An efficient heating or cooling system is essential for the comfort of your home. Regardless of location, some form of climate control is a fundamental feature of every home. Prices for heating and cooling installations are affected by a number of variables-- considering them can help you plan for an effective system and a smooth installation.

Heating and cooling systems vary in their types, fuels, and installation methods. The type of system you choose will determine the materials, skills and equipment needed for installation, but in general you can expect an average heating system installation to cost about $1059, compared to $1588 for a cooling system and $1557 for a combination heating and cooling appliance.

The size and layout of homes often differ from apartment and business facilities, requiring different types of systems for efficient operation. Installations in single-family home are often straight-forward and cost an average of $626. Planning and installing heating and cooling systems for apartment and commercial buildings can be more complex and require substantial equipment, costing about $1123 for apartments and $1347 for businesses.

Most home system installations are simplest during construction, when walls and floors are open and unfinished. Installing a new heating or cooling system during construction or where one has never been installed typically costs $1210. Fitting a replacement system may require the removal of old equipment or modifications to accommodate the new one. Extra considerations for installing a replacement system contribute to average prices of $1083.

Natural gas, propane, oil, and electricity are typically used to power heating and cooling systems. An important factor in choosing your new system is whether it will use the same fuel as the current system or if conversion will be necessary. Average prices for replacing a unit of the same type include $1235 for natural gas, $1218 for propane, $1322 for oil and $1072 for electric appliances.

The age of a heating or cooling system can affect the price of installing a replacement, since removal and modifications can range in complexity. Replacing a system less than 5 years old generally requires little modification unless you are changing fuels, and may cost about $814. An 8 year old appliance may cost $1127 to replace, while replacing any system over 10 years old costs an average of $1378. Old heating and cooling systems may require extensive labor to dismantle and remove, and needed upgrades to ductwork or plumbing can add to overall costs. Converting to a new heating method can be a complex and expensive addition to your project as well, since switching from radiators or ducts to radiant tubing or baseboard heat may require substantial modifications to your home.

The type of fuel you will use for your new heating or cooling system is an important factor of installation costs. For new installations, wiring, venting, and supply lines can usually be run easily during construction, and fitting a replacement system that can use existing connections is generally straight forward. Installing a natural gas system may cost about $1177, while other units average $1148 for propane installations, $1386 for oil, and $814 for electric. Converting to a new fuel source for a replacement system may involve several modifications to your home, so be sure to confirm whether your installer will perform or contract for any needed changes or if you will need to hire additional contractors to handle any wiring or plumbing upgrades.

The type, age, and fuel of your existing system are important factors in selecting and installing a replacement, just as similar considerations are important in new installations. Your contractor can help you choose a system that is appropriate for your home and plan for conversions, modifications, or upgrades that may be needed for its operation.

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Heating & Cooling System Installation Cost | Redbeacon

Ecovent

Cambridge, Mass.-based startup, Ecovent, was founded by Dipul Patel and developed at MIT. Although Ecovent is a new name in home heating and cooling, Patel told me that he has been toying around with this idea since 2008. Back then, he was working at Lockheed Martin and trying to save money for his upcoming wedding.

One ill-fated cost-saving strategy involved shutting off the air vents in select rooms throughout his house. It worked, but then his mom came to visit and ended up spending quite an uncomfortable night in one of Patel's unventilated rooms. This simple mistake prompted him to re-examine the entire concept of whole-home temperature control and eventually turned into Ecovent.

Rather than trying to remember to open and close your vents as needed, Ecovent's solution automatically adjusts them for you. And, instead of a pricey professional install, Ecovent says its wireless, DIY-friendly products can get the job done for roughly $200 a room.

Ecovent manages this with its own temperature, humidity and motion-sensing wall plugs (outfitted with USB ports for good measure), custom vents and an Android and iOS app. Stick the sensor plugs throughout your house, replace your current vents with Ecovent's app-enabled ones, label the various plugs and vents, tell the app your ideal temperature settings by room, and let the system re-route your heat and AC to suit your exact specifications.

According to Ecovent's official press release, it "applies aeronautical engineering principles to optimize airflow and preserve HVAC system integrity. It also adjusts to changes in the home and learns from users' input over time." Sounds good to me.

While Ecovent will work with a plain ol' thermostat, it's optimized for smart versions. And although Patel didn't share specifics, he mentioned that Ecovent was planning ahead as far as APIs and third-party partnerships. Pre-orderable kits are available now; check out Ecovent.com for more details.

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Ecovent takes smart heating and cooling seriously

A 10-unit apartment house with three affordable units is proposed at 2 Island Hill Avenue, on the corner of Danbury Road.

Development plans for a 10-unit apartment building and an office building on the corner of Danbury Road and Island Hill Avenue will be up for public commentTuesday.

The commercially zoned one-acre property proposed for development is the site where a proposed Stop & Shop gas station was turned down two years ago, after fierce public opposition led by residents of the Island Hill neighborhood.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will host public hearings on the plans next Tuesday, Oct. 14, starting at 7:30 in the town hall annex.

The one-acre property is the site of a former construction yard with a small garage at 65 Danbury Road and a vacant house at 2 Island Hill Avenue.

The plans were submitted to the town by attorney Robert Jewell on behalf of two development corporations whose principal owners are James and Don Sturges of the Ridgefield-based building company Sturges Brothers.

The plans are to divide the roughly one-acre property, creating separate lots for two projects:

Of the apartment buildings 10 units, at least three would need to be affordable under state guidelines to qualify the application for treatment under the states affordable housing law, 8-30g, which makes projects exempt from local zoning rules.

Under 8-30g, at least 30% of apartments in a project must meet the states affordability guidelines.

The shingle and stone apartment building designed by MacMillan Architects of Boulder Hill Road shows a footprint of just over 5,000 square feet, with 10 apartment units five on each of the two floors. The proposal envisions eight two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units.

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Affordable apartments, offices get public hearing

By Doris C. Dumlao |Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines The Keppel and Banco de Oro Unibank groups are investing $265 million for the redevelopment of The Podium complex in Ortigas, bringing additional retail and office space inventory to the property market in the next two to five years.

SM Keppel Land Inc. (SMKL), a joint venture between SM-led Banco de Oro Unibank and Keppel Philippines Properties Inc., is set to add over 34,000 square meters (sq.m.) of retail space to The Podium, hiking the total leasable space of the five-story retail mall to 50,000 sq.ms. by 2016. This was based on a disclosure by Keppel Philippines to the local stock exchange on Tuesday.

Likewise part of the project is the construction of a new 42-story office building, which will offer a net leasable area of over 89,000 sq.ms. of premium grade office space and will rise above the expanded retail mall by 2019, according to the disclosure.

When The Podium was constructed many years ago, its structural base factored in the eventual construction of a high-rise building above it. The SM-Keppel consortium group was only awaiting a good time to activate this plan, banking on good prospects for the Philippine economy in the years ahead.

Total construction cost for this second phase of the Podium development has been estimated by SMKL at about $265-million, the disclosure added.

Based on an earlier announcement by the BDO, the upcoming office tower top The Podium was uniquely designed to rise from the ground as one continuous, soaring form but it balances its mass by the transparency of its curtain-wall and the random play of the vertical metal panels in its facade. The building has been designed to international grade A standards. The tower was designed to achieve the Gold LEED rating, from its choice of construction and building systems, to the design of the curtain-wall, to the optimum lease depths for good office day-lighting.

LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. The system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The buildings LEED compliant design is seen not only benefiting the environment or reducing the tenants operational costs but also creating a better work surrounding for the building users, seen as an important factor in the competitive office market.

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SM Keppel to invest $265 million to expand The Podium

Downtown motorists, your one-way adventure on New Hampshire Street may just be beginning. Motorists may have up to two more years of the construction cones.

Lawrence city commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday are scheduled to approve a partial closing of the 800 block of New Hampshire Street to accommodate the construction of a new multistory apartment and office building at the northeast corner of Ninth and New Hampshire streets.

The project will create lane closures on New Hampshire Street north of Ninth Street and south of the midblock crosswalk in the 800 block of New Hampshire Street. Officials are estimating it will take 18 months to build the new building, but are asking for permission to close the street up to 24 months, in case the project takes longer than anticipated. The citys director of public works is supportive of the request.

You have to have some room to get equipment in and around the building site, said Chuck Soules, the citys director of public works. You dont want people that close to a building site anyway. I think it is going to be in everybodys interest to let the project proceed in this way.

For the duration of the project, the northbound lane on New Hampshire Street is expected to be closed to all traffic. Periodically, the southbound lane also will be closed to traffic. But the Journal-World previously incorrectly reported that both lanes would be closed for much of the project. Soules said the plans call for the southbound lane to remain open except during times when a waterline that is located in the middle of the street is being replaced.

Soules said that portion of the project likely would take weeks, not months, but said a firm timetable for the work wasnt available. An attempt to reach a representative with the developer Lawrence-based First Management wasnt successful.

Downtown leaders also are waiting to see how the project will affect the Lawrence Farmers' Market, which hosts a Tuesday and Saturday market in the city parking lot adjacent to the building site. Plans call for the southernmost row of parking in the city lot to be closed during the construction project. Other parking spaces used by market visitors will be open, Soules said. The midblock crosswalk that leads to the market area also is scheduled to remain open, Soules said.

Amanda Cook, chair of the board of directors for the Lawrence Farmers' Market, said parking and ease of movement around the site is a concern. She said the market previously has worked well with the development group, so she is hopeful the developers will work to accommodate the market as part of the project.

One way or another, our plan is still to be at that location during all of this, Cook said. Well probably have to spend a little more money on advertising and work a little harder to make sure it works for our customers.

If the lane closures are approved by the commission, Soules said it is uncertain when the work may begin. He said crews may begin blocking traffic on the portion of the street within the next couple of weeks, but he has instructed the developer to be certain that the building project really is ready to proceed before the street is blocked.

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City to consider closing portion of New Hampshire Street to accommodate building project

Missoula Window Cleaning Consumer Guide: 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring a Window Cleaner
In this free Missoula window cleaning consumer guide, you will learn the 5 Things You Must Know before hiring a window cleaner, or anyone else, to work in your home. You can get the report...

By: Spectrum Window Cleaning

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Missoula Window Cleaning Consumer Guide: 5 Things You Must Know Before Hiring a Window Cleaner - Video

If you've been wondering what's happening at the corner of Ramsey Road and Canfield Avenue recently, wonder no more. What's happening is the opening of Lake Forest West.

Lake Forest West is one of the newest neighborhoods on the northern edge of Coeur d'Alene. But its location, nestled as it is amongst established neighborhoods, affords the best of both worlds. Homeowners can help determine how their new community develops while taking advantage of the amenities afforded by the other, older communities around them.

And then, there are the trees. The beautiful, mature, towering trees.

"Buyers love that the builders are leaving as many trees as they can," said Brad Richmond, a Realtor with Northwest Realty Group, representing Hallmark Homes. "They left as many trees as they could to give it that mature feel. The trees are the big thing."

Termac Construction and Hallmark Homes are the builders operating in Lake Forest West. One of the benefits of having quality builders in this neighborhood is that the homes aren't a jumbled mix of professional and owner-built houses. There's a consistency that speaks of care and thoughtful planning.

Hallmark Homes is striving for that "northwest Craftsman feel" with their homes, featuring earth tones, natural materials, and houses tucked into the trees. The lots in Lake Forest West are wide, averaging 80 feet, but not super-deep, Richmond pointed out. The layout is perfect for homeowners who want elbow room, but would rather not spend their weekends maintaining a large yard. "There's plenty of room to store your toys," Richmond said.

In Lake Forest West, Hallmark Homes is including a wide variety of features usually considered upgrades by other builders. "Hallmark offers the best standard features in the business," Richmond said. And then there are the warranties: lifetime on the roofing, lifetime on the laminate floor, and 10-year structural.

In the bath and kitchen, you'll find granite, with tile backsplashes. Elsewhere are hardwood floors. Gas fireplaces. Staggered Huntwood custom cabinets in the kitchen, with crown moulding. The doorways are arched and the ceilings soar to 9 feet, lending an elegant, spacious feel to the living spaces. Upgraded Craftsman trim packages. For your comfort, there's central air conditioning and the most efficient furnace in the industry.

Outside, the front and rear yards are landscaped with sprinkler systems. Homes have HardiePlank siding, carriage-style garage doors, stone columns and beam accents.

Homeowners select their own lighting, flooring, etc., from specified vendors, so you'll play an important role in creating your dream home.

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Neighborhood of the week: Lake Forest West

VisitingKristen Cadwallader's Rock Island home in search of simple do-it-yourself home design projectsis like looking for plants in a greenhouse. They are everywhere.

In the living room alone you'll spot a fireplace skillfully updated with paint, tile and wood molding, an impressivelibrary wall made with relatively inexpensive Ikea bookcases and flea market finds dressed up with paint.

These inventive "Why didn't I think of this?" projects did not happen by accident.Cadwallader works at it.

The Rock Island High School graduate and 34-year-old mother of two has forged a career as ahome design blogger, creatingmaterial to write about by dreaming up craft and decorating projects for her own home. She does the work, photographs the project from start to finishand posts it online withstep-by-step instructions.

Her bliss-athome.com blog currently receives about200,000 page views per month.

This substantial following led to her beingfeatured inthe August issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine, andlate last month she flew to New York for The Stylemaker Event, adaylong programata swanky hotel.

Sponsored by the Meredith Corp./Better Homes & Gardens, it involved 70 peoplefrom across the country whom the organizers believe will be stylemakers in theareas of food, fashion and design.

Cadwallader is as amazed as anyone byall this.

How it all began

On a recent morning while sons Sam, 5, and Bryce, 10, were attending classes at Morning Star Academy in Bettendorf, Cadwallader perched on a living room chair with afluffy white poodle on her lap and explained that this pathunrolled serendipitously.

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Blogging her way to success

Temple Firefighters fought two fires Saturday but a sprinkler system may have saved one of the buildings.

The first fire started around 8:00 Saturday morning after a woman smelled a burning smell as she was driving her car home. When she parked in her carport, she stepped out to check and saw fire and smoke coming from under the front of the car. The car and car port had major fire damages and the attic had minor damages.

Four crews responded and got the flames under control within 20 minutes. The fire caused $17,500 in damages and displaced the family of three who are now living with relatives. The fire was also ruled unintentional.

Crews also responded to another fire Saturday afternoon at the Lock Joint Tube manufacturing plant in Temple. When crews got there they found employees had already evacuated the building. When they went inside they found one fire sprinkler head flowing water close to machinery which had a small amount of fire underneath.

Crews put out the flames and credit the fire sprinkler system with keeping the fire from spreading. This fire was ruled unintentional as well and caused $5,000 in damages.

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Temple fights two fires in car port and manufacturing plant

Gusty winds, uprooted trees, torn roofs of hutments and sheds and snapped electric cables bore testimony to the impact of severe cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' which hit Andhra Pradesh's coastal districts on Sunday.

Normal life was thrown completely out of gear as winds with a speed of 170 to 180 kmph battered Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts today.

The very severe cyclonic storm made the landfall in Visakhapatnam before noon.

The gale, accompanied by heavy downpour, resulted in trees being uprooted and roofs of thatched huts and sheds swept away.

Electric poles, cables and hoardings fell on the roads at many places in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts.

The impact of the gale was the most in Visakhapatnam.

"Windows are broken due to the wind. We are feeling the impact even if the windows are closed," said many a residents of Visakhapatnam.

Communication systems were badly affected in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts.

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Hudhud impact: Uprooted trees, electric poles litter streets