Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Virgin Media Inc. (VMED), the U.K.s second-largest pay-television company, reported third-quarter sales rose 2.8 percent as it kept more cable customers.

Revenue rose to 1.03 billion pounds ($1.65 billion) from 1 billion pounds, the company said in a statement today. That was in line with the average analyst estimate in a Bloomberg survey.

Virgin Media, based in Hook, England, reported net cable customer additions of 39,500 in the quarter compared with 6,300 a year earlier. While the company is attracting the same number of new subscribers, it has reduced customer defections, Chief Financial Officer Eamonn OHare said in an interview.

New customer additions was pretty much the same as a year ago, but we had less customers leave us, OHare said. The truth is today, they look around and say they cant get much better for less.

The company has been making its Internet service, advertised by runners Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, more attractive for customers by increasing Web speeds. OHare said that 44 percent of new customers chose to take the companys fastest broadband product.

Free cash flow declined 11 percent to 120 million pounds in the quarter as the company invested in building out its network. Operating cash flow rose 6.1 percent from a year earlier to 423 million pounds.

Mobile revenue declined 3.1 percent to 137 million pounds and the business division increased sales 9.5 percent to 169 million pounds.

Virgin Media rose 7 cents to $32.87 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading yesterday. The shares gained 54 percent this year through yesterday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Amy Thomson in London at athomson6@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net

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Virgin Media Revenue Advances 2.8% on Cable Customer Additions

While many parts of the United States might still be experiencing the near-record heat waves of summer 2012, in other parts temperatures have plummeted.

The Environmental Protection Agency has offered ways to save money -- and energy -- this winter, and protect your health too.

Here are seven of the EPA's tips for money-saving households bracing for cold weather:

Heating and cooling costs account for about $1,000, or nearly half, of a home's total annual energy bill, the EPA says. Dirt and neglect can affect the efficiency of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and are among the top causes of heating-system failure.

The EPA recommends that homeowners schedule an HVAC checkup with a licensed HVAC contractor to keep the system operating at peak performance. Also, the system's air filter should be checked every month and changed when it's dirty, or at a minimum of every three months.

Energy Star light strings can last up to 10 times longer and use about 65 percent less electricity than incandescent light strings, and they are available in a variety of colors, shapes and lengths. If every decorative light string sold in the United States this year was Energy Star qualified, Americans would save $80 million in utility bills and prevent 1 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA.

Programming the thermostat to turn the temperature down 8 degrees for seven hours each night, and an additional seven hours each weekday, could result in a seasonal heating savings of approximately 12 percent. The EPA states that this could result, on average, in savings of about $180.

The average household spends as much as $500 a year on its water and sewer bill. But the EPA says installing water-efficient fixtures and appliances that carry the EPA's voluntary WaterSense label can save about $170 per year.

Americans disposed of approximately 33 million tons of food waste in 2010, making food the largest type of waste in landfills and incinerators, according to the EPA.

When excess food is disposed of in a landfill, it decomposes and becomes a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

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7 Money-Saving Household Tips

The Environmental Protection Agencys Energy Star program says the average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills with almost half of that going toward heating and cooling.

To add insult to injury, you could be throwing money out the window if your home isnt energy-efficient. Leaking windows, poorly insulated water heaters, and clogged air filters are all budget busters.

But you might be able to fix your homes energy deficiencies yourself for cheap. In the video below, Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson explains five do-it-yourself winterization projects that can be completed with supplies from a hardware store. Check it out and then read on for more ways to prepare your home for winter

Click here to watch Preparing Your Home for Winter on MoneyTalksNews.com

Now, lets hash out Stacys ways and add a few more winterizing projects

According to the advocacy group Energy Impact Illinois, leaks around your house can add up to a 15 to 35 percent air loss. Instead of heating the whole neighborhood this winter, check for leaks by holding up a lit candle to common trouble spots like:

If the candle flickers, youve got a leak. Pick up a tube of caulk (about $5 in hardware stores) and use it to seal up any leaks.

Insulation helps keep cold air out and warm air in during the winter. The easiest place to add insulation is in your attic. The Energy Star program recommends having 12 to 15 inches of insulation in your attic. If youre not sure how much you have, look at an unfinished portion of your attic floor. If the insulation is sitting below the floor joists, you need to add more.

As we mentioned in the video, it will cost about $500 to buy the insulation for an average-size house. It should take about two to three hours to complete the project. If youre not sure how to install insulation, check out this how-to video on Monkeysee.

If your air filter is dirty, your central air will have to work harder to heat your home, costing you more money. Over time, dirty and clogged filters can also cause bigger (and costlier) problems.

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8 Cheap Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter

DALLAS (AP) -- Lennox International Inc. said Monday that its third-quarter net profit fell 13 percent, dragged down by a loss at its discontinued residential heating and cooling service unit.

The Dallas-based maker of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration products said its net income came in at $29.4 million, or 57 cents per share. That's down from $33.8 million, or 64 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 1 percent to $809.7 million.

Excluding the service unit's after-tax loss of 40 cents per share, Lennox said it would have made 97 cents per share from continuing operations during the quarter that ended Sept. 30.

The earnings performance beat Wall Street's estimates. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of 95 cents per share. But they also expected revenue of $905.3 million for the quarter.

Lennox also raised its full-year earnings and revenue guidance. The company now expects to make $2.60 to $2.80 per share from continuing operations in 2012, up from prior guidance of $2.35 to $2.65. Analysts polled by FactSet expect revenue of $2.53 per share for the full year.

The company also expects revenue to rise in a range of 5 to 7 percent excluding currency exchange costs. That's up from a range of 3 to 6 percent.

Lennox placed its Service Experts unit up for sale in September, saying it doesn't need to own the network of 108 branches. The unit's dealer-contractors install and service residential heating and cooling equipment. The company said previously it would report the unit's results as discontinued operations starting in the third quarter.

The company said revenue from its heating and cooling businesses grew, but refrigeration revenue dropped due to lower volume and higher sales expenses.

Lennox said its residential heating and cooling business showed strong growth in both the replacement and new construction markets during the quarter, and the company expects that momentum to continue. It said backlog and order rates in commercial and refrigeration look solid.

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Lennox International 3Q net profit falls 13 pct

NEWTOWN, CT--(Marketwire - Oct 23, 2012) - Horizon Cabinet Door Co. of America, suppliers of high-quality, American-made unfinished and finished cabinet doors, drawer fronts, custom moldings, and other products, reports that cabinet door online sales for the first three quarters of 2012 have exceeded full-year expectations.

"We set aggressive cabinet door sales goals for 2012," says Rick Haylon, Cabinet Doors Product Specialist at Horizon."Our new e-commerce site has been very well received by remodelers and homeowners and, of course, the quality of our cabinet doors is leading to significant repeat business."

In July 2012, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University reported that remodeling activity had increased for the previous two quarters and is poised to accelerate that growth for the next several quarters.The online sales at the e-commerce websitefor Horizon Cabinet Door Co. has reflected and even exceeded that rate of growth.

Horizon's leadership feels they are well-positioned to continue to increase market share with low-priced, high-quality cabinet doors and drawer fronts presented in an easy-to-use, e-commerce system.Haylon believes that kitchen and bath remodelers and do-it-yourselfers appreciate the ability to quote and buy kitchen cabinet doors at their convenience."Contractors in this economy, by necessity, have to spend their daytime hours fully occupied in revenue-producing activities.They cannot waste those precious hours shopping or getting quotes.The same is true for DIY-ers who are busy at their own jobs.As a result, we're seeing very strong growth in our evening, weekend and early morning sales as well as our standard daytime sales."

The Horizon website offers two easy-to-select collections of popular kitchen cabinet doors at highly discounted prices, then also offers more customizable door and drawer front styles at industry-best pricing.The site offers tools to simplify the sizing and selection of doors, plus clear answers to common questions and even some less common concerns.Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are offered either finished or unfinished.

"The customer feedback we've received on our site and on our cabinet door quality to date has been outstanding," says Haylon."We're thrilled that online cabinet door sales have done so well up to now and we will continue to work with our customer base to provide the best possible solutions to continue that growth."

About Horizon Cabinet Door Co. of America,http://www.horizoncabinetdoor.com. Horizon Cabinet Door Co. of America sells high-quality, American-made bath andkitchen cabinet doors, drawer fronts, dovetailed drawer boxes, and accessories to both contractors and homeowners at affordable prices.Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are available either finished or unfinished.

For more information please visithttp://www.horizoncabinetdoor.comor call (203) 702-7283.

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Kitchen Cabinet Door Online Sales Exceed Forecast

NAZARETH, PA -- Kitchen Magic, the Northeast's largest kitchen cabinet refacing and remodeling company, launched 'Happy 2013! The Kitchen Magic $15,000 Giveaway' on October 1, 2012. The Grand Prize will be a $15,000 kitchen remodel. Alternately, the winner will also have the option to choose any products and services in the Kitchen Magic array of products and services bath remodeling and closet systems. To celebrate the New Year, the lucky winner will be drawn on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at the Kitchen Magic headquarters in Nazareth, PA.

'Happy 2013! The $15,000 Kitchen Magic Giveaway' will be promoted at Kitchen Magic mall locations, various home shows and community events throughout Kitchen Magic's service area in the Northeast as well as at the Kitchen Magic showroom and headquarters in Nazareth, PA. The giveaway will also be made available via various online vehicles during the promotion period. Entrants are invited to enter 'The Happy 2013! $15,000. Kitchen and Bath Giveaway' from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Entries may be submitted at any of the aforementioned venues as well as via mail or online.

To enter after October 1, 2012 and for complete methods of entry and rules for the 'Happy 2013! The Kitchen Magic $15,000 Giveaway', visit http://www.kitchenmagic.com/2013-new-year-kitchen-giveaway.

"What better way to ring in a Happy New Year for your family than winning a brand new kitchen?" said Kitchen Magic VP of Marketing, Renate Fleck.

Kitchen Magic was founded in Allentown, PA in 1979 by Jost and Reine Fleck. Today Kitchen Magic continues to be family owned and operated, now in the second generation, and is the largest specialty refacing, custom cabinet, and kitchen and bath remodeling company in the Northeast, NJ, PA, CT, MA, NH, DE & RI. Kitchen Magic's headquarters and manufacturing operations are located in Nazareth, PA and the 'Kitchen Magic family' is comprised of over two hundred and fifty employees.

Kitchen Magic provides free in home consultation services to help homeowners sift through the overwhelming choices and options involved in their remodeling project. Kitchen Magic experts present the best advice and solution for each individual homeowner free and without obligation.

For more information on Kitchen Magic, visit http://www.kitchenmagic.com or enter at: http://www.kitchenmagic.com/2013-new-year-kitchen-giveaway

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Kitchen Magic $15,000 New Year's Kitchen Giveaway Offers Homeowners In Northeast a Chance to Win

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 22, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lean construction techniques and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are critical trends these days but not often recognized as methods to advance job site safety. A multi-year Lean initiative by Gilbane Building Company to improve jobsite safety was the focus of a recent presentation given to the Lean Construction Institute by William J. Gilbane, Jr., Gilbane president and chief operating officer; Sue Klawans, Gilbane director of operational excellence and planning; and Rick Kelliher, Gilbane senior project manager.

"What started as a cultural shift in how we view safety in our profession and on our job sites has become part of our mission to maximize value on projects," said Mr. Gilbane. "Safety is a Lean enterprise initiative of ours and it matters because of the people on our jobs each day, their families and their loved ones. The discipline and effort it takes to make a project safe is intertwined with the discipline and effort it takes to plan, schedule and put in place quality work. Fully integrating BIM into these efforts just makes sense from a safety planning perspective."

The presentation drew on Gilbane's decision in 2007 to make a leap forward in terms of safety, which resulted in a behavioral and cultural transformation of the company's safety approach called Gilbane Cares. A long-time champion of Lean philosophies, Gilbane applied the principles of continuous improvement, minimal waste and increased value to the company's safety program. The transformation included leadership engagement, proactive task reviews and planning, increased communication and worker input, flex and stretch, and more.

With proven strategies employed at Gilbane projects around the country, Kelliher drove home the benefit of using Lean process improvement techniques as well as BIM and pre-fabrication to reduce the amount of time workers spend on site and make the onsite manhours safer. He demonstrated techniques that resulted in fewer accidents, more efficient schedules and better logistics planning. The presentation team shared specific components of a Lean safety approach including:

Gilbane, Klawans, and Kelliher emphasized that safety is a part of 'optimizing the whole.'

"There is a tight relationship between safety, quality assurance, and schedule and budget reliability," said Ms. Klawans. "Improving safety in turn results in improved planning and higher quality. Improving planning improves safety, and so on. We'll continue to push the limits on new and innovative approaches to making job sites safer. We will not be satisfied until we get to zero incidents."

Click here to download the slides from this presentation or visit: http://www.gilbaneco.com/commitmenttosafety.aspx

About Gilbane

Gilbane Building Company provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services -- from sustainable building to the latest in construction technology -- for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-run company, Gilbane has more than 60 office locations around the world.

For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.

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Safety is Focus of Gilbane Presentation at Lean Construction Institute Congress

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

AECOM Technology Corporation (ACM), a leading provider of professional technical and management support services for public and private clients in more than 130 countries around the world, announced today that a joint venture in which it participates was awarded a multiyear contract from the Architect of the Capitol for the renovation of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington.

The Cannon House Office Building is the oldest congressional office building on Capitol Hill, and houses offices for members of the U.S. House of Representatives and several congressional committees.

The joint venture between AECOM and McDonough Bolyard Peck will partner with the client as construction manager as agent for the project. The Cannon House Office Building will remain fully occupied and operational throughout the renewal program, with the occupants of each wing under construction being temporarily relocated.

AECOMs experience in delivering intelligent and forward-thinking solutions for the renovation of the Pentagon building as well as for other U.S. government projects positioned us well for this assignment, said AECOM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John M. Dionisio. We appreciate that this important client places its trust in AECOM.

About AECOM

AECOM is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government. With approximately 45,000 employees around the world, AECOM is a leader in all of the key markets that it serves. AECOM provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world's built, natural, and social environments. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM serves clients in more than 130 countries and had revenue of $8.3 billion during the 12 months ended June 30, 2012. More information on AECOM and its services can be found at http://www.aecom.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including any projections of earnings, statements of plans for future operations or expected revenue. Actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of our forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements are set forth in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2012, and our other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. AECOM does not intend, and undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement.

NR 12-1005

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AECOM joint venture awarded multiyear contract to renew the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Ground was officially broken for a new, mixed-use building in Little Rocks dynamic River Market District, according to a release.

The building, which will be known as the ARCADE BUILDING, is a three-story, 60,000 square foot structure to contain retail space, a 325 seat theatre, a restaurant and office space.

The project is a joint venture between the Central Arkansas Library System and Moses Tucker Real Estate. The Arcade obtained construction financing from First Security Bank. Construction services will be handled by Clark Contractors and Central Construction Group. The building is due to be complete by November 2013.

The name Arcade is in honor of a landmark structure that once resided in downtown LR on Center Street between 6th & 7th, according to Jimmy Moses, partner with MTRE.

As we continue to redevelop our urban core, we think it is important to evoke memories of our citys past, too much of which has been destroyed over time, Moses said.

The buildings largest user is CALS, which will have a state-of-the-art movie theatre and additional archival space.

We have worked out an agreement with the Little Rock Film Festival (and its Institute) to be the host facility for the nationally acclaimed Little Rock Film Festival, CALS director Bobby Roberts said. We will also make the theatre available for events including the Clinton School Speaker Series, CALS Literary Festival and other public functions.

Co-founder of the Little Rock Film Festival Craig Renaud said the festival will relocate its offices to the buildings third floor.

Since our founding six years ago The Little Rock Film Festival has gained a critical reputation as one of the top film events in the United States. A grand flagship theater to call home in the middle of downtown Little Rock has been our goal since day one, Renaud said. We are proud and excited to base our rapidly expanding year round festival events in the new venue, which will rival any in the country. The Little Rock Film Festival also plans to offer an educational program to young Arkansas film-makers.

The $17 million development will be home to several entities including a bar/restaurant to be called CACHE that will be owned and operated by RH Cuisine. Situated on the corner of Clinton Avenue and River Market Avenue, with space on the 1st and 2nd floors, CACHE will be a dramatic new food and beverage concept for Little Rock. Payne Harding, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, will be involved in every facet of the restaurant. He has recently been instrumental in the rebirth of 1620 Savoy in west Little Rock.

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Construction begins in the River Market for the Arcade Building

LITTLE ROCK Construction began on the "Arcade Building" Monday morning in Little Rock's River Market district.

The 60,000 square-foot building, located on the corner of President Clinton and River Market avenues, will offer retail and office space, a restaurant and a 325-seat theater. The second floor of the building will house archives for the Central Arkansas Library System.

Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System, said the new building will allow the library system to grow and thrive as its program expands.

"We need something bigger so we can do bigger programming and more diverse programming," Roberts said.

Jimmy Moses with building developer Moses Tucker Real Estate said the Arcade Building was named in honor of a former building in downtown Little Rock.

Rhett Tucker, also with Moses Tucker Real Estate, said the building project has been three years in the making.

"[We] believe that downtown is the heart and if the heart isn't healthy, then the rest of the body isn't going to be healthy," Tucker said. "This is going to be a wonderful addition not only to the River Market, but to downtown Little Rock and Little Rock as a whole."

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said he is excited for what this project will bring to the city of Little Rock and the River Market district.

"It is an exciting time to say that you are a citizen of Little Rock," Stodola said.

According to a news release, Moses Tucker Real Estate estimates the construction to be completed by November 2013.

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Construction begins on multi-use building in Little Rock