; we value every customer from the old lady who needs a new plug socket for her TV to big clients like the Ministry of Defence.”
Mr Terris, who also played for Dunfermline Athletic and Bristol City, returned to his native Scotland when he retired from the firm.
First published at 14:11, Friday, 12 February 2010
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk
Joan PattinsonTerris Electrical was formed by ex-Blues full back Jim Terris in 1961 after he stopped playing.
He retired from the firm in 1992 and left partners Mike Zema and David Withrington to run it. Now Mr Zema has also decided to take a back seat and hand the reins to new managing director, Joan Pattinson.
The company carries out domestic electrical contracting and has also been involved with big industrial contracts including refurbishing the Guild Hall, Preston.
Mrs Pattinson, of Burgh by Sands, who joined Terris as an office assistant in 1981, said: “It’s a honour to take over the company.
“There won’t be any huge changes, we will continue to do what we always have.
“Trust and reliability are the most important things to us; we value every customer from the old lady who needs a new plug socket for her TV to big clients like the Ministry of Defence.”
Mr Terris, who also played for Dunfermline Athletic and Bristol City, returned to his native Scotland when he retired from the firm.
First published at 14:11, Friday, 12 February 2010
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk
Saturday, February 13, 2010
More Electrical Roof News from Australia
February 13, 2010 - 2:22PM .
Electricians formally warned Environment Minister Peter Garrett that metal roof insulation could cost lives months before he banned it.
By the time he acted, two installers had been electrocuted.
The federal government's $3.7 billion roof insulation program is in crisis as electricians scramble to check almost 50,000 homes that could have "live" roofs.
It's also been revealed that installers were not required to have any training. Two more installers have died while fitting pink batts under the scheme.
Mandatory training starts on Friday - almost a year after the program began, despite a string of warnings that untrained installers were dangerous and reports of homes catching fire because of poorly installed pink batts.
Mr Garrett revealed details of his handling of the bungled program to Parliament on Thursday amid calls for him to resign.
Last October, after one installer had died fitting the metal insulation, Mr Garrett met Master Electricians Australia to discuss safety.
"Master Electricians were very concerned in general terms that metal fasteners and foil insulation posed an unacceptable safety electrocution risk," Mr Garrett told Parliament of what was said in the meeting.
Electricians formally warned Environment Minister Peter Garrett that metal roof insulation could cost lives months before he banned it.
By the time he acted, two installers had been electrocuted.
The federal government's $3.7 billion roof insulation program is in crisis as electricians scramble to check almost 50,000 homes that could have "live" roofs.
It's also been revealed that installers were not required to have any training. Two more installers have died while fitting pink batts under the scheme.
Mandatory training starts on Friday - almost a year after the program began, despite a string of warnings that untrained installers were dangerous and reports of homes catching fire because of poorly installed pink batts.
Mr Garrett revealed details of his handling of the bungled program to Parliament on Thursday amid calls for him to resign.
Last October, after one installer had died fitting the metal insulation, Mr Garrett met Master Electricians Australia to discuss safety.
"Master Electricians were very concerned in general terms that metal fasteners and foil insulation posed an unacceptable safety electrocution risk," Mr Garrett told Parliament of what was said in the meeting.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Electricians Still Under Fire in Australia
BY VICTOR VIOLANTE AND ROSSLYN BEEBY
12 Feb, 2010 08:31 AM
A joint coronial hearing will investigate the cause of three ACT house fires in the wake of the Federal Government's maligned $3.7 billion roof insulation program.
The energy efficiency scheme is in crisis, with Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett fending off calls to resign and forced to order an electrical safety audit of about 40,000 homes fitted with foil insulation after inspections found faulty installation had left several houses with electrically ''live'' roof cavities.
Four workers have died while installing insulation under the program; three were electrocuted while fitting foil and ceiling batts, and a 19-year-old worker died from heat exhaustion while working in a roof cavity.
Last October, after one installer had died fitting the metal insulation, Mr Garrett met with Master Electricians Australia to discuss safety.
''Master Electricians were very concerned in general terms that metal fasteners and foil insulation posed an unacceptable safety electrocution risk,'' Mr Garrett told Parliament of what was said in the meeting.
The electricians asked him to suspend the use of metal insulation in the program and issued a media release calling for the metal insulation to be removed from the scheme.
Mr Garrett refused to do so.
Revelations of union warnings over the safety of the green energy scheme at a federal level come as the ACT Government confirmed yesterday that three Canberra house fires in the past three months would be the subject of a joint coronial hearing because they might have been caused by recently installed insulation under the program.
12 Feb, 2010 08:31 AM
A joint coronial hearing will investigate the cause of three ACT house fires in the wake of the Federal Government's maligned $3.7 billion roof insulation program.
The energy efficiency scheme is in crisis, with Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett fending off calls to resign and forced to order an electrical safety audit of about 40,000 homes fitted with foil insulation after inspections found faulty installation had left several houses with electrically ''live'' roof cavities.
Four workers have died while installing insulation under the program; three were electrocuted while fitting foil and ceiling batts, and a 19-year-old worker died from heat exhaustion while working in a roof cavity.
Last October, after one installer had died fitting the metal insulation, Mr Garrett met with Master Electricians Australia to discuss safety.
''Master Electricians were very concerned in general terms that metal fasteners and foil insulation posed an unacceptable safety electrocution risk,'' Mr Garrett told Parliament of what was said in the meeting.
The electricians asked him to suspend the use of metal insulation in the program and issued a media release calling for the metal insulation to be removed from the scheme.
Mr Garrett refused to do so.
Revelations of union warnings over the safety of the green energy scheme at a federal level come as the ACT Government confirmed yesterday that three Canberra house fires in the past three months would be the subject of a joint coronial hearing because they might have been caused by recently installed insulation under the program.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Electricians Key to Solar Green Future
In the next ten to twenty years, “electrical contractor” will no longer be a suitable job title for electricians. They will transition into “energy contractors” to support the fast-growing green construction market.
We see this as a coming renaissance in electrical contracting. There has been a revival of interest in the electrical trade as home owners and corporations adopt alternative methods (e.g. solar, wind, etc) to power buildings. What’s driving this? Federal incentives, lower material costs and savings from reduced energy spending.
A study by the American Solar Energy Society projects renewable energy jobs for electricians to grow approximately 900% by 2030, just in the state of Colorado.
To take advantage of upcoming opportunities, electricians will need to “green” their skill-set and re-brand themselves. We’ll share more on this later. First, let’s take a look at the trends driving this change.
Green Construction is on the Rise
According to a 2009 Booz Allen Hamilton study, green construction will skyrocket over the next five years. The report projects green construction to generate $554 billion dollars in GDP, provide $396 billion in labor earnings and support or create over 7.9 million jobs from 2009 to 2013. These figures are way up from the previous 8-year period. From 2000-2008, GDP from green construction was just $173 billion, labor earnings was $123 billion and number of jobs created was 2.4 million.
http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/construction/the-coming-renaissance-of-electrical-contracting-1021010/
We see this as a coming renaissance in electrical contracting. There has been a revival of interest in the electrical trade as home owners and corporations adopt alternative methods (e.g. solar, wind, etc) to power buildings. What’s driving this? Federal incentives, lower material costs and savings from reduced energy spending.
A study by the American Solar Energy Society projects renewable energy jobs for electricians to grow approximately 900% by 2030, just in the state of Colorado.
To take advantage of upcoming opportunities, electricians will need to “green” their skill-set and re-brand themselves. We’ll share more on this later. First, let’s take a look at the trends driving this change.
Green Construction is on the Rise
According to a 2009 Booz Allen Hamilton study, green construction will skyrocket over the next five years. The report projects green construction to generate $554 billion dollars in GDP, provide $396 billion in labor earnings and support or create over 7.9 million jobs from 2009 to 2013. These figures are way up from the previous 8-year period. From 2000-2008, GDP from green construction was just $173 billion, labor earnings was $123 billion and number of jobs created was 2.4 million.
http://www.softwareadvice.com/articles/construction/the-coming-renaissance-of-electrical-contracting-1021010/
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Electricians Want 37,000 Homes Checked Immediately in Australia
ELECTRICIANS have demanded that all 37,000 houses fitted with foil insulation under the Federal Government's home insulation scheme be checked for safety.
In response to the deaths of four installers, Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett today suspended the installation of metallic insulation under the Government's rebate scheme.
Malcolm Richards, chief executive officer of Master Electricians Australia, said that based on safety audits carried out so far, there could be up to 460 potentially deadly roofs.
"We're not moving fast enough to get these homes inspected and these dangerous roofs identified," Mr Richards said.
"I can't see any way short of fully testing every single home that's had foil installed," he said.
He said that foil insulation was not particularly effective for retro-fitting and the demand for it had been caused by a shortage of other materials due to the government scheme.
Mr Richards said that he doubted there was a safe way to install the foil installation.
"We're firmly of the belief that removing the rebate for foil will result in no more accidents, subject to the 37,000 getting checked," Mr Richards said.
The Opposition's spokesman on climate action, Greg Hunt, said that Mr Garrett owed it to householders to offer them a safety audit.
In response to the deaths of four installers, Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett today suspended the installation of metallic insulation under the Government's rebate scheme.
Malcolm Richards, chief executive officer of Master Electricians Australia, said that based on safety audits carried out so far, there could be up to 460 potentially deadly roofs.
"We're not moving fast enough to get these homes inspected and these dangerous roofs identified," Mr Richards said.
"I can't see any way short of fully testing every single home that's had foil installed," he said.
He said that foil insulation was not particularly effective for retro-fitting and the demand for it had been caused by a shortage of other materials due to the government scheme.
Mr Richards said that he doubted there was a safe way to install the foil installation.
"We're firmly of the belief that removing the rebate for foil will result in no more accidents, subject to the 37,000 getting checked," Mr Richards said.
The Opposition's spokesman on climate action, Greg Hunt, said that Mr Garrett owed it to householders to offer them a safety audit.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Electrical Electrocutions Possible in Australia
MARISSA CALLIGEROS
February 8, 2010 - 1:53PM
Ads by Google
Roofing Estimates
Find Top-Rated Roofing Pros inYour Area. Get 4 Free Bids Today!
www.ServiceMagic.com
Hundreds of Queensland residents could risk electrocution by checking their roofs for storm damage following revelations foil insulation installed under the Federal Government's stimulus program could be live with electrical current.
An audit of 1000 Queensland homes found two per cent were potential death traps, because foil insulation had been placed directly over live wires and fastened with metal clips, The Australian newspaper reported today.
Master Electricians Australia CEO Malcom Richards told brisbanetimes.com.au between 500 and 700 homes in the Sunshine State could be "live" as a result of poor installation.
If home owners entered their roof space and touched the insulation, they could be shocked or electrocuted, he said.
Other parts of the house could also be live, including taps and gutters, if the insulation or the metal clips touched piping or the external roof.
Mr Richards said homes with foil insulation should be inspected immediately, although the federal government is yet to finalise arrangements for a nationwide audit program.
"The first thing we don't want people to do is enter the ceiling and try and make any sort of assessment themselves. If people know they have foil insulation installed in their ceiling, they should stay well clear of it until they get it tested one way or the other," Mr Richards said.
Yet he was most concerned for residents cleaning out gutters and downpipes or inspecting their roofs for leaks after the weekend's severe thunderstorms.
"This is what I am very, very concerned about. This wet weather is going to prompt people to get up and look at their roofs and I'm very concerned we will see people get hurt.
"You don't need a very severe shock when you're on a ladder to fall off and suffer serious injury."
More than 37,000 homes nationwide have been fitted with foil insulation under the Rudd government's rebate scheme.
Concerned residents can register for an emergency inspection via the Master Electricians Australia website, but any licensed electrician can conduct an audit for less than $200.
But there is no guarantee the government or the installation company will be liable for the cost of an audit.
Home owners can also lodge a complaint with Federal Government via the website of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
"However, I'd expect that residents wouldn't get urgent reaction from the government on that front, but I would get the complaint lodged so if [the government] does do some blanket auditing they are on the list," Mr Richards said.
Comment was being sought from Environment Minister Peter Garrett on an extension of the audit program earlier today.
Mr Richards said the government needed to axe foil insulation products from the $1200 stimulus program, following three deaths in Queensland.
A 25-year-old man was electrocuted in the roof of a Millaa Millaa house last Thursday, three months after the death of 16-year-old tradesman Rueben Barnes while installing insulation at a Stanwell home, south of Rockhampton.
The teenager most likely pierced an electrical cable in the roof as he was stapling the foil insulation in place, before receiving a fatal 240-volt shock.
A man was also killed in similar circumstances in October on Brisbane's southside.
"Last year's fatalities should have been a wake-up call to the insulation industry, but there are clearly businesses who are not interested in doing the right thing," Mr Richards said.
"If the industry can't stop the deaths, the government must."
February 8, 2010 - 1:53PM
Ads by Google
Roofing Estimates
Find Top-Rated Roofing Pros inYour Area. Get 4 Free Bids Today!
www.ServiceMagic.com
Hundreds of Queensland residents could risk electrocution by checking their roofs for storm damage following revelations foil insulation installed under the Federal Government's stimulus program could be live with electrical current.
An audit of 1000 Queensland homes found two per cent were potential death traps, because foil insulation had been placed directly over live wires and fastened with metal clips, The Australian newspaper reported today.
Master Electricians Australia CEO Malcom Richards told brisbanetimes.com.au between 500 and 700 homes in the Sunshine State could be "live" as a result of poor installation.
If home owners entered their roof space and touched the insulation, they could be shocked or electrocuted, he said.
Other parts of the house could also be live, including taps and gutters, if the insulation or the metal clips touched piping or the external roof.
Mr Richards said homes with foil insulation should be inspected immediately, although the federal government is yet to finalise arrangements for a nationwide audit program.
"The first thing we don't want people to do is enter the ceiling and try and make any sort of assessment themselves. If people know they have foil insulation installed in their ceiling, they should stay well clear of it until they get it tested one way or the other," Mr Richards said.
Yet he was most concerned for residents cleaning out gutters and downpipes or inspecting their roofs for leaks after the weekend's severe thunderstorms.
"This is what I am very, very concerned about. This wet weather is going to prompt people to get up and look at their roofs and I'm very concerned we will see people get hurt.
"You don't need a very severe shock when you're on a ladder to fall off and suffer serious injury."
More than 37,000 homes nationwide have been fitted with foil insulation under the Rudd government's rebate scheme.
Concerned residents can register for an emergency inspection via the Master Electricians Australia website, but any licensed electrician can conduct an audit for less than $200.
But there is no guarantee the government or the installation company will be liable for the cost of an audit.
Home owners can also lodge a complaint with Federal Government via the website of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
"However, I'd expect that residents wouldn't get urgent reaction from the government on that front, but I would get the complaint lodged so if [the government] does do some blanket auditing they are on the list," Mr Richards said.
Comment was being sought from Environment Minister Peter Garrett on an extension of the audit program earlier today.
Mr Richards said the government needed to axe foil insulation products from the $1200 stimulus program, following three deaths in Queensland.
A 25-year-old man was electrocuted in the roof of a Millaa Millaa house last Thursday, three months after the death of 16-year-old tradesman Rueben Barnes while installing insulation at a Stanwell home, south of Rockhampton.
The teenager most likely pierced an electrical cable in the roof as he was stapling the foil insulation in place, before receiving a fatal 240-volt shock.
A man was also killed in similar circumstances in October on Brisbane's southside.
"Last year's fatalities should have been a wake-up call to the insulation industry, but there are clearly businesses who are not interested in doing the right thing," Mr Richards said.
"If the industry can't stop the deaths, the government must."
Monday, February 8, 2010
Electricians Demand Meeting over British Columbia Firing
A group of B.C. electricians is demanding time with Vancouver officials to discuss the dismissal of the city's chief electrical inspector just weeks before the start of the 2010 Olympics..
Ark Tsisserev worked for the City of Vancouver for more than 20 years, most recently as the chief electrical inspector and electrical safety manager.
Last month, Tsisserev was let go. Officials say his termination was due to budget cuts.
Deborah Cahill, executive director of the Electrical Contractors Association of B.C., says it was a mistake to lose Tsisserev so close to the Games.
"My phone has been ringing off the hook," Cahill said. "My members are very concerned about it. I have not had one member that is not displeased, we are completely in shock."
Electrician Axel Gringmuth worked on the Italian Pavilion for Expo '86. He said the chief inspector is responsible for ensuring B.C.'s electrical code is met and maintained among hundreds of pieces of international equipment.
"If something happens, there is going to be finger pointing all over the place," Gringmuth said. "I can't believe in our city, with our history of handling events, something like that would happen."
The city has stated that a senior building official will handle Tsisserev's responsibilities, and that electrical inspections will continue as normal.
But Cahill says Tsisserev is considered one of the best in the business, and she is waiting to hear the replacement's qualifications.
"We've not been informed as to who's replacing him," Cahill said. "None of my members that have sent letters to the mayor's office have even had a response."
Tsisserev declined to comment on the advice of his lawyer.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington
Ark Tsisserev worked for the City of Vancouver for more than 20 years, most recently as the chief electrical inspector and electrical safety manager.
Last month, Tsisserev was let go. Officials say his termination was due to budget cuts.
Deborah Cahill, executive director of the Electrical Contractors Association of B.C., says it was a mistake to lose Tsisserev so close to the Games.
"My phone has been ringing off the hook," Cahill said. "My members are very concerned about it. I have not had one member that is not displeased, we are completely in shock."
Electrician Axel Gringmuth worked on the Italian Pavilion for Expo '86. He said the chief inspector is responsible for ensuring B.C.'s electrical code is met and maintained among hundreds of pieces of international equipment.
"If something happens, there is going to be finger pointing all over the place," Gringmuth said. "I can't believe in our city, with our history of handling events, something like that would happen."
The city has stated that a senior building official will handle Tsisserev's responsibilities, and that electrical inspections will continue as normal.
But Cahill says Tsisserev is considered one of the best in the business, and she is waiting to hear the replacement's qualifications.
"We've not been informed as to who's replacing him," Cahill said. "None of my members that have sent letters to the mayor's office have even had a response."
Tsisserev declined to comment on the advice of his lawyer.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Lisa Rossington
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Handyman Does All
http://www.northjersey.com/community/house_gardening/83699822_No_job_too_small___Projects_perfect_for_the_professional_handyman.html
You’ve got a door sagging on its hinges, crumbling grout between the bathroom tiles and missing moldings in the living room. A major contractor probably would scoff at doing such small jobs, but you don’t have the time or know-how to tackle them yourself.
As the Ghostbusters famously asked, "Who ya gonna call?"
Handyman to the rescue!
The handyman fills an important niche in the home-improvement industry, as a Jack-of-all-trades for whom "no job is too small." Ideally, he will be more likely to return your calls promptly, to charge a reasonable fee and to stand behind his work than a contractor who’s eager to rush off to a big construction job. While some handymen prefer to remain independent, others today have become part of national franchises.
The Independent Contractor
Frank D’Amico of Hasbrouck Heights has been in the home-improvement business for about 20 years, operating as D’Amico Home Repairs since early 2009. He said he is called most often for small jobs such as "putting up a door, bathroom tiling and grouting or putting up cabinets." He also does small masonry jobs in warm weather.
Like most handymen, D’Amico is not licensed for electrical work or plumbing. He also prefers not to tackle big projects such as home additions. Other than that, he’s versatile. He said he charges "mostly by the job, but it comes out to an hourly rate" and has several longtime customers who call him regularly.
D’Amico advised anyone hiring an independent handyman to look for someone with experience, to ask for references and to check with the state and to make sure the person is licensed and insured. (See Sidebar.)
The franchised handyman
Bob Palmarozza, along with his wife Susan, owns Mr. Handyman Tri-County, Wayne, part of the national Mr. Handyman franchise. His father was a builder and Palmarozza worked for him from age five, doing little jobs on construction sites. After college, he spent some time in the food service industry and learned that he liked franchising.
"I thought there was a real need to professionalize getting things done in your home," he said. "This way, I can maintain a corporate overview but still get my hands dirty."
He notes that Mr. Handyman has its own strict guidelines for its franchisees. "We don’t do any licensed electrical or plumbing work," he said. "And we also don’t do roofing, because that’s a different category in terms of insurance."
Palmarozza explained that job applicants must be multi-skilled, with a minimum of 15 years paid experience in the construction trades. Mr. Handyman, which has more than 350 franchises nationwide, also runs background checks to screen out past arrests or drug use. The company won’t even take an applicant with more than two points on his driver’s license, because he’ll be driving a leased vehicle.
The handymen wear company uniforms so they can be easily identified by homeowners. Palmarozza said that while there currently are no "handywomen" in his office, he knows of some working in the franchise’s other locations.
"We schedule the (employees’) work and make sure they show up on time," Palmarozza said. "We run a full-time office, so people know they can call and anyone who answers the phone can deal with the issue."
Anthony Matos belongs to another national franchise, Andy OnCall, and has been operating for three years out of Hackensack. "My father owned properties in the city, and I spent summers and after school working in his buildings, (then later) as a super," he recalled.
Matos eventually found himself swamped with requests from family and friends to do work around their houses, and decided there was a niche market for such services. He spent a year researching the market in North Jersey before opening his business.
Odd jobs
Matos said the strangest call he ever received was to remove a raccoon from someone’s basement. "I referred her to animal control," he said.
Palmarossa’s most unusual request involved wild life of another kind — "A gentleman who taught pole dancing hired us to install several poles in his basement." He also gets a lot of calls to do cleanups, "like a junk room that’s accumulated stuff for 30 or 40 years."
You’ve got a door sagging on its hinges, crumbling grout between the bathroom tiles and missing moldings in the living room. A major contractor probably would scoff at doing such small jobs, but you don’t have the time or know-how to tackle them yourself.
As the Ghostbusters famously asked, "Who ya gonna call?"
Handyman to the rescue!
The handyman fills an important niche in the home-improvement industry, as a Jack-of-all-trades for whom "no job is too small." Ideally, he will be more likely to return your calls promptly, to charge a reasonable fee and to stand behind his work than a contractor who’s eager to rush off to a big construction job. While some handymen prefer to remain independent, others today have become part of national franchises.
The Independent Contractor
Frank D’Amico of Hasbrouck Heights has been in the home-improvement business for about 20 years, operating as D’Amico Home Repairs since early 2009. He said he is called most often for small jobs such as "putting up a door, bathroom tiling and grouting or putting up cabinets." He also does small masonry jobs in warm weather.
Like most handymen, D’Amico is not licensed for electrical work or plumbing. He also prefers not to tackle big projects such as home additions. Other than that, he’s versatile. He said he charges "mostly by the job, but it comes out to an hourly rate" and has several longtime customers who call him regularly.
D’Amico advised anyone hiring an independent handyman to look for someone with experience, to ask for references and to check with the state and to make sure the person is licensed and insured. (See Sidebar.)
The franchised handyman
Bob Palmarozza, along with his wife Susan, owns Mr. Handyman Tri-County, Wayne, part of the national Mr. Handyman franchise. His father was a builder and Palmarozza worked for him from age five, doing little jobs on construction sites. After college, he spent some time in the food service industry and learned that he liked franchising.
"I thought there was a real need to professionalize getting things done in your home," he said. "This way, I can maintain a corporate overview but still get my hands dirty."
He notes that Mr. Handyman has its own strict guidelines for its franchisees. "We don’t do any licensed electrical or plumbing work," he said. "And we also don’t do roofing, because that’s a different category in terms of insurance."
Palmarozza explained that job applicants must be multi-skilled, with a minimum of 15 years paid experience in the construction trades. Mr. Handyman, which has more than 350 franchises nationwide, also runs background checks to screen out past arrests or drug use. The company won’t even take an applicant with more than two points on his driver’s license, because he’ll be driving a leased vehicle.
The handymen wear company uniforms so they can be easily identified by homeowners. Palmarozza said that while there currently are no "handywomen" in his office, he knows of some working in the franchise’s other locations.
"We schedule the (employees’) work and make sure they show up on time," Palmarozza said. "We run a full-time office, so people know they can call and anyone who answers the phone can deal with the issue."
Anthony Matos belongs to another national franchise, Andy OnCall, and has been operating for three years out of Hackensack. "My father owned properties in the city, and I spent summers and after school working in his buildings, (then later) as a super," he recalled.
Matos eventually found himself swamped with requests from family and friends to do work around their houses, and decided there was a niche market for such services. He spent a year researching the market in North Jersey before opening his business.
Odd jobs
Matos said the strangest call he ever received was to remove a raccoon from someone’s basement. "I referred her to animal control," he said.
Palmarossa’s most unusual request involved wild life of another kind — "A gentleman who taught pole dancing hired us to install several poles in his basement." He also gets a lot of calls to do cleanups, "like a junk room that’s accumulated stuff for 30 or 40 years."
Electricians Key for Solar Wiring
Arizona is pushing for a bevy of solar companies to produce a new industry base in the state. The only drag may be where to find the workers.
Despite Chinese manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. announcing it will build a facility in Goodyear and numerous commercial and utility projects coming online in the area, the Valley has just one nationally certified school training solar installers. It has nothing yet in terms of manufacturing the panels.
With a worker pool brimming with unemployed electricians, plumbers, engineers, construction contractors and more, some believe there is room to meet the solar industry’s ambitious plans here. Still, it will take time.
“There’s interest across the board,” said Donna Marie Bertault, CEO of eRenewable Resource Group, the only licensed solar trade school in the state. “I see roofers and electricians, but I also see architects and engineers who need training, and home inspectors who have no idea how to evaluate a solar system.”
Despite Chinese manufacturer Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. announcing it will build a facility in Goodyear and numerous commercial and utility projects coming online in the area, the Valley has just one nationally certified school training solar installers. It has nothing yet in terms of manufacturing the panels.
With a worker pool brimming with unemployed electricians, plumbers, engineers, construction contractors and more, some believe there is room to meet the solar industry’s ambitious plans here. Still, it will take time.
“There’s interest across the board,” said Donna Marie Bertault, CEO of eRenewable Resource Group, the only licensed solar trade school in the state. “I see roofers and electricians, but I also see architects and engineers who need training, and home inspectors who have no idea how to evaluate a solar system.”
Friday, February 5, 2010
Australian Electricians Dying on the Roof
By Ken Orr
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/04/2810481.htm?section=business
Posted Thu Feb 4, 2010 4:06pm AEDT
Updated 43 minutes ago
Guidelines for the work may not have been followed: MEA
Guidelines for the work may not have been followed: MEA (Matt Peacock)
* Video: Worker killed installing insulation (7pm TV News QLD)
* Map: Millaa Millaa 4886
The peak group representing Australian electricians says four people have now died installing roof insulation since the introduction of a Federal Government subsidy scheme.
A 25-year-old contractor was electrocuted in the roof of a home at Millaa Millaa in far north Queensland today.
Master Electricians Australia (MEA) executive officer Malcolm Richards says it is the third death in Queensland since October, with a fourth in New South Wales.
Mr Richards says it appears guidelines for the work may not have been followed.
"We have implemented some new training regimes which involve training all workers in the risk assessment process which should in normal circumstances result in the power being turned off to do any of these sorts of jobs," he said.
The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) is calling for a further review of safety standards in the roof insulation industry.
QCU assistant general secretary Amanda Richards says the Government has responded to calls for tougher controls but too many inexperienced operators are still entering the industry.
"We've got a proliferation of people coming into the industry to make a quick buck and the safety issues the safety program leaves a little bit to be desired because you know people are still being killed," she said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/04/2810481.htm?section=business
Posted Thu Feb 4, 2010 4:06pm AEDT
Updated 43 minutes ago
Guidelines for the work may not have been followed: MEA
Guidelines for the work may not have been followed: MEA (Matt Peacock)
* Video: Worker killed installing insulation (7pm TV News QLD)
* Map: Millaa Millaa 4886
The peak group representing Australian electricians says four people have now died installing roof insulation since the introduction of a Federal Government subsidy scheme.
A 25-year-old contractor was electrocuted in the roof of a home at Millaa Millaa in far north Queensland today.
Master Electricians Australia (MEA) executive officer Malcolm Richards says it is the third death in Queensland since October, with a fourth in New South Wales.
Mr Richards says it appears guidelines for the work may not have been followed.
"We have implemented some new training regimes which involve training all workers in the risk assessment process which should in normal circumstances result in the power being turned off to do any of these sorts of jobs," he said.
The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) is calling for a further review of safety standards in the roof insulation industry.
QCU assistant general secretary Amanda Richards says the Government has responded to calls for tougher controls but too many inexperienced operators are still entering the industry.
"We've got a proliferation of people coming into the industry to make a quick buck and the safety issues the safety program leaves a little bit to be desired because you know people are still being killed," she said.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Electricians Working Solar Project
Login or Register
Contributors
Doug Chandler
Jim Lucy
Independent Electrical Contractors’ Chesapeake Chapter Partners with GroSolar for PV Training
Jim Lucy February 3rd, 2010
GroSolar, the nation’s largest domestically-owned solar distributor and the fourth-largest residential installer in North America, is partnering with the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Chesapeaketo provide electricians with training in the installation of solar systems.
On Feb. 10, groSolar, based in White River Junction, Vt., and IEC Chesapeake will offer a new course entitled “Trouble Shooting PV (Solar) Systems.” The course provides an overview of the basic processes necessary for installing PV (Solar) systems, and is offered to both IEC members and non-members. The course will cover typical system design errors and performance problems; comparing actual system power output to expected output; typical locations for electrical/mechanical failure.
“Maryland is an important distribution market for groSolar, and our partnership with IEC offers a great chance for electricians to advance their careers and benefit from groSolar’s leading presence in the renewable energy marketplace,” said groSolar’s Jeff Gilbert, the course instructor. “Given the federal and state tax incentives available today, not to mention the energy savings that solar systems provide, homeowners and businesses are more interested in solar than ever before. Electricians looking to take advantage of this opportunity should seriously consider taking this course.”
Gilbert is training manager for groSolar’s comprehensive dealer-training program, and is the co-founder of Chesapeake Solar, now a groSolar company. The course will take place in IEC Chesapeake’s Training Center in Odenton, Md. Registration
Contributors
Doug Chandler
Jim Lucy
Independent Electrical Contractors’ Chesapeake Chapter Partners with GroSolar for PV Training
Jim Lucy February 3rd, 2010
GroSolar, the nation’s largest domestically-owned solar distributor and the fourth-largest residential installer in North America, is partnering with the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Chesapeaketo provide electricians with training in the installation of solar systems.
On Feb. 10, groSolar, based in White River Junction, Vt., and IEC Chesapeake will offer a new course entitled “Trouble Shooting PV (Solar) Systems.” The course provides an overview of the basic processes necessary for installing PV (Solar) systems, and is offered to both IEC members and non-members. The course will cover typical system design errors and performance problems; comparing actual system power output to expected output; typical locations for electrical/mechanical failure.
“Maryland is an important distribution market for groSolar, and our partnership with IEC offers a great chance for electricians to advance their careers and benefit from groSolar’s leading presence in the renewable energy marketplace,” said groSolar’s Jeff Gilbert, the course instructor. “Given the federal and state tax incentives available today, not to mention the energy savings that solar systems provide, homeowners and businesses are more interested in solar than ever before. Electricians looking to take advantage of this opportunity should seriously consider taking this course.”
Gilbert is training manager for groSolar’s comprehensive dealer-training program, and is the co-founder of Chesapeake Solar, now a groSolar company. The course will take place in IEC Chesapeake’s Training Center in Odenton, Md. Registration
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Free Rides on the Train Until Electricians Arrived
A power failure affected some lighting and passenger indicator boards at Town Hall Station between 8.30am and 9.30am this morning (Tuesday February 1).
One lift and one escalator were also affected, however access to all platforms was maintained.
Some station ticket gates were affected and station staff were alerted to monitor the situation.
Electricians arrived quickly on site and fully restored power at 9.30am.
Some commuters enjoyed a free ride as ticket barriers stuck in the open position.
Others endured a long walk up stationary escalators.
One lift and one escalator were also affected, however access to all platforms was maintained.
Some station ticket gates were affected and station staff were alerted to monitor the situation.
Electricians arrived quickly on site and fully restored power at 9.30am.
Some commuters enjoyed a free ride as ticket barriers stuck in the open position.
Others endured a long walk up stationary escalators.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Green Projects Get Red Tape Hurting Electricians
MARK HAWTHORNE
February 2, 2010
Comments 3
Ads by Google
Electrical Contractors
Enter Your Zip Code & Connect ToLocal Electricians. Free Estimates!
www.ServiceMagic.com
LIKE so many government initiatives, there's little doubt the people behind the Green Start program had their hearts in the right place.
In November, federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced Green Start to ''improve the energy and water efficiency of low-income and disadvantaged Australian households''.
The rationale behind the $130 million scheme was noble. Low-income households can't afford to buy efficient new devices, so Garrett's department promised ''intensive hands-on assistance to overcome barriers and implement affordable energy and water-efficiency measures''.
The minister was effusive when launching Green Start. ''Low-income earners spend a higher proportion of their weekly household budget on energy and water, making these Australians particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,'' he said. ''This program will arm people and households with greater knowledge and a range of resources to help them reduce energy and water costs.''
Green Start's core promises included ''free supply and installation of energy and water-efficiency products such as tap aerators, pipe insulation, efficient light bulbs, low-flow showerheads, draught proofing, seals for fridges, doors and windows, grey water hoses and compost bins''.
The devil is, of course, in the detail, and it appears the government's definition of ''hands-on assistance'' doesn't extend to someone getting their hands dirty.
The tender deadline for Green Smart expired on January 14. According to several involved in that process, none of the $130 million is slated to reach licensed electricians and plumbers, as the government is gun shy after rorting of its free insulation scheme.
The nation's disadvantaged households will instead have to deal with a ''Green Start program broker'', who will then put them in touch with a ''Green Start household assessor'', who will then ''open the door to a range of practical steps householders can take to reduce their energy and water bills''.
Sadly, they won't be opening the door to a plumber or a sparky. ''It is our understanding that qualified tradespeople will not be used as part of the Green Start program,'' said Stu Norman, Victorian manager of EcoSmart Electricians.
Non-profit EcoSmart is run by the National Electrical and Communications Association.
''We would welcome the use of electricians, especially those trained in energy efficiency, to provide sustainable solutions as part of this or other government programs,'' Norman said.
Another that would have benefited from Green Smart is Collins Street-based Green Invest. Listed Green Invest operates the nationally accredited Green Plumbers program, as well as a company called Green Professionals, but it didn't even respond to the Green Start tender.
''While Green Invest did not directly respond to the tender, it has offered its auditing services to a number of program brokers who answered the Green Start tender,'' said executive director Ron Lunt.
''Green Invest is well positioned to provide home sustainability assessors for the sustainability sector, as well as trained electricians and plumbers where retrofit to environmentally friendly products is required.''
But, in the words of one disgruntled tenderer, Green Start amounts to ''free light bulbs and a showerhead''. Even if all 250,000 low-income households apply to the $130 million scheme, that's $520 per household.
A price check with Bunnings revealed that a WELS three-star-rated showerhead costs $21.90, while energy-efficient light bulbs cost $9 for a pack of three. ''If you get a letter from Yarra Water, and bring along your old showerhead, we will swap it for free,'' a staff member told Collins & Spencer.
The tradies are fuming, but at least we get a new joke for all that taxpayer money: How many Green Smart program brokers does it take to change a light bulb?
February 2, 2010
Comments 3
Ads by Google
Electrical Contractors
Enter Your Zip Code & Connect ToLocal Electricians. Free Estimates!
www.ServiceMagic.com
LIKE so many government initiatives, there's little doubt the people behind the Green Start program had their hearts in the right place.
In November, federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced Green Start to ''improve the energy and water efficiency of low-income and disadvantaged Australian households''.
The rationale behind the $130 million scheme was noble. Low-income households can't afford to buy efficient new devices, so Garrett's department promised ''intensive hands-on assistance to overcome barriers and implement affordable energy and water-efficiency measures''.
The minister was effusive when launching Green Start. ''Low-income earners spend a higher proportion of their weekly household budget on energy and water, making these Australians particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,'' he said. ''This program will arm people and households with greater knowledge and a range of resources to help them reduce energy and water costs.''
Green Start's core promises included ''free supply and installation of energy and water-efficiency products such as tap aerators, pipe insulation, efficient light bulbs, low-flow showerheads, draught proofing, seals for fridges, doors and windows, grey water hoses and compost bins''.
The devil is, of course, in the detail, and it appears the government's definition of ''hands-on assistance'' doesn't extend to someone getting their hands dirty.
The tender deadline for Green Smart expired on January 14. According to several involved in that process, none of the $130 million is slated to reach licensed electricians and plumbers, as the government is gun shy after rorting of its free insulation scheme.
The nation's disadvantaged households will instead have to deal with a ''Green Start program broker'', who will then put them in touch with a ''Green Start household assessor'', who will then ''open the door to a range of practical steps householders can take to reduce their energy and water bills''.
Sadly, they won't be opening the door to a plumber or a sparky. ''It is our understanding that qualified tradespeople will not be used as part of the Green Start program,'' said Stu Norman, Victorian manager of EcoSmart Electricians.
Non-profit EcoSmart is run by the National Electrical and Communications Association.
''We would welcome the use of electricians, especially those trained in energy efficiency, to provide sustainable solutions as part of this or other government programs,'' Norman said.
Another that would have benefited from Green Smart is Collins Street-based Green Invest. Listed Green Invest operates the nationally accredited Green Plumbers program, as well as a company called Green Professionals, but it didn't even respond to the Green Start tender.
''While Green Invest did not directly respond to the tender, it has offered its auditing services to a number of program brokers who answered the Green Start tender,'' said executive director Ron Lunt.
''Green Invest is well positioned to provide home sustainability assessors for the sustainability sector, as well as trained electricians and plumbers where retrofit to environmentally friendly products is required.''
But, in the words of one disgruntled tenderer, Green Start amounts to ''free light bulbs and a showerhead''. Even if all 250,000 low-income households apply to the $130 million scheme, that's $520 per household.
A price check with Bunnings revealed that a WELS three-star-rated showerhead costs $21.90, while energy-efficient light bulbs cost $9 for a pack of three. ''If you get a letter from Yarra Water, and bring along your old showerhead, we will swap it for free,'' a staff member told Collins & Spencer.
The tradies are fuming, but at least we get a new joke for all that taxpayer money: How many Green Smart program brokers does it take to change a light bulb?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Electricians Working on Navy Submarine
GROTON, Conn.
A unit of General Dynamics Corp. has received a $23.7 million contract to perform maintenance work on a U.S. Navy submarine, the defense contractor said Friday.
General Dynamics Electric Boat will perform the work on the nuclear submarine New Hampshire starting next month. The work will take place through September and will involve up to 800 people, General Dynamics said.
Shares of General Dynamics fell 75 cents to close at $66.85, but added 9 cents in aftermarket trading.
A unit of General Dynamics Corp. has received a $23.7 million contract to perform maintenance work on a U.S. Navy submarine, the defense contractor said Friday.
General Dynamics Electric Boat will perform the work on the nuclear submarine New Hampshire starting next month. The work will take place through September and will involve up to 800 people, General Dynamics said.
Shares of General Dynamics fell 75 cents to close at $66.85, but added 9 cents in aftermarket trading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)