ALBUQUERQUE>> PNM paid more than $3.7 million in incentives to New Mexico businesses in 2013.

The company announced new energy-saving programs, Wednesday, for businesses and commercial building owners. PNM is adding to their existing rebates and services to help business save on electricity bills. These programs reduce the initial cost of energy efficiency improvements and shorten the investment payback period.

PNM has enhanced the rebate opportunities for business through the new Building Tune-up program, which program is designed to improve the energy efficiency by bringing mechanical and electrical systems up to peak performance levels. This systematic analysis takes advantage of energy efficiency measures that are usually overlooked.

Another program on offer is Retro-commissioning, which provides a facility assessment, a report of findings and incentives for installing energy-saving measures. This program targets commercial building owners with an annual energy usage of at least 750,000 kWh.

The Advanced AC Tune-up allows building owners to make substantial upgrades to cooling units to save a significant amount of energy. Trained professionals provide diagnostic and inspection services to improve performance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Every component of the HVAC system is tested to ensure it is operating at full capacity. The AC Tune-up is available to commercial building owners with an annual energy usage of less than 750,000 kilowatt-hours whose HVAC systems are older than three years and at least four tons in size.

The Building Operator Certification is a nationally recognized, competency-based training and certification program. PNM will provide tuition support for qualifying facilities' personnel to enroll in classes providing improved job skills and knowledge to transform workplaces to be more comfortable, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Existing PNM programs include: New Construction where PNM business customers can apply for incentives for building a more efficiency facility; Retrofit Rebates with pre-set and custom incentives to business customers to install energy-efficiency equipment within existing facilities and PNM Quick Saver for small business accounts to make lighting and refrigeration upgrades.

For applications, eligibility requirements and more information, visit their website at http://www.pnmenergyefficiency.com.

Residential customers also can receive rebates through PNM. The Refrigerator Recycling Program will pay the consumer $50 for old refrigerators and take the units away. "Most people will take their old refrigerators and move them into the garage. What you're doing is taking the most inefficient appliance in the house and move it where it will have to work that much harder," said Ryan Baca of PNM media relations.

PNM then recycles the parts. Glass from refrigerators are added to asphalt while plastic parts get turned into computer components. Insulation is now used to clean up oil spills.

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PNM helps businesses and citizens to save money

An IBM computer center in Germany reduces its energy-consumption with a water-cooling system attached on top and helps heat the surrounding area.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Data centers are large facilities filled with servers and other equipment. In the United States, data centers are responsible for more than 2% of the country's electricity usage, according to researchers at Villanova University. If the global cloud computing industry were considered to be a single country, it would be the fifth-largest in the world in terms of energy consumption, according to Ed Turkel of Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ, Fortune 500) Hyperscale Business Unit.

Nearly half of the energy data centers consume goes to cooling the equipment using fans and other methods. That's "just wasteful," said Jill Simmons, director of Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment.

That's why the city of Seattle is working on a project to make use of the heat data centers produce. The city plans to route heat from two local data centers to to help warm 10 million square feet of building space in the surrounding area. The project is still in the conceptual phase, but Simmons said the city hopes to have it in motion "within the next year."

Related: Russia fallout pushes Europe to develop shale gas

The plan is to take the water that cools the data center and pipe it out to buildings nearby. The system will also rely on water heated by energy from sewer lines and electrical substations.

The construction cost will be borne by private utility Corix, which will recover its investment through rates paid by customers over a 30-year period.

"Our hope is that the rates will be competitive with the rates of other utilities, and hopefully better over time," said Christie Baumel, energy policy advisor at Seattle's Office of Sustainability and Environment.

Seattle is following the lead of other cities around the world, including Munich and Vancouver, small portions of which also use heat from data centers.

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How data centers are heating Seattle

Two Flagstaff brothers are helping to design the homes of the future.

Charlie and Andy White, both Flag High graduates and sons of retired Flagstaff astronomer Nat White, own AVDomotics in Sedona. The company specializes in creating home and commercial automation systems that can be controlled from a touch screen or a smart phone.

We can automate nearly anything. It just depends on what the customer wants, Andy White said.

The company has programmed everything from a security gate to the new collaborative classroom in Northern Arizona Universitys School of Communication.

The NAU classroom separates students into groups, Andy White said.

Each student has a computer, which is connected to both the universitys network and to a series of larger monitors in the room. The teacher can call up the computer screen from any computer in the room onto one of the larger screens. The students can also share screens between groups.

The NAU system is also connected to an Apple TV that allows the teacher to pull up movies, music, video and more, from iTunes or Netflicks. The device also allows a teacher or student to connect to the system with a hand-held tablet computer or smartphone and project its screen onto one of the monitors.

As many as 32 devices can connect into the system and four images can be shown at the same time on any of the computers or larger monitors. Students and teachers can also control the system through a series of touch screen tablets at each group table or at the teachers podium.

The brothers bought the company from its previous owner about six or seven years ago, Andy White said.

AVDomotics also built the high-tech theater at the new Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Center. It also designed the lighting for the Hotel Weatherfords annual Pine Cone Drop.

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Business: AVDomotics offers one-touch, automated home

Published: 4/3/2014 - Updated: 1 hour ago

BY ROSE RUSSELL BLADE STAFF WRITER

As northwest Ohioans fling open their doors to run from the house to shed cabin fever, they might want to remember to examine door screens and the rest of the house to get it back into shape after such a rough winter.

The biggest thing right now is checking screens for holes so no bugs get inside, said Brian Yeager, a manager at Neighborhood ACE Hardware in Sylvania.

Bugs? Really? Yep. They come with warm weather, and though it seems a long time coming, warmer weather is coming, and with it comes chores homeowners must do to prepare their houses for spring and summer.

If you cleaned leaves from the gutters last fall, Mr. Yeager said to check them again this season.

With the rain storms coming, check the seams to make sure none has split due to the ice, Mr. Yeager said. Also, Make sure the down spouts are clear and pointed away from the house. Use extensions to make sure water flows from the house and not into the basement.

Safety is foremost, as pointed out by William Sinz, manager at Home Depot on West Alexis Road.

For damaged gutters, homeowners without roofing experience shouldnt do more than simple tasks, like securing nails and adjusting spouts. Beyond that, its safer to get a professionals help, Mr. Sinz said.

Spring and summer is no time to ignore the furnace, either. Jeff Chamberlain, the owner of Pro Hardware in Whitehouse, said furnace filers in summertime should be changed every 30 days.

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Spring brings household obstacles

The New York City Housing Authority is looking into whether geothermal energy is the future when it comes to heating and cooling the agency's hundreds of buildings, but there's a push in Brooklyn to get the technology all set up now. NY1's Jeanine Ramirez filed the following report.

Red Hook residents have gotten used to the sight of supposedly temporary boilers set up throughout the public housing complex, but the Red Hook Houses have depended on these mobile units for more than 17 months, ever since Hurricane Sandy hit, wiping out the old boilers.

FEMA will be giving the city housing authority $100 million to get new ones, but Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams says there's a better way to go.

"We want to move the borough towards sustainability, not the way we have done things in the past," he said.

Adams is calling for geothermal technology to modernize the heat, hot water and cooling systems in New York City Housing Authority buildings, starting with the ones damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Red Hook and Coney Island. On a diagram, he showed NY1 how the environmentally friendly system works.

"Go through the earth's natural systems and heat the air, and then come up and go to the building and allow the heat to come through," Adams said.

The idea is to maintain a steady temperature year-round. Electricity is still used, but to a lesser extent, so there is a cost savings.

Adams said window air conditioning units here could be a thing of the past if it's successful.

The hybrid geothermal technology is already being used in a pilot project at a NYCHA building on East 28th Street in Manhattan, but results are still being evaluated. Also, NYCHA said the system can't be installed in all of its buildings because certain conditions need to be in place at the location.

Adams said he's also looking at using geothermal technology at Borough Hall.

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Brooklyn BP Pushes For Geothermal Energy in City Housing Buildings

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Marie Zimmerman was a nationally acclaimed metal-craft artist in the late 19th century. In 2012, her house, located in Dingmans Ferry, was being restored by the Friends of Marie Zimmerman.Photo provided

April 01, 2014

The Marie Zimmerman House in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will be closed this year, and the nonprofit group that restored it is ending its relationship with the National Park Service.

The Friends of Marie Zimmerman terminated a five-year agreement with NPS in January. The agreement, signed in 2010, should have gone to 2015.

"Further improvements to the site to meet legal requirements, such as accessibility, will be pursued before the site reopens to the public," said NPS spokeswoman Kathleen Sandt.

The house and farm are located off Route 209 near the former village of Dingmans Ferry. It cannot be seen from the road, but NPS signs point the way to the large stone home where artist Marie Zimmerman once lived.

Zimmerman lived from 1879 to 1972. She was born on June 17 and died on June 17.

The farm home was built in 1910.

In 1944, Zimmerman closed her National Arts Club Studio and moved away from the New York art scene to her family's vacation home near Milford, a NPS biography says.

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Restoration group severs ties with recreation area's National Park Service

Tucson, Arizona (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

Even though Arizona is currently experiencing the most enviable spring weather in the country, the triple digits are just around the corner. ACS Air Conditioning Services, an HVAC company that provides service for air conditioning and heating in Green Valley Arizona, gives homeowners the following four reasons why now is the best time to install a new air conditioner:

1.Demand is low. Summer and winter are busy times for any HVAC contractor or home improvement store. Purchasing and installing a new air conditioning unit before temperatures soar allows for shorter lines at the store and more time for contractors to give customers personal attention.

2.Closeout deals. Manufacturers are trying to clear their warehouse floors of current models to make room for newer ones they will unveil in time for the busy season. This means steep discounts on perfectly good units will save homeowners lots of money.

3.Bundled services. Install a new air conditioner to be ready for summer, and at the same time have the contractor inspect your heating system for winter. Two seasons, one appointment - this bundled service saves homeowners both time and money.

4.Peace of mind. Installing a new air conditioning unit now gives savvy homeowners peace of mind knowing they will be ready when uncomfortable temperatures are expected in the coming months.

For more information on air conditioning services, call ACS at 520-399-6893 or visit http://www.acshvac.com.

About ACS

ACS Air Conditioning Services is a heating and air conditioning company located in Tucson, AZ that prides itself on being customer focused. The company originally opened in the year 1990 and specializes in the design, engineering, and installation of perfect climate systems for homes and buildings in the Southern Arizona area.

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Four Reasons Why Spring is the Best Time to Install a New Air Conditioner

Earth Hour proponents are hoping the city gets a little darker Saturday night.

The eighth annual Earth Hour takes place on Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and residents are urged to shut off as many electrical appliances and lights as possible to conserve energy and promote conservation efforts.

Earth Hour the global environmental movement initiated in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a campaign for action on climate change has grown to become the worlds largest mass participation event in history, according to the organization's website.From one city eight years ago it's spread to more than 7,000 cities in seven continents and hundreds of millions of people.

"Earth Hour's mission is three-fold," said Earth Hour CEO and co-founder Andy Ridley. "That is to bring people together through a symbolic hour-long event.To galvanize people into taking action beyond the hour. And to create an interconnected global community sharing the mutual goal of creating a sustainable future for the planet."

That attitude extends all they way down to just one person switching off a light, or a youngster learning that it's important to protect Mother Earth.

Terry Fox Elementary School students have been recognizing Earth Hour this week prior to the actual event on Saturday by monitoring power usage throughout their north-end school. They used a 'Watt-O-Meter' to check out electrical appliances in the office, staff room and classrooms such as a pencil sharpener, ice maker, coffee machine, toaster, kettle, microwave, freezer and printer.

Even at the tender age of 11, Dylan Sabourin knows what Earth Hour is about and what his family will do for 60 minutes on Saturday night.

"We turn off practically everything except the fridge and the furnace," he said, while using the Watt-O-Meter with classmate Emily Youell.

His outlook is what Terry Fox vice-principal Primrose Goss wants to hear.

"Young people will eventually be the responsible citizens that will inhabit this beautiful earth," Goss said. "This Earth Hour that we recognize by 'powering down' not only brings the importance of the saving the environment to light, it shows in a practical way that they can survive without the things in our lives that require an electric source of power.

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Barrie residents urged to 'switch it off' for Earth Hour

The Steamfitters union has a rigorous training program to make sure all those vying to build and maintain pipes, ventilation, heating and cooling systems in buildings across the city are really up to the task. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

At the Steamfitters Union Local 638 training center in Long Island City, Queens on Wednesday, instructor Dan Knight demonstrated how to properly operate a welding torch.

"These men and women that are in this program know that it's highly competitive and they are here to get the most learning and skill they can," said Steamfitters Union Local 638 President Pat Dolan.

The five-year program requires aspiring steamfitters to spend one day every other week here and the rest of the time in the field working for a variety of mechanical contracting firms.

"Air conditioning, heating, sprinkler work, hydraulic work, all of the piping work basically on new construction, renovation, powerhouse work, school work and hospitals," Dolan explained.

The apprentices spend time in classrooms and workshops, and they get to use a virtual welding simulator too, giving them the feel of welding before they do the real thing with the help of instructors like James Coffey.

They get their training through an education fund under a collective bargaining agreement with the companies that use them, represented by The Mechanical Contractors Association of New York.

"It's a jointly-managed fund of trustees on the management side and the union side, so we make the decisions on what gets taught, what the funding is, and what the need might be," Mechanical Contractors Association of New York Executive Vice President Tony Saporito.

A number of the apprentices are part of the Helmets to Hardhats program, where recently discharged military veterans are given the opportunity to have a career as a steamfitter.

"It's a beautiful transition, anyone who knows me will tell you I'm at the job one hour early," said Ricardo Francis, a Steamfitter apprentice.

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Steamfitters' Apprenticeship Program Welds Future Careers

Ontario, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2014

With the economy in its current state, consumers are looking to save money now more than ever before. By looking at home improvements with energy-efficiency in mind, homeowners have the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bills including heating, cooling, and water expenses.

The first step a homeowner should take is to conduct an energy audit to see what improvements can be made to make a home more energy efficient. In Florida, contact FPL (Florida Power & Light Company) to schedule an appointment for a representative to visit your home. These audits help homeowners discover where they might be losing energy and money. Energy auditors inspect insulation, Central a/c units, duct-work, windows, doors, and check if leaks exist that may be letting air escape or unwanted heat penetrating your interior. In a state like Florida where air conditioning is on at least 9 months of the year, its highly recommended to conduct an energy audit, particularly for older homes. (Home Energy Audits, Energy.gov) (Energy Efficiency, RemodelSouthFlorida.com)

If a system is not in poor working condition, it may be hard for some homeowners to justify purchasing a new one but it will save you more money in the long run: If there is a significant problem, simply comparing the price to repair the system with the cost of replacement will give you a good idea of what you should do. Energy efficiency improvements will have the added benefit of reducing your operating cost. If your system is over 10 years old, you will want to consider a new super high efficiency unit, especially if you have a large home with a high cooling load. The annual dollar savings from installing a new system may pay for itself in a short period of time, (EnergySmart Guide to Cooling Systems: Aclara Technologies, March 12, 2014).

After learning what improvements need to be made, homeowners can talk with an expert about the different types of energy saving options to install such as super high efficiency central A/C, insulation, and energy efficient replacement windows / doors, advises Marvin Lebovitz of Gulf Atlantic Industries of America, Inc., a leading expert in Floridas home improvement industry. One of the main responsibilities of a homeowner is the maintenance and care of their home. Theres no better way to maintain and increase the value of a home than to improve its energy efficiency.

A key step Lebovitz recommends is replacing windows and doors with energy-efficient hurricane impact products. Its important to determine what type of window will work best in a specific home. Different types of windows may be needed for each side of the house. Windows facing east and west should have some shading due to the difficulty controlling the entrance of heat and light while north-facing windows are only used for light.

Installing energy saving solutions are not just for residents of Florida but necessary across the nation. Energy-efficiency has come a long way in recent years making it easier and more affordable to improve your home. Everyones prerogative is to access new GO GREEN technology and keep more money in your pocket. With the hot season quickly approaching, take the time to get in touch with someone knowledgeable about energy-efficiency so you can see the impressive results in your own home, says Lebovitz.

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Save Money: Energy Saving Improvements for Home and Condo Outlined by Leading Renovation Expert Marvin Lebovitz of ...