Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

In conjunction with the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, GreenWave Reality, a global innovator in the Smart Home Services market, announces the next generation in lighting with the availability of its Connected Lighting Solution. Consumers can now easily control and automate lighting through a handheld remote or smartphone, increasing the comfort of their home while significantly reducing energy costs.

The GreenWave Reality Connected Lighting Solution, incorporating JenNet-IP network layer software from NXP Semiconductors, can be used directly out of the box without any rewiring of the home or need for an electrician. GreenWave Realitys innovative solution combines Energy Star certified LED bulbs with Internet connectivity to provide consumers with fully controllable, rich, warm light throughout their homes. Leveraging these highly efficient, controllable LED bulbs, consumers will use only 20 percent of the energy a traditional incandescent bulb uses. Additional savings come from being able to easily control and dim home lighting. For instance, by replacing only 10 incandescent bulbs, consumers can immediately begin saving up to $150 a year on their utility bill, resulting in thousands of dollars of savings over the lifetime of these long lasting bulbs.

By simply screwing in the bulbs, consumers can immediately begin to control their lights. The solution comes pre-configured with home, away and night Smart Controls. For example, before bed, consumers can simply press the night Smart Control to turn off all lights, eliminating the need to go from room to room to turn lights off. Consumers can also create their own custom Smart Controls to fit their lifestyle, such as having outdoor lights automatically come on at dusk and turn off at dawn, and even integrating with motion sensors to automatically turn lights on or off when entering or exiting a room. For added convenience and safety, the solution is light switch friendly, meaning that existing wall switches will still turn the lights on or off in all circumstances.

According to Parks Associates, the most desired consumer feature of a smart home is lighting control, said Greg Memo, CEO of GreenWave Reality. With our Connected Lighting Solution, we are providing consumers with a powerful, personal way to reduce energy consumption while enhancing the comfort in their home.

The Connected Lighting Solution can be used on its own, or in conjunction with the existing GreenWave Reality Smart Home Platform. Currently deployed at leading utility and service provider partners, the Smart Home Platform allows consumers to easily monitor and control their appliances and heating/cooling systems in the home. Advanced features like interactive coaching, energy budgeting, Smart Controls, and usage alerts all lead to helping consumers reduce wasted energy. The GreenWave Reality end-to-end solution is built on a highly-scalable, secure IP-based network platform that connects all of these devices into an IP ecosystem, creating the foundation for the Internet of Things.

The GreenWave Reality Connected Lighting Solution, in conjunction with the JenNet-IP technology, has reached a great milestone in delivering on the promise of the Internet of Things, said Geoff Mulligan, the Chairman of the IPSO Alliance. Their solution is based on IPv6 for low-power devices (6LoWPAN), which is a foundation of the IPSO Alliance.

Energy companies see the benefit of the Connected Lighting Solution for their customers. A number of leading European-based utilities, including Seas-NVE (Denmark), Nuon (Netherlands), and Fortum (Sweden) also plan to offer the Connected Lighting Solution to customers.

Now shipping to utilities in Europe, the Connected Lighting Solution is also certified for the United States market from GreenWave Reality or its lighting partners who have licensed the platform. The GreenWave Reality solution works with bulbs from any JenNet-IP Certified lighting manufacturer, many of which plan to introduce certified lights and fixtures for the residential, hospitality, commercial and industrial markets.

To learn more about GreenWave Reality and the Connected Lighting Solution, visit http://www.GreenWaveReality.com.

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GreenWave Reality Delivers Next Generation Connected Lighting Solution

The 12 Volt Outdoor Lighting Company announced today that it is now offering path lighting along with its other impressive LED 12 volt outdoor lighting kits.

San Fernando, CA (PRWEB) October 18, 2012

12 Volt Outdoor Lighting, the leading outdoor 12 volt light source, provides lighting kits from http://www.12voltoutdoorlighting.com/outdoor-deck-lighting.html to http://www.12voltoutdoorlighting.com/led-landscape-lighting.html kits and accessories. Like the company's 12 volt deck lights, http://www.12voltoutdoorlighting.com/outdoor-path-lighting.html adds a new dimension to the area it illuminates and creates a welcoming, warm environment. Like deck lighting, path lighting serves as more than just accent lighting.

With illumination, a passage way can also be functional after dark. Outdoor entertainment after the sun goes down is possible with the right lighting. By combining deck and path lighting, an attractive outdoor environment can become an evening centerpiece. A house is more attractive with accent lighting, and the illumination of an outdoor space is great for socializing.

12 Volt Outdoor Lighting is offering an array of path lights newly added to its inventory, and it can be found on the company website, the main selling outlet. Some examples of the new path lights include Corona aluminum two tier pagoda light, a six inch diameter, ten inch tall green path light with 50-watt illuminating power on a cast aluminum stand with a buried cable.

12 volt Outdoor Lighting's new LED outdoor path lights are intended to finely illuminate the edge of a walkway, guide a visitor safely to the door and illuminate any obstructions in the path. A single light is combined with a half-dozen other light units in a system. The system includes a transformer for a 110 volt outlet and enough cable to connect the lights together. The low voltage kits allow multiple lights to be hooked up to one cable.

Other new path light fixtures include the Corona American Lantern in die cast aluminum with an early American coach lamp design. It stands over 27 inches off the ground with an attractive black finish. Orbit resin fluorite figure path lights include a resin frog, turtle and snail. These stone lamps with 20 watt LED lights and a round, glass protective lens are inconspicuous in the daytime.

Pathway light kits are important lighting fixtures to add to a home's landscape. Like other outdoor lighting kits from 12 Volt Outdoor Lighting, a pathway lighting system is easy to assemble. 12 volt landscape lighting kits adds value and warmth to pathways.

Mike Hansen 12 Volt Outdoor Lighting 877-777-8421 Email Information

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12 Volt Lighting Now Offers Outdoor Path Lighting

Cleaning for a Reason, a grassroots, Dallas-based organization that provides free housecleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatment across North America, is kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month through a partnership with sponsor Procter & Gamble.

P&G's vibrant pink Limited Edition Pink Swiffer Starter Kits, available at Walmart, will help raise awareness of Cleaning for a Reason and support the organization's mission of making life just a little easier for women using their much-needed energy to fight cancer.

The support of P&G will help us spread the word about our organizations mission to deliver free house cleaning services to women fighting all forms of cancer, says Debbie Sardone, president and founder of Cleaning for a Reason. That will help us extend our reach further than ever before. More women facing cancer will learn about our services and more partners will learn how they can help.

Cleaning for a Reason brings meaning to cleaning by partnering with local cleaning companies in the United States and Canada. Over the past two years alone, the organization has expanded from 800 partner maid services to more than 1000, while donating $1.3 million in cleanings to more than 4600 women. Cleaning services that partner with Cleaning for a Reason have collectively donated more than $2.9 million in free services to more than 10,000 women with cancer since 2006.

Research shows that about one in eight U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime and that is just one form of cancer that impacts women. We have a lot of work to do, says Sardone. Our sponsors, our partners and our volunteers are clearly ready to roll up their sleeves and do the work that needs to be done from generating support to mopping floors.

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Limited Edition Pink Swiffers Benefit Cancer Survivors

Rob Buehler is a single father of two daughters, so he knows how difficult it can be to keep a house clean all the time.

When Buehler was looking for a maid service, however, he had a problem finding one in the area that he considered to meet basic requirements for a cleaning service.

"Finding a service that was reliable, showed up on time and was friendly was surprisingly difficult," Buehler said. "So I decided to start my own and brought some of my technological expertise to the company, since maid services are generally pretty low-tech."

"Our focus is being very interactive with out customers," Buehler said. "We want to make the process of getting your house cleaned as simple and pleasant as possible."

Additionally, Buehler set a flat pricing rate that differs from the typical quote method. Golden Services' customers pay based on the amount of rooms cleaned instead of the square footage of a house.

The company also services a large area, reaching homes in Allen, Carrollton, Fairview, Frisco, Little Elm, McKinney, Plano, Prosper and The Colony.

Perhaps the biggest aspect that sets Golden Services apart from other cleaning companies, however, is its involvement with the Frisco Humane Society.

For every cleaning, Golden Services donates a portion of its proceeds to the organization. The idea, Buehler said, came after he saw an article about how another maid service donated a portion of its proceeds to charity.

"Being a big dog-loving family, I thought the humane society would be a great place for us to help out," he said. "We actually named the company 'Golden Services' after my golden retriever -- that's how big of a dog family we are."

For the Frisco Humane Society, Buehler's agreement to donate a portion of his service's proceeds was a welcome relief.

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Cleaning with a purpose: Frisco-based maid service opens up shop

At least 12 people have been killed and 60 wounded in a fire at a nursing home in southern Taiwan.

The fire started in the early hours in a nursing facility housing mainly bed-bound patients in Tainan city.

An earlier official estimate had reported there were 72 injured, but this was revised down in a health department statement.

A fire official said the blaze could have started in a storage room on the second floor of the five-storey building - part of the public Sinying Hospital.

The cause of all the deaths is believed to be smoke inhalation, while the injured were rushed to a dozen hospitals for treatment.

Television footage showed the burnt-out second floor of the building and bed and wheelchair-bound patients being carried out on to the hospital lawn.

Premier Sean Chen expressed his shock at the incident and sent his condolences to the families of the victims.

Tainan mayor Lai Ching-te said the fire was unusually deadly because the hospital was in a relatively remote area and most of the patients were immobile.

Concerns over staffing levels have also been raised as there were only six workers on duty for 70 patients.

An investigation into the cause of the fire has been launched.

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Taiwan Nursing Home Fire: Twelve Dead

The Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services provides recycling collection services to all single-family households in the county, with the exception of households in municipalities where their local jurisdiction or a private collector provides recycling collection services. In the blue recycling bin, residents can recycle glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans and foil products, bi-metal steel/tin cans, aerosol cans that contained non-hazardous or non-automotive materials, and plastic bottles, containers, jars, tubs, lids, pails, buckets and flower pots. In the blue wheeled recycling cart residents can recycle cardboard boxes, newspaper, magazines, office and copier paper, telephone books, paperback and hardcover books, shredded paper, milk and juice cartons and frozen food boxes. By using reusable containers or paper lawn bags, residents may recycle grass, leaves, garden trimmings and brush. Or, try backyard composting of leaves and grass, or grasscycling by leaving grass clippings on the lawn after mowing. To recycle scrap metal items such as appliances, bicycles, metal furniture, lawn mowers, filing cabinets and more, call DSWS the business day before your recycling collection day to schedule a special scrap metal recycling collection. Curbside recycling collection is once per week and recyclables must be set out at the curb by 7 a.m. The county also recycles other items such as computers, televisions and other consumer electronic items, motor oil, antifreeze, tires, textiles, used cooking oil and reusable building supplies. These items can be dropped off in person at the Shady Grove Processing Facility & Transfer Station/Recycling Center located at 16101/16105 Frederick Road in Derwood. For more information about recycling, call the county at 240-777-0311, or visit http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/recycling.

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Gazette.Net gazette

Tuesday, October 23 09:27:37

Europe's gardens have become the latest front in the robot wars. Are you sick of cutting that grass every week for six months every year? Robot sales are booming in Europe. With a quarter of lawn owners saying they dislike mowing the grass, sales of machines that will do the job for them are taking off, especially in Europe where landscaping services are more expensive than in the U.S. That has spurred a legion of manufacturers to challenge market leader Husqvarna AB. Robert Bosch GmbH, Deere and Co. and Global Garden Products Italy SpA this year started offering robotic mowers, which Husqvarna sells for as much as 5,000 euros ($6,487). Honda Motor Co. plans to enter the fray in 2013. "We felt we had to get on board," said Thomas Olsson, head of Swedish operations at privately owned Global Garden Products. "For the first time you hear that people exchange relatively new manual mowers for robots."

The market for hands-free mowers, which expanded by more than 30 percent last year, offers a rare bright spot in Europe's consumer climate. Most of the customers are in Sweden, Germany, France and Switzerland -- countries that have so far proven resilient to the debt crisis. Demand for the garden robots has "exploded the last couple of years," said Mats Gustafsson, owner of Moheda Jarnhandels AB, a hardware store in the southern Swedish town of Moheda. Gustafsson said he's sold almost 60 robomowers this year, compared with fewer than 10 five years ago.

"It's still a niche market in Europe as a whole, but it's growing so fast so that in some countries it's now starting to be a mainstream segment," said Henric Andersson, head of product management and development at Husqvarna. With time, "it may be as big or bigger than regular mowers" in some countries. Six percent of all mowers sold in Germany are now robotic, and the country's automatic mower market is growing in "double digits," according to research company GfK Retail and Technology GmbH. Husqvarna, the former Electrolux AB unit that produced the first robotic mower in 1995, has six models that can care for lawns ranging from 400 square meters (4,306 square feet) to 6,000 square meters. Outside of Europe, it mainly sells the mowers in Australia and New Zealand according to Bloomberg.

The Swedish company brought the product to North America in 2001, only to retreat a year later after concluding the market wasn't ready. In addition to the greater use of landscaping services by U.S. homeowners, North American grass, especially in the southern U.S., is generally tougher than European varieties, making it difficult for the machine's fine blades to work effectively, according to Husqvarna. Bosch, the world's largest supplier of car parts, entered the robotic mower market last month when it started selling its Indego machine in Scandinavia. Deere, based in Moline, Illinois, joined the rivalry earlier in the year with the John Deere Tango E5, which it sells in Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland.

Global Garden Products, based in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy, bought its way into the $170 million market in January when it acquired LiCo srl's Lizard mower marque, and rebranded those machines under its Stiga brand. Andersson declined to discuss Husqvarna's market share, saying only "we're clearly the market leader."

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Cut the grass today! you robot

Europes backyards have become the latest front in the robot wars.

With a quarter of lawn owners saying they dislike mowing the grass, sales of machines that will do the job for them are taking off, especially in Europe where landscaping services are more expensive than in the U.S.

That has spurred a legion of manufacturers to challenge market leader Husqvarna AB. (HUSQB) Robert Bosch GmbH, Deere & Co. (DE) and Global Garden Products Italy SpA this year started offering robotic mowers, which Husqvarna sells for as much as 5,000 euros ($6,487). Honda Motor Co. (7267) plans to enter the fray in 2013.

We felt we had to get on board, said Thomas Olsson, head of Swedish operations at privately owned Global Garden Products. For the first time you hear that people exchange relatively new manual mowers for robots.

The market for hands-free mowers, which expanded by more than 30 percent last year, offers a rare bright spot in Europes consumer climate. The European market may grow as much as 20 percent annually over the next five years, Olsson said. Most of the customers are in Sweden, Germany, France and Switzerland -- countries that have so far proven resilient to the debt crisis.

Demand for the garden robots has exploded the last couple of years, said Mats Gustafsson, owner of Moheda Jarnhandels AB, a hardware store in the southern Swedish town of Moheda. Gustafsson said hes sold almost 60 robomowers this year, compared with fewer than 10 five years ago.

Its still a niche market in Europe as a whole, but its growing so fast so that in some countries its now starting to be a mainstream segment, said Henric Andersson, head of product management and development at Husqvarna. With time, it may be as big or bigger than regular mowers in some countries.

Six percent of all mowers sold in Germany are now robotic, and the countrys automatic mower market is growing in double digits, according to research company GfK Retail and Technology GmbH.

Husqvarna, the former Electrolux AB unit that produced the first robotic mower in 1995, has six models that can care for lawns ranging from 400 square meters (4,306 square feet) to 6,000 square meters. Outside of Europe, it mainly sells the mowers in Australia and New Zealand.

The Swedish company brought the product to North America in 2001, only to retreat a year later after concluding the market wasnt ready. In addition to the greater use of landscaping services by U.S. homeowners, North American grass, especially in the southern U.S., is generally tougher than European varieties, making it difficult for the machines fine blades to work effectively, according to Husqvarna.

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Robots Replace Gardeners as Sales Surge for Auto-Mowers

Raking leaves is a key step in preparing your lawn for the winter months. Every weekend of the last few months you have spent mowing, weeding, edging, and trimming your lawn so that it will look its best. In order to ensure your lawn makes a complete recovery after winter hibernation, you may want to spend the fall taking steps to help your lawn survive the winter months ahead.

Winterizing a lawn varies depending on where you live and how harsh a typical winter is. There are certain key tasks to complete before you can rest for the winter season.

Remove fallen leaves and debris. Leaf cleanup is among the tasks homeowners dread the most. Raking leaves can be arduous, but it is well worth the effort. Fallen leaves can smother the grass and lead to dead spots and decay next season. Wait until the majority of the leaves have fallen from the trees before you begin to rake; otherwise, you could find yourself repeating the process throughout the fall. Mulched leaves can be added in small amounts to garden beds to provide rich organic material for next years crop of flowers.

Be sure to pick up any twigs and other debris as well. Additional debris can become up trapped under snow and hinder grass growth when spring arrives.

Cut your lawn short. Unless the season is unseasonably wet and warm, your lawn shouldnt grow too much in October and November. Continue to cut your lawn until there is no visible growth for about two weeks. It pays to give it a short cut before frost arrives so that long piles of dead grass will not smother any new growth in the spring. Also, long grass tends to bend down upon itself, trapping moisture that can lead to fungal diseases like snow mold.

Aerate the lawn. Soil can be compacted over time, especially in yards that see heavy foot traffic. You can rent an aerator from a lawn supply store so that water and fertilizer can reach the soil.

Fertilize. Now is the time to give the lawn fresh food to overwinter and also replenish the strength of the root system. All summer long the lawn has been depleting the soil of nutrition, but autumn presents a great opportunity to strengthen those roots. Consider a slow-release formula designed for winterizing that will feed the lawn all winter long.

Edge the garden beds. Take advantage of the cooler weather and slow-growing grass to re-edge around flower beds. Even though the grass above the surface of the soil will stop growing, the roots will remain viable and the lawn will still be sending out rhizomes and tillers to produce new grass blades in the spring. These can easily encroach on garden beds. Edge now so you will have less work to do in the spring.

Trim hedges and trees. If there are any overhanging tree branches or shrubbery blocking sunlight from reaching the lawn, cut back these areas once the foliage has thinned. Take advantage of your towns leaf and twig pickup services.

Seed bare patches. Scour the lawn for bare patches and put down some seed in these areas. The cooler weather will enable the seeds to germinate without having to compete with weed growth.

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Handy tips to get your lawn ready for winter

Most of us have areas of our yards that are more of a challenge than others. When I asked people to send in their landscape problems, several of them spoke of areas where nothing would grow. Such is the case for the Kirkharts of Andover. In this installment of Landscape Solutions, landscape architect Kurt Huiras of GLMV Architecture addresses their case of the dreaded clay soil on the north side of the house.

No matter what your trouble spot, Kurts guidelines likely will help you with plant choice, soil and irrigation.

On the north side of our house, we cant get anything to grow. My husband says it is clay dirt. We are in our 70s and cant do too much and dont have a lot of money. Thank you.

Lavon Kirkhart, Andover

The north side of a building can indeed be a difficult place to grow plants. Soil type, shade, bed size and irrigation can be factors that influence your choice of plant material.

Clay soil poses several problems for plants. It compacts easily, holds water, traps nutrients such as iron, and is typically alkaline. The best way to amend clay soil is to add organic material such as compost. Till the top 8 to 10 inches of soil, then cover the area with about 2 inches of compost and work it into the soil until it is thoroughly mixed.

This is a temporary solution, because soil tends to revert back to its original condition. So, soil amendments can be effective if you are planting annuals, where you can till the soil annually, but they are less effective for permanent plantings such as trees, shrubs and perennials. Its best to choose plants that are adapted to clay soil.

But that may not completely solve the problem. Your soil also may be depleted of nutrients. A soil test will help you determine the best fertilizers or amendments for your planting beds. You can contact your local Kansas State Extension Service to get a fairly inexpensive soil test that will give you recommendations.

A planting bed on the north side requires you to find plant material that will handle full shade. Your house also can act as a screen to limit the effect of the weather in both positive and negative ways. For instance, the building eaves can keep rain from reaching the plants, so irrigation may be necessary. But the building also can be a positive factor by protecting plants from hot summer winds.

Bed size is another often overlooked consideration when choosing plant material. A narrow bed such as yours will require compact plant material. You need to choose plants based on their mature spread in order to limit the maintenance and to take full advantage of their aesthetic qualities.

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Landscape Solutions: Growing on north side of house is a problem