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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Sept, 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --American Mechanical, Inc., a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing and electrical contractor, has become a certified Trane dealer. It now offers maintenance service, installation and repair on Trane heating and air conditioning products.

"Trane is one of the top-of-the-line brands in heating and air conditioning equipment," said Louise Gordon, vice president of operations for American Mechanical. "Their organization has wonderful dealer support and training, as well as very high standards."

American Mechanical services all types of electric, natural gas and propane heating and cooling systems, and now offers Trane products as another option to replace systems that are no longer working or are not energy efficient. All of American Mechanical's technicians will receive special training through the Trane program to be able to properly install and service Trane equipment for Virginia Beach HVAC customers and those in the surrounding area of Hampton Roads.

About American Mechanical, Inc.: American Mechanical (http://www.americanmechanicalva.com) has been serving Southeastern Virginia and the Hampton Roads community for more than 20 years. As a heating and air conditioning, plumbing and electrical contractor, American Mechanical provides HVAC repairs, maintenance and installation for both residential and commercial customers. It is a member of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) and Qualified Gas Contractors of Virginia. American Mechanical has received the Angie's List Super Service Award for the past two years. It is a Fox 43 TV First Choice contractor, a Circle of Experts affiliate member of the Hampton Roads Realtors Association and a certified Trane Dealer.

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American Mechanical Is Now a Certified Trane Dealer

September 28, 2012

Its a frequent scenario for many owners of multi-story homes and its an uncomfortable one: Uneven heating and cooling between floors often leaves the upstairs more difficult to cool during the summer and the downstairs harder to heat during the winter.

Common reasons for temperature variances between floors: Restricted air flow from the furnace to the registers. Inadequate or improperly sized and sealed ductwork. A heating and cooling system thats not sufficient for the size of the home.

Angies List, asked highly heating and cooling companies about the options that are available today.

Run the furnace blower continuously: Heating and cooling professionals recommend homeowners switch their thermostat fan to the On position to allow the blower on the furnace to run continuously, which better circulates air throughout the house. First, though, make sure your air filter is clean. Adjusting the vents can also help redirect the forced air to the places its needed.

Add a second system: Certainly the most expensive fix a second system could run upwards of $7,000, but is the best option for two-story homes with one furnace. Adding a second system allows the homeowner to better control the temperature on each floor.

Add a zoning system: Zoning systems are a less-expensive alternative than adding another system. Zoning systems allow a homeowner to control the temperature independently from a thermostat placed on each floor. Zoning systems are easiest to install in new construction, however existing homes can sometimes be retrofitted to accommodate the system. Most zoning systems cost $3,000 and up.

Add a ductless split: Essentially an air conditioner without the ductwork, these small room-based units pass cold air through small air handlers mounted on the wall. The homeowner can control the temperature independently in each room the air handler is installed. Cost for ductless air conditioners typically starts at about $1,500 per unit.

Have ductwork inspected: Improperly sized and leaky ducts are often the culprits. Ultimately, homeowners with temperature variance issues should consult a reputable heating and cooling contractor to diagnose the issue and determine possible solutions. Doing so could not only make their home feel more comfortable, it can help ensure they are using their heating and cooling energy as efficiently as possible.

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Angie's List: Uneven Heating & Cooling

CINCINNATI - If youre thinking about some new additions to your house this fall, the 25th annual Greater Cincinnati Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show is sure to offer items and inspiration for your home.

The event, which kicks off Friday and goes through Sunday, is at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

More than 120 companies will exhibit the latest trends and products for the home. More companies have jumped on board for 2012 than any other show in its 25-year history.

The show will also host several free seminars by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Ohio Valley Chapter. Seminar topics will range from flooring trends to maintaining heating and cooling systems.

This will be a great opportunity for local, regional and national brands to showcase their products and amazing talent," said Vicki Hart, producer of the Greater Cincinnati Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show.

This year the Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show is trying something new. The exhibit will feature Garage Wars. Four companies that specialize in garage enhancement, storage and more will set up large garage facades showcasing their best work. Each day, the first 50 people who vote on their favorite garage will be admitted to the show for free. The winning company will be featured in a future Cincinnati Magazine spread.

Show dates and times are from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission for adults is $8. Adults can save $3 on admission by buying a ticket at Cincinnati-area Kroger stores. Children (ages 13 and under) are free when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information about the Greater Cincinnati Kitchen, Bath & Remodeling Show, visit http://cincinnatikitchenbathshow.com .

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show offers home inspiration

CINCINNATI - If youre thinking about some new additions to your house this fall, the 25th annual Greater Cincinnati Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show is sure to offer items and inspiration for your home.

The event, which kicks off Friday and goes through Sunday, is at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

More than 120 companies will exhibit the latest trends and products for the home. More companies have jumped on board for 2012 than any other show in its 25-year history.

The show will also host several free seminars by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Ohio Valley Chapter. Seminar topics will range from flooring trends to maintaining heating and cooling systems.

This will be a great opportunity for local, regional and national brands to showcase their products and amazing talent," said Vicki Hart, producer of the Greater Cincinnati Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show.

This year the Kitchen, Bath and Remodeling Show is trying something new. The exhibit will feature Garage Wars. Four companies that specialize in garage enhancement, storage and more will set up large garage facades showcasing their best work. Each day, the first 50 people who vote on their favorite garage will be admitted to the show for free. The winning company will be featured in a future Cincinnati Magazine spread.

Show dates and times are from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission for adults is $8. Adults can save $3 on admission by buying a ticket at Cincinnati-area Kroger stores. Children (ages 13 and under) are free when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information about the Greater Cincinnati Kitchen, Bath & Remodeling Show, visit http://cincinnatikitchenbathshow.com .

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Kitchen, Bath & Remodeling Show in area

A recently finalized deal to build an office tower in a church's parking lot could add more than $1 million in tax revenue to local coffers.

Earlier this month, Houston's First Baptist Church said it plans to lease its nearly 4-acre parking lot to the Hines development firm. Hines has proposed constructing an office building and parking garage on the now tax-exempt parcel located along a busy stretch of Interstate 10 near the West Loop, converting the property into commercial use.

The parcel would then become subject to city, county, school and related taxes for the first time in decades. Harris County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jim Robinson said that's a rather unusual occurrence.

"Normally, once a property goes exempt for a church it usually stays exempt," Robinson said.

The amount of taxes owed would depend on the new building's value.

The cost to erect a high-rise office structure, similar in size to what Hines has proposed, ranges from $100 to $120 per square foot, according to a construction cost report from Kirksey Architecture.

At a 3 percent tax rate, that could amount to a tax bill of at least $1.2 million just for the office building. The 1,500-car parking garage, which likely would be taxed as well, would generate an additional amount.

As a nonprofit organization, First Baptist still would be exempt from paying taxes on real- estate income generated by the deal, church spokesman Steven Murray noted.

Under the terms, Hines would lease the land from the church for at least 99 years. The church did not disclose the value of the lease.

First Baptist has cited a lack of parking as the impetus for the arrangement.

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Deal to build tower on church land benefits city and county

All of the structural components of the new neuroscience and psychology complex have been completed and the two buildings will be fully operational next fall, according to program manager in the Universitys Office of Design and Construction Mark Wilson.

The construction company Barr & Barr the same firm that worked on Lewis Library and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, among other buildings broke ground on the new site in 2010, and the construction is expected to be fully complete by spring 2013.

The two buildings located behind Poe Field on Washington Road are connected by a public foyer whose main doors face Carl Icahn Laboratory and can be accessed from across Washington Road, via Streicker Bridge. A tunnel in the A-level will lead to the B-level of Icahn and continue up-campus along Washington Road all the way to Guyot Hall.

Currently, the company is laying the stone flooring and carpeting, Wilson said. Window installation will occur within the next two to three weeks.

Our biggest push is to finish before winter hits so that we can have good humidity control, Wilson said.

Once the humidity is controlled, Wilson explained, the construction crew will be able to place wooden furnishings such as desks and shelves in faculty offices.

The new psychology building will replace the functions of Green Hall, located across Washington Road from Firestone Library. The neuroscience building will house the interdisciplinary Princeton Neuroscience Institute, which is temporarily located in Thomas, Moffett and Schultz laboratories with the molecular biology department.

The psychology building will be closer to Washington Road than these temporary laboratories. Stretching seven stories above and below ground, the building has a total of 46,000 square feet.

Data processing rooms in the upper levels of the building have a view of Poe Field and the Graduate College tower. Faculty offices will be located along the Washington Road side of the building.

The public space connecting the two buildings will be 30,670 square feet in size and will be one level above ground. The lobby will look down into the A-level student center, where tables and chairs will be set up and provide a place for students and faculty to work.

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After 3 years, neuroscience building construction to be completed next fall

US 19 wreck sends 3 to the hospital US 19 wreck sends 3 to the hospital

Updated: Sunday, September 30 2012 11:21 PM EDT2012-10-01 03:21:23 GMT

Updated: Sunday, September 30 2012 11:18 PM EDT2012-10-01 03:18:12 GMT

Updated: Sunday, September 30 2012 6:11 PM EDT2012-09-30 22:11:53 GMT

Updated: Sunday, September 30 2012 6:10 PM EDT2012-09-30 22:10:01 GMT

Updated: Sunday, September 30 2012 9:42 AM EDT2012-09-30 13:42:50 GMT

One big construction project that is underway in Albany, the building of the new SOWEGA Council on Aging Life Enrichment Center.

The former Byne Memorial Baptist Church building on West Society near Jefferson Street is being gutted and refurbished. A four thousand square foot addition is also being built.

Right now the SOWEGA Council on Aging has five offices scattered around town. The new center will bring them together under one roof.

"It's going to be a lot easier for people to come and find it all in one place. So it will be more of a one stop shop. We'll have all the information needed for anyone as well as programs and services," said Izzie Sadler, SOWEGA Council on Aging Development Director.

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Construction underway on new SOWEGA building

MANILA, Philippines - The number of new private construction projects were up 11.2 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported yesterday.

Preliminary results of the NSOs construction statistics for the April to June period showed the number of new construction projects from approved building permits nationwide reached 30,614, higher than the 27,525 in the same quarter last year.

The NSO said the aggregate value of construction projects during the quarter also rose 9.4 percent to P60.9 billion from P55.7 billion in the same period last year.

University of the Philippines economist Benjamin Diokno said in an e-mail that while the number of building permits may have risen in the second quarter, it is not surprising private construction as measured in the national accounts was flat in nominal terms and down 2.6 percent in real terms since the acquisition of building permits is just the first step toward actual construction.

Some projects may have been delayed, downsized, or will be completed later in the year, he said.

He also said the rise in the number of building permits in the second quarter from last year may be seen as catching up with private constructions lackluster performance last year.

On a full-year basis, the number of approved building permits were down slightly to 112,881 last year from 113,230 in 2010.

The NSO said residential-type building projects climbed 10.6 percent to 21,118 in the second quarter compared to the previous year.

These projects were valued at P27.5 billion, an 18.2 percent increase from the same period last year.

The number of non-residential construction projects likewise grew 15.5 percent to 3,937 from 3,409 during the same quarter of 2011

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Private construction projects up 11.2% in Q2

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Hart Senate Office Building, the third and largest office building serving the U.S. Senate, now features energy-efficient LED lighting by Cree, Inc. (CREE). More than 150 Cree CR22 architectural LED troffers were recently installed in the American Grill, Sundry Shop and main hallway of the Hart Building delivering a 33 percent reduction in annual energy costs.

Cree CR22 linear luminaires replaced 130 CFL downlights and linear fluorescents throughout the Hart Building, updating the buildings outdated ceiling grid. Designed to last 50,000 hours or more, Cree CR22 linear luminaires not only reduce energy consumption and lower utility expenses, but the new fixtures also minimize maintenance and operational costs for the Senate building.

The CR series is truly a no-compromise alternative when upgrading fluorescent lighting, said Christopher Ruud, vice president global sales, lighting, Cree. Delivering higher-quality light, longer life and greater energy savings than comparable fluorescent options, CR troffers are a natural fit for office settings like the Hart Senate Office Building.

A nine-story structure, the Hart Building has a distinctly contemporary appearance. When its construction was authorized by Congress, the architects sought to design a flexible, energy-efficient building that would accommodate Congressional business and the new technology of the modern Senate.

Ruud continued, Thoroughly modern when it was built, the LED lighting upgrade will allow the Hart Buildings facility managers to realize sizeable economic benefits, while continuing the mission set forth by the buildings original designers.

About Cree

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, mercury-free LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications.

Cree's product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and RF devices. Cree products are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, power supplies and solar inverters.

For additional product and company information, please refer to http://www.Cree.com/Lighting. To learn more about the LED Lighting Revolution, please visit http://www.creeledrevolution.com.

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Cree LED Lighting Shines in the Hart Senate Office Building for Improved Savings

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.s plans for a new office building to replace the 16-story, 451,964-square-foot East Building on its downtown campus appear to be focused downtown, rather than at its Franklin campus.

In addition, some Northwestern Mutual employees who were giving tours of the companys headquarters during last weekends Doors Open Milwaukee event told members of the general public that the company plans to replace the East Building with a new building in the same footprint.

A year ago the company announced plans to tear down the East Building and said it had not determined the size, scope or location of what will replace the building. The company said it would evaluate options for meeting those space needs either at our downtown campus, Franklin campus or a combination of both.

One year later, a company spokesman says a decision still has not been made.

This is an ongoing process and we need time to evaluate all of the options, said Betsy Hoylman, director of media relations for Northwestern Mutual. Well have something to announce by the end of the year.

Hoylman said the companys tour guides were just giving their opinion during Doors Open Milwaukee about what will replace the East Building.

The people giving the tours dont sit on our corporate committees that are making these decisions, she said.

Some commercial real estate and construction industry sources say they have heard about plans for a new building at Northwestern Mutuals downtown campus but have not heard about any plans for a new building at the companys Franklin campus.

One source said he heard from Franklin officials that the company had been in talks with Franklin officials about a possible expansion of the campus there, but those talks have been dormant for a few months.

Theres nothing to report, said Franklin City Attorney Jesse Wesolowski, who declined to elaborate.

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Signs point to new downtown office building for NML