AMARILLO, Texas Although Xcel Energys generation resources are sufficient to meet increased demand anticipated from another hot summer, customers are encouraged to find ways to reduce electricity usage, especially on hot days. This not only reduces potential strain on the regional power grid, but also helps customers save money and lessen their environmental impact.

Recent news about potential power shortages within ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), the power grid serving downstate Texas, has elevated concerns about system reliability among Xcel Energy customers and stakeholders. Xcel Energys Texas and New Mexico service areas are part of the Southwest Power Pool in the eastern electrical grid, which is a separate electrical grid from ERCOT. More generation and transmission facilities have been and are being added in the Xcel Energy service area, increasing the utilitys ability to meet growing demand all year long.

We nevertheless want to help customers better manage their electricity usage, while lessening the overall strain on our system, said Riley Hill, president and CEO of Southwestern Public Service Company, an Xcel Energy company.

Tips on conserving power can be found at xcelenergy.com under the Save Money & Energy tab on the home page. Those tips include:

Raise the thermostat setting from 72 to 78 degrees, providing a savings of up to $25 per month.

Turn off unnecessary lighting and install compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFLs use 75 percent less energy than traditional bulbs, they last longer, and can save up to $55 over the life of the bulb.

Run washing machines, dishwashers and clothes dryers with full loads.

Change air conditioning filters.

Use ceiling fans to cool the home.

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Xcel Energy Offers Summer Energy-Saving Tips

North Aurora, IL (PRWEB) May 30, 2012

Cherry Logistics, which bundles and consolidates exterior and interior facility maintenance services, today announced the addition of landscape manager Laurin Czyzyk. Czyzyk will be responsible for developing and organizing the burgeoning landscaping division of Cherry Logistics, and brings with her a horticultural background in sustainable design and maintenance.

Prior to joining the Cherry team, Czyzyk served as an educator and horticulturist, and spent the last 3 years as Account Manager at Western DuPage Landscaping, where she was responsible for managing commercial landscape maintenance, organizing seasonal events and applications for each site, designing and managing the installation of four-season color displays, and monitoring the health of plant material to ensure ongoing insect and disease controls. Laurin Czyzyk attended Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. During her career, Czyzyk has also given lectures on sustainable landscape design/installation and site grading/drainage. With her former company, Czyzyk received awards for Excellence in Landscaping from the ILCA (Illinois Landscape Contractors Association) and from the City of Schaumburg for Most Improved Landscaping in the retail division.

We are incredibly excited to have Laurin as a part of our team, says Ken Thorne, General Manager of Cherry Logistics. Her experience in the landscaping field, on both sides of the desk, will be a great asset to Cherry and to all of our customers.

About Cherry Logistics Cherry Logistics, Inc., headquartered in North Aurora, IL, was founded in 2003 as a snow removal service. Since that time the company has become a premier provider of consolidated facilities maintenance services including landscaping, lighting, emergency power, and HVAC, displaying proficiency in each category. Cherry Logistics specializes in offering facilities services for owners of multiple-location real estate. Specific services are offered to each client as needed, including snow removal, lot sweeping, landscaping, and window washing. The company is currently operating within 42 states.

Cherry Logistics prides itself on the fact its staff is comprised entirely of experts with years of experience within their respective field. This diverse team includes managers and executives with experience in retail management, facilities management, customer service, commercial real estate, construction, transportation, information technology, and meteorology. For more information about the company, visit http://www.cherrylogistics.com.

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Cherry Logistics Adds Landscape Manager to Improve Client Services

To paraphrase a popular movie line, "There's no crying in design," but Bay St. Louis artist and interior decorator Yuki Northington couldn't help but shed a tear when she was the first competitor eliminated in the Season 7 debut of "Design Star," HGTV's talent show for interior designers.

Elimination is never easy when a national television audience is watching, but Northington left with her head held high when the judges informed her the home-and-garden cable channel would not be producing her show.

"I'm happy I had the experience and I'm happy to return to my family and wonderful life," she said.

As she left, she invited the remaining 11 contestants to visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast for Mardi Gras.

In the end, only one of 12 contestants will be rewarded with an HGTV show.

Northington, who owns and operates Social Chair in Bay St. Louis, said she was proud to be chosen to compete.

"The experience has made me a better designer," she said.

The first challenge for contestants was to design their new digs, a Hollywood mansion they would live in during the competition.

Northington was paired with a fellow artist Stanley Palmieri of Pittsburgh and the two were assigned the studio-design space in the mansion. Each contestant brought an item from home and Northington chose a multi-colored fleur-de-lis.

In the end, judge Genevieve Gorder liked Northington's choice of wide-paneled wood flooring, but she was not a fan of her Mardi Gras paint colors on the walls. Judge Vern Yip was equally critical.

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Bay St. Louis designer is first eliminated from 'Design Star'

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Yes, you can grow roses here

By Erika Riggs, Zillow

Zillow

This octagonal home perches on a wooded lot in rural Pennsylvania.

274 Municipal Rd, Erwinna PA For sale: $365,000

At one point, this entire home fit on a flatbed truck.

That was back in 1978, when this octagonal Topsider home was constructed on site from a kit. It was an affordable, but sturdy housing option, perfect for weekend use. Sitting on over six acres on a windy municipal road in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania, there's plenty of land to gaze out over.

There's plenty of practicality attached to this whimsical-looking exterior.

Despite a somewhat precarious appearance, a Topsider home like this one can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes better than a traditional home. With a smaller foundation area, the homes can perch on fault lines, on the side of hills and in other areas with the aid of steel-reinforced grade beams in the foundation.

Developed in North Carolina in the 1960s as a solution to building on steep mountain lots, Topsiders are a popular choice for beach homes, mountain retreats and wooded spots. Octagonal sides come with floor-to-ceiling windows and 360-degree views.

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Listing of the Week: This octagonal home is tops

The title of the installation 'The Dream of All Italians' is what the former Italian premier called himself on the phone to one of his girfriends

By Emily Allen

PUBLISHED: 14:08 EST, 29 May 2012 | UPDATED: 15:40 EST, 29 May 2012

Lying in a casket on a velvet carpet, at first glance you could be forgiven for thinking Silvio Berlusconi had passed away.

But in fact it's just a very realistic waxwork which pokes fun at the beleaguered former Italian premier and hints at his sins.

Entitled Il Sogno degli Italiani' or 'The Dream of the Italians', the controversial artwork has been created by artists Antonio Garullo and Mario Ottocento, the first ever married gay couple who tied the knot in Amsterdam in 2002.

'The Dream of all Italians: A waxwork figure of Silvio Berlusconi lies in a casket on a red velvet carpet

A close up of the former Italian premier's smiling face. He has his eyes closed and his head is on a satin pillow

The name of the installation refers to what Berlusconi apparently called himself on the phone to one of his girlfriends, according to Italian media.

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'The Dream of all Italians': Gay couple unveil 'dead' artwork of Berlusconi (with his hand down his trousers)

29-05-2012 15:16 This an experiment showing a small solar panel indoors to power a simple DC to AC LED lighting circuit. The circuit's distant origin is the Super Joule Ringer 2.0 by Lasersaber and the Slayer Exciter by GBluer. Peanutbutter 291 and then Ben (K4zep) added to the developement.

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Indoor solar panel - No Battery- AC lighting idea. - Video

Market News

May 25, 2012 // Christoph Hammerschmidt

According to a report from market researcher LEDinside, the European LED lighting market's rapid growth is attributed to the energy-saving awareness and high electricity prices in Europe, especially the latter. For example, if a 7W LED light bulb (a replacement for 40W incandescent light bulb) is used for eight hours a day for a month (31 days), it can save 8 kWh compared to using an 40W incandescent light bulb. With the electricity prices of EU-27, US$2 can be saved every month by adopting a LED light bulb instead of incandescent one

As for the future of LED, the market research company expressed "high hopes" for LED commercial lighting's prospects. Given the global anti-nuclear trend and no room for the electricity prices to dip, the energy-saving demand will only climb. LEDinside predicts that LED price will see a drastic drop starting from 2012 and expects the value of European LED commercial lighting market to reach US$1.9 billion by 2015, seven times more than that in 2011.

LEDinside, the LED research division of market research company Trend Force, indicates that more money can be saved by adopting LED lights in the outdoor and commercial lighting sectors due to their high electricity consumptions. LED light bulb's lower wattage and higher thermal dissipation efficiency will result in better energy-saving efficiency. Thus, high electricity price is one of the most important factors that really spurs European LED lighting market's growth surge.

As for the indoor lighting, European lighting market is mainly dominated by Philips, Osram and GE. In particular, Philips and Osram dominate the trend in European LED lighting market; they continue to put efforts into traditional lighting market and channels, but in the meantime, they have been developing their LED products. European LED lighting firms take a more scientific stance on manufacturing LED products, with emphasis on LED components' color temperature, brightness and beam angle.

According to LEDinside, in terms of the color temperature for indoor lighting, Europeans prefer warm white, yellow light (2500K-2700K), while for the commercial lighting they prefer around 3,000K with CRI being above 80.

It is very easy to buy 10W (and lower) LED light bulb and candle light at convenient stores and supermarkets in Europe. However, LED still has a long way to go before it reaches wide adoption in the household lighting market; currently, LED lighting is mainly adopted by new buildings and luxury houses, the market researcher finds. LED lighting fixtures prices are still much higher than those of traditional lighting products, not to mention that at present, LED light bulbs cannot replace traditional ones in terms of beam angle. For this reason, regular consumers are still conservative about using LED lights in their households.

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European LED commercial lighting market value to increase by 7 times

SATELLITE BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Lighting Science Group Corporation (LSCG.OB), one of the world's leading LED lighting manufacturers, announced today that it has completed the final round in a series of private placements totaling approximately $140 million in equity funding and commitments, of which approximately $88 million is new equity funding and commitments and approximately $52 million represents the conversion of certain bridge financings occurring since the fourth quarter of 2011.

The proceeds from the new equity funding and commitments will be used to finance the Companys growth, expand its manufacturing capabilities, and enhance its leadership position in developing innovative energy-efficient LED lighting products for consumer and commercial applications in both the public and private sectors. This new round of funding will help the Company meet the growing demand for products from its distribution networks, including commercial networks (such as real estate owner/operators, retailers, and hospitality), public sector networks (such as the military and municipalities), and consumer networks (such as large-volume home improvement centers). Additionally, approximately $10 million will be used to retire a related-party obligation.

The funding was led by Riverwood Capital, a globally-focused private equity firm that invests in high-growth businesses in the technology and services industries. Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. and its affiliates, Lighting Science Groups majority owner, also participated in the equity financing in an amount equal to approximately $55 million, pursuant to an investment of approximately $33 million and an equity commitment of up to approximately $22 million.

Additionally, two executives who have previously worked with Riverwood Capital and some of its portfolio companies will be joining Lighting Science Group as senior managersBrad Knight as Chief Operating Officer and Keith Scott as Chief Commercial Officer. Mr. Knight brings more than two decades of hands-on experience with international startups and turnarounds in a wide range of technology, product and service companies. He has held senior executive positions at Flextronics and Adaptix and currently serves as a Managing Director at Riverwood Solutions. Mr. Scott has served in both the role of CEO as well as sales and marketing executive in the energy, consumer electronics and contract manufacturing industries with companies such as Ultracell, Alien Technology and Flextronics.

Moelis & Company acted as placement agent in connection with the private placement.

About Lighting Science Group Corporation

Lighting Science Group Corporation (LSCG.OB) designs, develops, manufactures and markets LED lighting solutions that are environmentally friendlier and more energy efficient than traditional lighting products. Lighting Science Group offers retrofit LED lamps in form factors that match those of traditional lamps or bulbs and LED luminaires designed for a range of applications including public and private infrastructure for both indoor and outdoor use. Lighting Science Group's Advanced Projects Group business unit designs, develops and manufactures custom LED lighting solutions for architectural and artistic projects. Lighting Science Group is headquartered in Satellite Beach, Florida; the Company's European operations are based in Middelburg, The Netherlands; and the Company has a sales office in Sydney, Australia. Lighting Science Group employs approximately 1,000 workers building lighting products from domestic and imported parts. More information about Lighting Science Group is available at http://www.lsgc.com.

About Riverwood Capital

Riverwood Capital is a globally-focused private equity firm that invests in high-growth businesses in the technology and services industries, across a variety of verticals and geographies. Riverwood has offices in Menlo Park, CA and New York, NY and currently has more than 20 investments in North America, Latin America and Asia. Please visit http://www.riverwoodcapital.com.

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Lighting Science Group Completes Final Round of $140 Million Raise of Equity Funding and Commitments

11 industry awards for the Company's indoor and outdoor LED lighting solutions include prestigious "Best in Class" designation

ATLANTA - Acuity Brands, Inc. received an unprecedented 11 prominent industry awards, including prestigious "Best in Class" designation, for its newest commercial and industrial indoor and outdoor LED lighting solutions during last week's LIGHTFAIR International 2012 trade show. Acuity Brands was the most honored LED lighting luminaire manufacturer.

The Company led the Next Generation Luminaires(TM) (NGL) Solid State Lighting Design Competition, winning a total of six awards for its LED indoor ambient and industrial lighting products, including "Best in Class" honors for the Lithonia Lighting ST Series luminaire. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the NGL contest was launched in 2008 to promote excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED luminaires for general illumination in commercial lighting applications.

In addition, Acuity Brands was honored with five awards for its indoor and outdoor LED lighting luminaires as part of the 2012 Solid-State Lighting Product Innovation Awards from Architectural SSL magazine, which were presented during Lightfair 2012. The awards identify and honor the market's most innovative LED and solid-state luminaires and fixtures as selected by a group of distinguished industry peers.

"We are honored to be recognized by our industry peers with 11 prestigious awards for our indoor and outdoor LED lighting solutions," said Rick Earlywine, Acuity Brands Lighting Senior Vice President, Innovation & Technology. "The significance and number of awards proves yet again why Acuity Brands is the leading lighting company in North America. We are committed to providing smart and simple solutions that deliver the best quality of lighting for a better quality of life. These industry honors clearly recognize that our innovative high-performance luminaires with integrated digital controls solutions are effectively increasing the quality of light, reducing maintenance and energy requirements, improving sustainability and lowering the total cost of operation.

"Our ongoing goal is to envision and create lighting solutions that customers both need and want; solutions that are not only high quality, reliable and affordable, but are also innovative, integrated and aesthetically pleasing," said Earlywine.

Next Generation Luminaires Awards The Next Generation Luminaires (NGL) judges recognized six innovative Acuity Brands products in three unique categories - utility/general purpose lighting, recessed modular lighting and high bay industry lighting.

Winners included: Lithonia Lighting ST Series indoor ambient LED luminaires, which received "Best-in-Class"; Lithonia Lighting RT Series indoor ambient LED luminaires; Lithonia Lighting VT Series indoor ambient LED luminaires; Lithonia Lighting AC Series indoor ambient lighting luminaires; Lithonia Lighting T Series indoor ambient lighting luminaires; and Lithonia Lighting PROTEON(TM) LED High Bay luminaires for industrial applications. For more information about the NGL winners visit http://www.ngldc.org/.

Product Innovation Awards Architectural SSL magazine judges awarded five 2012 Solid-State Lighting Product Innovation Awards (PIA) to Acuity Brands spanning three categories - indoor and outdoor LED lighting products, general ambient lighting products, linear cove/wall wash and area lighting products.

The new high-quality Acuity Brands' products honored by PIA included: Lithonia Lighting RT Relight Series indoor ambient LED luminaires; Lithonia Lighting VT Series indoor ambient LED luminaires; Lithonia Lighting ST Series indoor ambient LED luminaires; Lithonia Lighting Z Series LED striplights; and American Electric LightingR Autobahn outdoor area LED lighting luminaires. For more information about the PIA winners visit http://www.architecturalssl.com/.

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Acuity Brands, Inc. Triumphs at Major LED Lighting Awards Competitions