AUSTIN (KXAN) - Gina Hinojosa lives in a Central Austin home built in 1936, which presents its challenges for the conscious mother of two always striving for efficiency in all aspects.

"But then it also has some advantages," she said. "The walls are really thick, so really, it keeps in some cool air. We updated a lot of the windows to keep it insulated. So really, in some ways, it is already energy-efficient."

Still Hinojosa said she does what she can around the home to make sure she's not being wasteful -- keeping lights off and consistently aware of the thermostat temperature.

Plus, the old home came with some big bonuses: tall trees that keep the lot and home shaded. That's something energy officials said is a great way to shield the sun from coming inside your house, especially if it's on the west side.

"It's already very hot, and ... when you save energy, you ultimately save money on your electric bill," said Austin Energy spokeswoman Leslie Sopko.

"There are some things, like the doors could be better sealed," said Hinojosa. "One thing I want to do -- and if I get around to it -- I would like to insulate the attic."

Hinojosa did that at the house she was in before, also an older home. And that was a big help during the summer.

"It cut down our [air conditioning] bills by about 20 percent," said Hinojosa. "Not only does it save money, but you feel better about not wasting that energy that you don't need to."

"Insulation is a real huge way to save energy inside of your home," said Sopko. "What Austin Energy has learned is that most older homes in Austin have little or no insulation."

In fact, the average home only has 4 inches of attic insulation. Sopko suggests you have 12- to 13 inches.

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Little tips can save you from big bills

by Conrad Wilson, Minnesota Public Radio

May 25, 2012

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BRAINERD, Minn. When people in Brainerd run the dishwater, or take hot showers, they not only use energy, they create it.

The water they use and the waste they flush down toilets all flows to the sewer, which not surprisingly can be a pretty warm place - and heat can generate energy.

Brainerd officials say that unconventional source of energy to heat holds huge energy potential for heating and cooling buildings, likely starting with the city police station and a school building.

Under the right conditions that could save the city, the Brainerd School District and residents money.

"Everybody heats water," said Scott Sjolund, technology supervisor for Brainerd Public Utilities. "That's potential energy that could be extracted."

The idea for the project comes from Brainerd-based Hidden Fuels, a company that has been creating a thermal energy map of the city. In 2009, the company began working with the city and the Brainerd School District to seek a $45,000 grant from the federal stimulus package.

In 2010, a team led by Peter Nelson a principal of Hidden Fuels, installed sensors in the city's sewers. For more than a year they measured the temperature and the amount of sewage running through them.

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Brainerd wants to tap sewers for energy savings

News

Friday, May 25, 2012

Special to the Bedford Journal

Homeowners who are planning to outfit their kitchens with state-of-the-art fittings and appliances, looking for remodeling ideas or simply just checking out cutting-edge kitchen trends can find inspiration when the Palace Theatre hosts its eighth annual Kitchen Tour, on Sunday, June 3.

This event features six kitchens in Manchester and Bedford.

Tour-goers can get inspired by the fabulous kitchen designs in the featured homes. They may start wherever they like, explore one or all of the homes and stops along the way and finish when they want, said Kerri Christopher, director of public relations at the Palace Theatre.

Its a self-guided tour. Attendees first start the process at Granite State Cabinetry at 384 Route 101 in Bedford. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m., where maps will be distributed to guide attendees to each home. Attendees may view the homes and featured stops on the tour from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Christopher emphasizes that, far from being just places of food preparation, the kitchens on this tour are works of art in and of themselves.

These newly-remodeled kitchens demonstrate how you can maximize the utility of a small space, while other, larger kitchens are showcases for displaying the latest and greatest appliances and design trends, she said.

The houses on the tour are designer showcase homes. Granite State Cabinetry and Barons Major Brands will be showcasing at a number of locations on the tour this year.

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Palace Theatre to hold 8th annual Kitchen Tour in Manchester, Bedford

Date: Thursday, May 24, 2012

Contact: Dustin Terpening, WSDOT communications, 360-757-5997 (Burlington) Chris Damitio, WSDOT project engineer, 360-788-7403 (Bellingham)

BELLINGHAM The Samish Way on-ramp to northbound Interstate 5 in Bellingham has been closed since April and will remain closed one more month while crews finish building a retaining wall to support and lengthen the ramp.

The Washington State Department of Transportations contractor, Vetch Construction, is building a 900-foot-long retaining wall so that the Samish Way ramp can be lengthened to help make it easier for drivers to get up to speed and merge with traffic.

We had hoped to open the longer ramp by the end of this month, but the retaining wall is taking longer to complete than anticipated, said WSDOT Project Engineer Chris Damitio.

There were 15 anchors (out of 112) in the retaining wall that did not pass a strength test and have to be repaired. The repairs have added a few additional weeks of work to the closure. Anchors are long pieces of rebar that are drilled and cemented into the hillside to hold the wall in place.

Crews are repairing the anchors now, said Damitio. We cant lengthen the ramp without a strong retaining wall, and the anchors are what hold the wall in place.

The Samish Way on-ramp is now expected to open by the end of June. When completed, the ramp will be an additional 950 feet longer than it is today.

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I-5 Samish Way ramp to remain closed another month in Bellingham

New Delhi, May 23: Parliament will soon have Bosch digital audio-conferencing systems that will enable UN-style simultaneous translation of speeches made in the House in six languages, including Bengali.

The Supreme Court today cleared the last legal hitch in the way of awarding a contract to Bosch, a German company. Bosch will replace the Brahler ICS systems that have been in place for 18 years in the House as well as at 7 Race Course Road and Vigyan Bhavan.

The new system will have digital conference, digital simultaneous interpretation, digital automatic voice vote recording, voting display system, digital recording and transcription, sources said.

At present, speeches in Parliament are translated manually and notice has to be given in advance that an interpreter will be required on a particular day.

Brahler, also a German company, lost out despite its long track record because it does not have a permanent office in India. It has supplied audio systems for the Bhutan Parliament and several Assemblies in the country.

Brahler admitted that its franchisee AKG Acoustics India, which had installed the equipment, had some problems in 1999-2000 and had turned irregular in its performance.

But Brahler alleged that the CPWD kept the manufacturers out of the servicing scheme, handed out tenders to other companies and later blamed it for not responding to requests for services or spares.

The tender floated by the government clearly specified that any company that would bid would have to have a Delhi office for the last seven years to facilitate smooth maintenance and service. The seven-year specification was later changed to two years.

The tender said applications of a company without an India office would not be considered and would be rejected at the pre-qualification stage itself.

Danish company DIS Danish Interpretation Systems is the other company that lost out in the tender process as it did not have an India office. Both Brahler and DIS relied on Indian dealers for their service and maintenance.

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UN-style speech translation in House - SC clears decks for installation of Bosch audio systems

SEATTLE, May 24 (UPI) -- The flight decks and avionics of the U.S. and NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft fleet will be modernized under a $368 million Boeing contract.

The Engineering, Manufacturing and Development contract for the E-3 707s was given by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

"This move from analog systems to a digital flight deck will enable the U.S. and NATO AWACS fleets to meet current and identified future air traffic management requirements for flying in worldwide airspace," said Jon Hunsberger, AWACS program manager for Boeing. "They also provide growth capability for any future requirements and solve the problem of diminishing manufacturing sources for flight avionics."

Boeing said it will integrate new and existing avionics and communications systems; develop a design for installation of new equipment; upgrade one aircraft for each AWACS fleet; flight-test the new systems; develop logistics support data; and train flight crews and maintenance personnel.

The upgrade on the first NATO aircraft will begin next year, while work on the first U.S. E-3 707 will begin in 2014. Completion of the work on the initial aircraft is expected to be completed by 2015.

Boeing said production contracts for the remainder of the U.S. and NATO AWACS fleets will be given in the future.

Rockwell Collins will supply the flight management system suite, Boeing said. Telephonics of New York, Thales of Belgium, EMS of Canada and Raytheon of Maryland will also contribute to the upgrade program.

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Boeing modernizing AWACS aircraft

May 24 2012

Joint strike fighter

NEW JUMP jets could melt the decks of Navy aircraft carriers, it is claimed.

Tests in the US found that exhaust fumes from the Joint Strike Fighters damaged the ships when they landed vertically.

Now its feared the Navys 6.2billion new warships will suffer the same problem.

It follows David Camerons humiliating U-turn over which planes to fly from the carriers.

Hed wanted to adapt the ships so that they could carry the conventional version of the Joint Strike Fighter, which cost up to 500million each.

The PM had already cancelled an order for Harrier-style jets placed by the last Labour government.

But he was forced to abandon his plans when costs soared. His bungling has cost taxpayers up to 250million.

Now the UK will have to go cap in hand to the Americans, who are developing a new super-tough deck coating to deal with the problem.

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Jump jets could melt decks on new British aircraft carriers, tests show

mindy.m@ecm-inc.com

Two of Champlin's city ordinances underwent some housecleaning as the council approved amendments to make allowances for changes in above ground pools and decks on homes.

SWIMMING POOLS

Residents in Champlin looking to add an above ground pool to their summer plans may be heartened to hear the setback regulations will been lessened, offering more flexibility in placement of such a pool.

Champlin's swimming pool ordinance was reviewed extensively in 2010 resulting in changes to the ordinance addressing all aspects of private swimming pools. The 2010 ordinance included establishing a 10-foot setback from buildings for all swimming pools, both above and in-ground.

Since the ordinance was adopted, residents have provided feedback o the city suggesting the increased setback for above ground pools is overly restrictive.

City Planner Scott Schulte discussed details in a report prepared by City Building Official Jerry Hart. Schulte said that after comparing the city's setback regulation to neighboring cities, the discovered several cities didn't require a building setback at all. Those that did required only a 6-foot setback.

The council approved the change allowing for above ground pools to require only a 6-foot setback from buildings.

Schulte reiterated that due to structural considerations accompanied by in-ground pools, the setback for those types of pools will remain at the 10-foot restriction.

DECKS

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Champlin amends ordinances dealing with swimming pools and decks

Mold shuts down wing of Greenville Co. Middle School

Mold located in storage rooms and an in-school suspension room has been identified as stachybotrys, and it has forced the closure of one wing of an Upstate middle school.

The mold was first discovered Monday behind a bookcase in a book storage room at Berea Middle School.

School district maintenance workers, staff members who are certified in indoor air quality and mold remediation and an environmental engineer inspected the school, and said they found stachybotrys in three rooms.

The mold is in a book storage room, a custodial storage room and the in-school suspension room, according to school officials. The rooms are in a section of the building that also includes the band room, the strings room, the chorus room, a custodial office and one other storage room.

A release from the district said: The entire section of the building containing those rooms has been vacated, secured, and isolated from the remainder of the building. Band, strings, and chorus classes have been relocated to another part of the building for the remainder of the year.

In every case, the mold, which has been identified as stachybotrys, was contained within a wall or ceiling, or behind a piece of trim. The mold is not airborne and at no time could students or staff touch or otherwise come into contact with the mold.

The district will continue to follow approved procedures as we address this situation. Cleanup and remediation will begin after the last day of school. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Stachybotrys chartarum (also known by its synonym Stachybotrys atra) is a greenish-black mold. It can grow on material with a high cellulose and low nitrogen content, such as fiberboard, gypsum board, paper, dust, and lint. Growth occurs when there is moisture from water damage, excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation, water infiltration, or flooding. Constant moisture is required for its growth. It does not grow on concrete, linoleum or tile.

The CDC says: Mold exposure does not always present a health problem indoors. However some people are sensitive to molds. These people may experience symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation when exposed to molds. Some people may have more severe reactions to molds. Severe reactions may occur among workers exposed to large amounts of molds in occupational settings, such as farmers working around moldy hay. Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. Immunocompromised persons and persons with chronic lung diseases like COPD are at increased risk for opportunistic infections and may develop fungal infections in their lungs.

Greenville County School officials said: The safety and welfare of students and staff is our top priority. As a precaution, students and staff will not return to spaces in and around the affected area.

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Black mold shuts down wing of school

WESTERLY The Public Works Committee voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of the proposed extension of sewers to a portion of the Misquamicut area, but it suggested that the Town Council consider alternatives that would affect the financing and staging of the project, and give some residents more time to tie into it.

The committees resolution endorsing the project says that the treatment plant on Margin Street has sufficient capacity to handle the wastewater that would be generated by adding the 778 homes and 33 businesses in the project area to the system. That determination was based on reports submitted by Beta Engineering, the towns consulting engineering service.

About 35 property owners attended the meeting, and the committee heard from people who spoke both for and against the project.

Town Manager Steven Hartford and other town officials have proposed a two-phase $24 million project to initially extend the sewer line to Atlantic Avenue, from Maplewood Avenue to Winnapaug Road, and along Winnapaug Road. The second phase covers most of the rest of the Misquamicut Fire District.

The project would be paid for with about $19 million in revenue bonds to be issued by the Rhode Island Clean Water Finance Agency. The bonds would be paid off mostly by businesses and homeowners in the affected area. The businesses will pay for more than 20 percent of the cost of the project.

Other proposed funding for the project includes $1.3 million from the town for road restoration work, and $500,000 from an Interceptor Bond Fund grant from the Rhode Island Clean Water Act Environmental Trust Fund.

The Town Council is expected to vote on whether to approve moving the project to the design phase in June. Current cost projections for the sewer extension are based on conceptual plans developed by Beta and by Pare Engineering, another engineering firm.

Under the proposal, businesses and residences would be assessed annual fees based on projected sewer use as opposed to a more traditional assessment method based on lot frontage. The resolution approved by the committee calls the sewer use assessment a more equitable method. The resolution also states that the revenue bonds will not effect the towns bond rating.

The resolution includes five points for the Town Council to consider, including a recommendation to limit use of the sewer fund reserve fund to no more than $900,000. As it is, the plan calls for using about $2 million of the $2.7 million fund, with the money being paid back with money generated by user fees.

The committee also asked the council to consider extending the forbearance period being offered to residents of Misquamicut who have already installed denitrifciation septic systems. Officials have discussed a 10-year forbearance period during which residents with denitrification systems would not be required to hook up to the sewer line.

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Advisers endorse Misquamicut sewer extension