TOPEKA, Kansas (WIBW) -- The roof on the Habitat For Humanity house is almost complete, and volunteers say progress is coming along nicely.

Saturday morning members from Fellowship Bible Church helped at the Habitat For Humanity house at 1717 Sieben to get it ready for the Munganga family.

Volunteers were working to put the roof on the house. Next week subcontractors will be able to install heating and cooling, plumbing and electricity.

One organizer, Ivan Weichert, has been involved in Habitat For Humanity for 15 years and has served on the board. He continues to help each time they build a house for a family because he used to be a builder, and says it helps fill the need. But the most important part to him:

"It's working with the families when they come out and help on the job and seeing their faces when they get their new home."

He described that feeling as "super."

Alex Poage is a member of Fellowship Bible Church and it was his first time helping.

"It's a way to give back to the community," Poage said. "I've been working construction this summer so I thought it's a great way to use my skills."

Weichert tells us there have been some delays due to weather, but the Munganga family will be in their new home by Thanksgiving.

"It'll be a good addition to the neighborhood," Weichert said.

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Roof In Progress At Habitat For Humanity House

TALK BACK! Know of an open house, book, website or tool you'd like to share with Shop Talk readers? Send details to homes@jacksonville.com or call (904) 359-4628.

OPEN HOUSE OF THE WEEK

Listed for $319,900, the brick home at 2467 Sedgwick Place sits in one of Jacksonvilles most sought-after neighborhoods. With three bedrooms and four baths in 2,844 square feet, its many features include an all-new eat-in kitchen, two custom master baths and guest bath, new carpet, energy-efficient windows and fresh paint. The backyard is bordered by a brick/concrete wall to provide privacy. To see more, attend an open house today, July 12, from 1-3 p.m. or call Anita King of EXIT Magnolia Point Realty at (904) 607-1321.

For a rundown of area open houses, both today and in coming weeks, visit http://bit.ly/NEFAR_Open or go to http://www.nefar.com.

TIP OF THE WEEK

Dan Copeland, a JEA customer solutions field representative and a member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association E-Council, sent along a few energy-saving tips for those who are considering building a new home.

First up is some advice on radiant barriers. Copeland says not all Jacksonville builders install radiant barriers in their new homes, so inquire about the option. A radiant barrier is a thin layer of reflective metal laminated to the roof decking. It helps reduce the heat transferred to the duct work from the hot roof, ultimately reducing a homes cooling costs. Cooling is the largest part of most electricity bills in the Jacksonville area. A radiant-barrier upgrade to an existing home is difficult to justify due to higher costs. However, in new construction it takes no additional time to install, and the upgrade cost is far lower, usually less than $1,000 per home.

Next week, look for Dans advice on picking a heating and cooling system. For more tips, contact him at copede@jea.com, or visit jea.com/green.

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SHOP TALK: Cool tools, great websites and news you can use

ST. CHARLES, MO (KTVI) Long hot summer days can be miserable when your air conditioner goes out. It happened to a St. Charles man after he had a new unit installed.

Homeowner Shawn Dawson says the heat was uncomfortable. It was pretty hot in there. It was like 90 degree weather so it was pretty hot when the AC wasn`t working, he stated.

So Shawn hired an Arnold Heating and Cooling contractor to install a new one at a cost of $2,100. It cooled for a couple of hours but didnt seem to hold the coolant according to Shawn. So I called him back and he came out like five more times and it still didn`t work after that, he said.

So he called a different company who came out and it`s been running fine ever since it was serviced by the second contractor. He found a couple of leaks in the A Coil. Shawn paid almost $300 to have that problem corrected. Now hes asking to be reimbursed for that additional cost by the original contractor Froggys Heating and Cooling. When I spoke with the folks at Froggys they said theyd honor that request. But they often see defective parts which are covered by a manufacturer warranty. Shawn wonders why it wasnt detected sooner. They used the bubble test and didn`t find any so. After five times I think it should have been fixed, he said.

Air conditioners get a real work out. So do some research when you need to hire someone for repairs. Understand the equipment youre buying and how to contact the manufacturer. Call us with your consumer issues. The toll free number is 800-782-2222. The line is open Monday through Thursday from 11am till 1pm.

Link:
Man wants A/C company to reimburse after bad installation

Madison, WI (PRWEB) July 10, 2014

Americans learn more about energy savings each year and 2014 will be no exception. While homeowners in the U.S. are doing more than ever to seal their homes and conserve power, there is always room for a new tip. The average household spends $2,000 a year on energy bills, and more than half of that goes toward heating and cooling. Furthermore, Business Insider reports that the U.S. collectively wastes nearly $146 billion a year on utilities each year by not following best practices for reducing home energy costs.

5 Easy Tips for Increased Energy Savings

What many homeowners may not realize is that opportunities to reduce their power usage are present all around their houses, and while many of the new versions of household gadgets available in 2014 are more efficient than they used to be, homeowners need to do more to save money. For families looking for ways to save some more cash this summer, the U.S. Department of Energy offers these tips:

1. Install a programmable thermostat to keep cooling at a minimum when the family is out of the house.

2. Turn off the dish washers automatic or heated drying cycle.

3. Make sure all windows and doors are closed when the air conditioning is on.

4. Plug major electronics into a power strip and turn off the power strips when not in use. Many of these items, even newer TVs and computers, still use several watts of power in stand-by mode.

5. Air dry clothes outside on nice days instead of using the dryer.

Prevent Over-Cooling in 2014

See the article here:
New Tips for Improving Energy Savings This Summer

With some members saying Vacaville's future is at stake, a new committee of volunteers has formed to mount an outreach and informational campaign for a possible $194 million school bond measure in November.

The Committee Supporting Vacaville Schools 2014 held its first meeting Monday and plans another the first Monday after the next Vacaville Unified governing board meeting, July 17, if trustees approve a pending resolution.

"We're waiting for the board to give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down," said Nolan Sullivan, a committee co-chair and president of the Vacaville Public Education Foundation, which raises money for Vacaville's public schools.

At its June 26 meeting, the seven-member board gave no indication whether or not it would adopt the resolution, as written in a draft they reviewed; however, several trustees noted a need to upgrade technology and the district's 16 campuses, nearly one-half of them 50 years old or older, with several of those 60 years old or older.

Interviewed Wednesday, Sullivan alluded to the district's many aging campuses as one reason the committee volunteers came together earlier this month. Besides Sullivan, they include Mary Woo, committee co-chair and a Will C. Wood High teacher and cross country coach; former Vacaville Mayor Len Augustine, the committee's honorary chair; and Ernest Kimme, a former teacher and Vacaville City Council member, a columnist for The Reporter, and supporter, like Woo, of a proposed new stadium for Wood High.

Sullivan, 31, by day a manager at the Yolo County department of social services, said the bond measure's passage would determine the educational experience for a generation of the city's children and, thus, affect the city's future.

"Our kids are going to directly benefit from this bond," he said. "It's going to directly impact us."

If approved by the VUSD board, then passed by voters on Nov. 4, the money will be used to upgrade regular classrooms, repair or replace portable classrooms, install energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, provide for campus modernizations (infrastructure upgrades, roofing and plumbing repairs, for instance), provide for wi-fi technology upgrades at all campuses, pay for the construction of a 2-story classroom building at Vacaville High, and the building of a football stadium at Wood High, one of only two Solano County high schools without its own football field for athletic events, graduations and other uses.

Woo said the bond measure will pay for "facilities districtwide where children can thrive."

"We're going to need the bond measure to pay for major projects the scope of the projects is just so huge," she said.

See the original post here:
Vacaville school bond committee forms

By Karen Rifkin

For the Ukiah Daily Journal

North Coast Energy Services, a non-profit since 1981, subsidized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides low-income home energy assistance funds for those who qualify under their program guidelines.

Executive Director Linda McQueen, executive director for 31 years, explains the available assistance that the agency provides.

"One of our programs helps people, those who are income qualified, to pay their utility bills so they don't get their services cut off. They can get a once-a-year payment of up to $400 and if they have an extraordinarily high bill with a pending shutoff notice, we can provide up to a $1,000 in assistance," McQueen said.

They also do weatherization for those who qualify including attic and under-flooring and replacement of windows and doors, weather stripping, shower heads and aerators at no cost. If the work is done for a renter, it is at no cost to the landlord.

Prior to the work Patrick Bauer assesses the home and tests for carbon monoxide; they put in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and if necessary can replace certain appliances and heating and cooling systems, forced air heat units, central air conditioning, window air conditioners and evaporative coolers.

They have recently begun a pilot program in the six counties in which they operate Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Solana, Napa and Yolo and are now putting in solar water heating systems for those who are presently using natural gas.

Bauer explains, "We put solar collectors, thin solar panels, on the roof. The roof has to be in good standing, facing southeast or south west with no adjacent shading. The system is filled with propylene glycol, heated by the sun, that runs through the collector and the system and heats the water in the unit. We install a second 50-gallon tank next to the water heater that holds constantly heated water. Natural gas is necessary only when there is no sun and it saves up to 90 percent on the water bill."

They have retrofitted eight homes in the last two months and are hoping to do a total of 25 in Ukiah. They are actively seeking qualified individuals and families and the application process is a very simple one. The agency looks at 30 days of income, a utility bill, from both the City of Ukiah and PG&E, and verification of income such as wages or social security. They establish an energy burden by dividing energy costs by income to determine eligibility.

Read the original:
Energy experts looking for homes to retrofit

The summer heat might be a welcome change after winters brutal temperatures--until the electricity bill arrives.

When you think about summer, 55% of your total utility bill goes to cooling, says home improvement expert Danny Lipford. [Your air conditioner is] the highest use system that you have in your home all year round. It only makes sense to take steps to make it more efficient and work less to drive that cost down.

You can lower your cooling costs by 30 to 40% by making your homes systems work efficiently and tweaking your behaviors, experts say.

The obvious cost-cutting tip is being mindful of a homes temperature. After all, every degree that you turn your thermostat up will save you money.

Here are experts money-saving tips that will keep you cool this summer and your budget intact:

Use Ceiling and Exhaust Fans

Running a fan counterclockwise will have a cooling effect of six degrees, but they wont lower the rooms temperature, according to Lipford.

Since a fan saves you money only when the room is occupied, be sure to turn it off when you leave.

To keep moisture at bay, turn the range fan on when cooking and run the bathroom fans during and 10 to 15 minutes after a shower. The moisture in the house makes it harder to keep it cool and causes your air conditioner to work more, says Lipford.

Dont Block Registers in Your Home

Excerpt from:
Keep Your Home Cool this Summer for Cheap

If the prospect of installing your own thermostat feels overwhelming, don't despair. This step-by-step guide will show you how to set up Honeywell's $280 Lyric smart thermostat in a flash.

Turn off power to your heating and cooling system at your circuit breaker.

Switch off the power at your circuit breaker. Colin West McDonald/CNET

Take a photo of your existing setup so you have a wiring reference point if you start to get confused. My system has W, Y, G, and Rh wires.

Take a photo of your old wiring. Megan Wollerton/CNET

This would also be a good time to create small labels for each wire if they aren't already marked. That will help you keep them sorted, which is particularly important when the color of the wire doesn't correspond to its label -- for example, my Y, or yellow, wire is actually light blue.

Detach the wires from the old thermostat and unscrew and remove the base of the thermostat and the baseplate, if applicable. At this point, you can fill holes and paint any areas that might be visible after the Lyric is installed.

Feed the wires through the Lyric's baseplate and its thermostat base.

Feed the wires through the Lyric. Colin West McDonald/CNET

Mount them to the wall and use the built-in level to make sure everything looks straight.

More:
Install the Honeywell Lyric Thermostat like a pro

The summer heat might be a welcome change after winters brutal temperatures--until the electricity bill arrives.

When you think about summer, 55% of your total utility bill goes to cooling, says home improvement expert Danny Lipford. [Your air conditioner is] the highest use system that you have in your home all year round. It only makes sense to take steps to make it more efficient and work less to drive that cost down.

You can lower your cooling costs by 30 to 40% by making your homes systems work efficiently and tweaking your behaviors, experts say.

The obvious cost-cutting tip is being mindful of a homes temperature. After all, every degree that you turn your thermostat up will save you money.

Here are experts money-saving tips that will keep you cool this summer and your budget intact:

Use Ceiling and Exhaust Fans

Running a fan counterclockwise will have a cooling effect of six degrees, but they wont lower the rooms temperature, according to Lipford.

Since a fan saves you money only when the room is occupied, be sure to turn it off when you leave.

To keep moisture at bay, turn the range fan on when cooking and run the bathroom fans during and 10 to 15 minutes after a shower. The moisture in the house makes it harder to keep it cool and causes your air conditioner to work more, says Lipford.

Dont Block Registers in Your Home

Continue reading here:
How to Keep Your Home Cool this Summer for Cheap

A massive construction project is underway in Downtown Rochester, and were only four months away until the work is done.

Mark Ballerstein has been working on the $50 million project since the very beginning. Ballerstein is the director of engineering for Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority.

He said a lot of work went into getting the transit ready. The enclosed, one-story facility is designed to accommodate 100 buses an hour. It will span an entire city block between St. Paul Street and North Clinton Avenue.

It will serve as the hub for RTS customers who ride the bus to and from downtown Rochester.

The building is equipped with the latest in modern technology. "In the ceiling above we have a ribbon which has changing light colors on it, which will make it interesting and different in appearance every part of the day. As customers come in they'll see something a little different, described Ballerstein.

Digital signage will also make the transit center user friendly."We have digital signs that will let the customers know when the buses are arriving and what time they should be leaving, said Ballerstein.

Chief Operating Officer Daniele Coll-Gonzalez says creating a hassle-free experience for customers was also a major part of the construction project. "They'll see big differences in their experience waiting for the bus in a climate-controlled, secure, safe facility."

Systems like the fire alarm, heating and cooling still need to be installed.

These parts of the project should begin in the next month and take another two or three more months to complete.

Gonzalez said it feels surreal that the project is near completion. To finally have this in Downtown Rochester is really going to have a major impact.

Continued here:
RTS Transit Center Construction Near Completion