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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) Mondays frigid temperatures are creating extra work for heating repair companies.

CenterPoint Energy has tripled its staff since Sunday and technicians are working around the clock. CenterPoint spokeswoman Becca Virden said the company has received 800 service calls since Sunday, and crews are expecting more than a thousand more by the days end.

Smaller heating repair companies are also seeing a big boost in business. Seth Roe of Standard Heating and Air Conditioning was called to Denise Days St. Paul home for a furnace repair. She woke up to a freezing cold home and a furnace that wouldnt turn on.

One of my main concerns is that my pipes would freeze. I dont want that. Thats a problem, especially in an old house like this, Day said.

Roe said his work load doubles when temperatures plummet. Furnaces are running longer and more often in the cold weather. Some of the common problems he sees are component failure in the furnace, corroded sensors and burned-out motors.

For many customers, prevention and upkeep are the best way to maintain a functioning furnace in cold weather.

Everybody should make sure they have a clean filter in their appliance. If they have a high efficiency furnace, especially, (with) the PVC pipes that go outside, make sure theres no ice and snow around them. Thats an easy fix for a homeowner and we can get to someone else that needs our services, Roe said.

Furnaces that arent working properly also pose a safety risk. It can lead to carbon monoxide buildup in the home. Roe said its an important reminder to have a working carbon monoxide detector in the home.

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Heating Repair Calls Spike During Subzero Snap

The long-hoped-for recovery in Australia's residential construction sector may finally be underway, with low interest rates driving the second fastest rate of expansion in new home building since 2005.

Strong growth in house building has helped drive the broader construction sector to its third consecutive month of expansion in December, after several years of decline.

According to Australian Industry Group (Ai) figures, there were also solid gains from the commercial construction and apartment building sub-sectors during the month.

Growth across the entire sector was a little slower than in the previous two months but Ai Group public policy director Dr Peter Burn said the figures were good news after a long period of weakness.

He said low interest rates were finally having a positive impact on residential and commercial construction.

"Low interest rates are clearly having their long-awaited

impact," he said.

Dr Burn said the figures suggested 2014 would be a better year for the construction industry.

"The continued growth of new orders means that builders and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he said.

The Ai Group's Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 in December, putting it in mildly positive territory, while the house building sub-sector rose 1.5 points to 63.5.

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Home building spurs construction expansion

Grand Forks saw a spike in the value of building permits in 2013, driven largely by a jump in new apartment and commercial construction.

While the total number of building permits issued by the city grew by just 5 percent 1,506 in 2012 to 1,579 last year the value of those permits grew from $127.7 million to $212.1 million a 66 percent increase. There were eight multiple dwelling buildings that were permitted totaling $22.2 million in 2012. That grew to 31 buildings permitted valued at $76 million last year.

The average number of buildings for which permits were issued annually from 2003 to 2012 was 7.4, less than a quarter of those in 2013.

The citys growing and expanding and everything is doing quite well, said Bev Collings, the citys building and zoning administrator.

New construction saw an increase almost across the board. Single dwelling and townhome construction increased, as did garages and commercial projects.

Apartments

A jump in apartment construction is likely the result of low vacancy rates in Grand Forks, said John Colter, executive officer of the Greater Grand Forks Apartment Association. He said the overall vacancy rate shown by their July 2013 survey was 3.97 percent.

Investors are looking at the current vacancy rates and theyre seeing the need for housing in Grand Forks, he said.

Low vacancy rates were part of the focus of the citys Blue Ribbon Housing Commission, which issued its final report in early 2013.

Anecdotal reports suggest that new apartments are filling very quickly and vacancy remains low while rents continue to rise, the report stated. Housing professionals should actively monitor vacancy rates and prices over the short term to determine how the new units affect the market.

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Permits for Grand Forks apartment construction spiked in 2013

Australia's construction recovery slowed at the end of last year, but the sector continued to grow.

After several years of contraction, the building industry finally swung back to growth in October this year, and has been expanding since.

However, the Australian Industry Group's December Performance of Construction Index fell 4.4 points to 50.8 - only just above the 50-point level that separates expansion from contraction.

The fall was driven engineering construction, which slipped 6.4 points to 46.1 to be back in contractionary territory after two months of growth.

The Ai Group's director of public policy, Peter Burn, says the decline in engineering is to be expected as the mining construction boom wanes.

"In line with the easing of the mining investment boom, engineering construction was weaker in December and, with further falls in store, the time is ripe for a much more decisive focus on building new and upgrading existing transport infrastructure," he noted in the report.

In a positive sign that record low interest rates are boosting the domestic economy, home building continued to grow strongly.

The house building sub-index rose 1.5 points to 63.5, and is sitting just off an eight-year peak reached in October, while apartment building activity expanded at a slower pace - the sub-index dipping 1.9 points to 56 in December.

Peter Burn says there are signs the growth in residential construction will continue through 2014.

"Low interest rates are clearly having their long-awaited impact and the continued growth of new orders means that builders and the manufacturing and service industries that are linked to the commercial and residential construction sectors - can look forward to 2014 with a greater degree of confidence than prevailed only a few months ago," he added.

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Residential construction booms while mining construction falls

Prince William News

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative asks all customers to conserve energy during the cold snap on Jan. 7, 2014, by not using dishwashers, ovens, washing machines, and dryers. Outdoor temperatures in the single digits are putting an extra load on the power system as customers use more energy than they normally use to run their heating systems and water heaters. The weather forecast is for warmer weather tomorrow, notes Mike Curtis, NOVEC vice president, Public Relations. In the meantime, it would help if everyone would put off some household chores that require major appliances until temperatures rise and demand for electricity drops.

Gainesville Times

The weather forecast is for warmer weather tomorrow, notes Mike Curtis, NOVEC vice president, Public Relations. In the meantime, it would help if everyone would put off some household chores that require major appliances until temperatures rise and demand for electricity drops.

Curtis thanks customers who participate in NOVECs load management program: These customers are doing their part by allowing us to switch their waters heaters off and on when power demand is high. We are implementing water-heater load control today until 12:30 p.m.

NOVEC, headquartered in Manassas, is a not-for-profit corporation that supplies and distributes electricity and provides energy-related services to more than 153,000 customers in Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford and Clarke counties, the City of Manassas Park, and the Town of Clifton, Va. It is one of the largest electric cooperatives of its kind in the nation. For more information, visit http://www.novec.com, call 703-335-0500, toll-free 1-888-335-0500, or send mail to P.O. Box 2710, Manassas, Va. 20108.

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NOVEC asks customers to conserve energy during the deep freeze

HARTFORD, Ala.--With temperatures expected to drop below 20 degrees Wednesday morning, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative is continuing its issue of a Peak Demand Alert.

Monday night saw an extreme demand for electricity from across the region during the morning and evening hours.

Peak demand is the point at which WEC members use the most electricity. Peak represents the highest demand for electricity, and its what our wholesale power supplier uses to determine the amount of electricity they must be prepared to provide us during the year, explains Brad Kimbro, director or member services for the cooperative.

When we set a high peak, Kimbro says, it causes our wholesale power prices to be higher, which is turn causes everyones electric bills to be higher for the following year.

"It is too early to tell the impact this frigid cold will have on our wholesale power rates," says Kimbro "But we know for certain that without the efforts of our residential members, as well as our businesses and industries, our peak demand would have been higher."

WEC will continue to make temporary adjustments at its substations to help contain costs as much as possible. The biggest impact, however, can come from members.

As part of the Peak Demand Alert, we are asking for our members help in holding down power costs, says Kimbro. By using electricity more efficiently during the peak hours Tuesday and Wednesday, members can help themselves by helping the Wiregrass Electric system use less power.

During the hours of 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Wednesday, members are asked to consider ways they can use less electricity:

Set your thermostat to 68 degrees (instead of the common 72 degrees or higher). Take showers the night before, if possible, to avoid extensive use of water heaters. Likewise, run your dishwasher and washing machine the night before, later in the morning or in the afternoon. Limit the use of TVs (especially large, flat-screen units), gaming consoles, computers and unnecessary lighting.

We want to make sure everyone understands that Wiregrass Electric will have the capacity to meet this regions energy needs, no matter how much electricity our homes and businesses demand, says Kimbro. But by working together on these cold mornings, we can limit the peak demand and hold down wholesale power costs for everyone.

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Wiregrass Electric Continues Peak Demand Alert

It was quite unnerving that almost within a few hours of the service light popping up on the dashboard, I received a call from the call centre at my local garage.

Have they really fitted a hidden camera in my headrest to watch my mileage, or are they simply brilliant with their marketing and record keeping? Either way, the call was timely.

Our records show that your car may be due a service; have you had it done elsewhere already?the pleasant but slightly robotic voice enquired. It immediately struck me as a very odd way to ask.

First of all using such a closed question was bound to gain a yes or no response and the nature of the question implied that it was common for the garage to lose customers to competitorscould it be they offer a better service, or are cheaper?

Your timing is perfect I repliedand gladly agreed to go through the booking procedure.

Once the initial data capture was obtained, Tracy, the voice, explained several additions to the service cost.We recommend an air conditioning service every two years and we are doing them on a special offer price of 79 would you like us to do that for you?

Frankly my air conditioning seemed to be working fine and in the absence of any real customer benefits; I declined. In any event, how do I know 79 is a Special price, I had nothing to compare it to.No problemshe replied (well that was easy to avoid, I thought). My only real query was about how long the service would take, as I had a prior appointment in the afternoon of the booking day. I was told it would take about two hours and I was to drop my car off with all the necessary bits at 8:30. Great Job done at the agreed price of 187 fully inclusive of parts labour and VAT.

When I arrived for the service, the garage staff seemed to be efficient and courteous; and all of the paperwork was ready. They eagerly took my keys and best contact number in case they found anything they needed to report. I decided not to wait on site, because Costa make a better cup of coffee have free Wi-Fi and, were directly opposite the garage. So that was where I went to kill a couple of hours making calls before my meeting.

It was when I settled down with my second cappuccino that I noticed that my car was still in the same car parking space as I had left it. It was now 10:00 am. Still, not to worry, my meeting was at 2:30 and I had plenty to do. The next time I looked up the car was not there. Time passed and no calls from the garage, but I was feeling that I had outstayed my welcome in the coffee shop, so I wandered back to the garage; surely it would be ready by now as it was after 11:30 am.

Barry, the senior service advisor (according to his badge) looked at me rather blankly when I stood in front of him. He vaguely recognised me, but had clearly forgotten that he checked my car in only a matter of hours ago.

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3 Steps to Making Your Customers Feel Like They Are a Priority

Jessica Guyant believes giving and receiving are universal threads in life; she is, in fact, very familiar with thread, running her own second-hand thrift shop in Summit County.

The Gold Mine Thrift store in Dillon is expanding to include more antiques and furniture inventory. Guyant said she loves visiting estate and garage sales to pick out pieces for her store.

Im very passionate about recycling and reusing, she said. I see things in the trash and think, Why would someone throw that away? In todays economy, you have to be more thoughtful.

When she started the thrift business a year ago, Guyant worked with her brother, who specialized in buying and selling gold and silver. Once he returned to the Midwest, however, Guyant who wasnt comfortable buying gold wanted to focus on expanding from clothing items. Now, shes opening a separate warehouse next to her current location to focus specifically on furniture bed frames, couches, dressers and more.

Guyant said while there are plenty of other great thrift stores in Summit County, her business goes one step further because she not only accepts donations, but buys much of her own merchandise.

Were not a traditional thrift store, she said. I am very picky I hand-pick a lot of fun, nice things.

Originally from Hawaii, Guyant used to serve as a boat captain in the Coast Guard. She said the community in her home state prepared her for business in the High Country shopping was expensive, and a lot of the population was transient.

My philosophy is really that someone elses junk is someone elses treasure, she said.

Among the most popular items, the ones that fly off the shelves, Guyant said, are old wooden skis and snowshoes antique, collectible items people tend to gravitate toward.

Theres a super strong, faithful crowd of locals that comes in, and a lot of visitors who maybe dont ski, and so theyre shopping while their friends or family ski, she said.

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Gold Mine Thrift store expands to more antiques, furniture in Dillon

By David Komer Twitter: @DavidKomer_NH

TAYLOR In the midst of the latest winter blast affecting the area, the Fire Department had two early morning house fires to deal with Monday morning.

Firefighters responded to electrical fires in the 15000 block of Jackson and the 14500 block of Bailey, both happening within 40 minutes of each other.

No residents or first responders were injured in either incident, but neither residence had a working smoke detector.

The Jackson fire was reported at 12:30 a.m., which Engine 3 responded to in five minutes due to snowy road conditions. Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke coming out of a single family residence.

Deputy Fire Chief Dan Reynolds said the homeowner said he was alerted by his dog barking and escaped through his bedroom window with his dog. He first tried to escape by opening his bedroom door, but encountered a heavy rush of smoke causing him to slam the door and use the window.

Engine 3 advanced hose lines into the house and found fire in the crawl space, walls and attic. Ladder 1 ventilated the roof and cut holes in the floor of the house so the water could reach the fires in the crawl space, Reynolds said. The fire was determined to be electrical, possibly caused by the heavy snow, he added.

The electrical power was disconnected from the house and Engine 2, after arriving, assisted with putting out the fire.

Damage was estimated to be about $30,000 to the house, which is uninhabitable but can be rebuilt, Reynolds said.

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TAYLOR: None injured in pair of early morning house fires

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Kevin Wharton doesn't have to look long or hard to find trouble spots in your house when Kentuckiana is dealing with its worst flash freeze in 20 years.

"This hose is frozen solid," said Wharton as he inspected a home in Louisville's Crescent Hill neighborhood.

Wharton, a reconstruction specialist for Paul Davis Restorations, believes we can save ourselves money and grief by attending to small details we otherwise might overlook. He's big on venting; specifically, closing the vents to the crawl space.

"You need to stop that cold air from entering," Wharton said. "But if you have heat going into your partial basement, leave an opening so that some of that heat can get into the crawl space, particularly if you have pipes there."

Shutoff valves can also stop a lot of trouble cold.

"Shut off your washer valve between loads, but turn the machine on. It relieves the pressure on the line," Wharton said.

The same is true of water lines connecting to hoses outside.

"Turn off the valve back in the warm house, open up the outside, and let it drain out."

Otherwise, Wharton said, you may not realize that outside water line has frozen, and compromised the pipe, until spring.

"Last thing you want is to wash your car, and go back in to find a flooded basement," said Wharton.

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Flash freeze: What all those thumps and bumps mean for your house