Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

On Tuesday morning, Prince George and Princess Charlotte headed back to school at Thomass Battersea, the progressive private school that has been the center of the Cambridges mornings and their social lives for the last few years. Since the kids are back at school, Kate Middleton, who turns 38 on Thursday, needed to celebrate her birthday a little early. According to People, she held a party at Anmer Hall, her and Prince Williams country home in Norfolk, on Sunday and invited some of her close friendsincluding one who was recently thought to be on the outs with the duchess.

The celebration started Sunday, when Kate and William went to church in Sandringham with the Queen. Anmer Hall is on the Sandringham estate where the Queen spends the holidays. A larger group also accompanied the royal family: Kates parents, Carole and __Michael Middleton, friends Tom van Strabenzee, Lucy Lanigan-OKeefe (People said shes also a teacher at Thomass), Lady Laura Meade, one of Louis godparents, her husband James Meade, David, Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his wife, Rose Hanbury, Marquess of Cholmondeley.

Rose and Kate were close friends when the Cambridges moved up to Norfolk after Georges birth, as a part of a group some have called the Turnip Toffs, but during 2019, outlets speculated that Kate and Rose were feuding and no longer friends. Roses appearance should put this rumor to rest; after all, you only attend a birthday church service for someone you really like.

While the Cholmondeley couples presence was certainly an attention getter, the real controversy of Kates birthday might have been her headwear. By now, you probably have seen the pictures of the duchess wearing a jaunty blue fedora and purple coat from Hicks and Brown to St. Mary Magdalenes on Sunday. Perhaps to prove that were leaving behind all negative associations with the fedora from the last decade, she wore the hat into a house of worship. The Queen also wore purple to the church service.

Otherwise, details are scarce about what the rest of the party might have entailed. Neither of Kates siblings, James and Pippa, attended the party, likely because both were recently on vacation in the Caribbean. However, we can assume Kate probably pulled a couple of perfect pints.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post misstated Kate Middletons age.

More Great Stories from Vanity Fair

Diddys 50th birthday party brought out Beyonc, Jay-Z, and his new Kerry James Marshall painting The next phase of the Prince Andrew scandal Meet Natasha Lyonne, the spellbindingly eccentric Russian Doll star redefining fame Why Meghan Markles royal sabbatical has become a working vacation Huey Lewis on going deaf, overcoming dark thoughtsand his (final?) new album From the Archive: Lee Radziwill looks back at her and Jacqueline Kennedys deeply intertwined lives

Looking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.

Read the original here:
Kate Middletons Birthday Extravaganza: a Fedora, the Country House, and Mended Fences - Vanity Fair

Cheetahs are best enjoyed from afar. Its a lesson one person had to learn the hard way after attempting to get an up close and personal experience with the animals at a New Jersey zoo.

A man hopped over the first of two fences surrounding the cheetah exhibit at the Cape May County Park and Zoo earlier this week to take a picture of Buju and Beenie, two cheetahs, Cape May County Sheriffs Office spokesman Antwan McClellan said Friday.

The man moved on to the second fence, but was apprehended by park officials before he could hop that one too.

McClellan said the cheetahs ignored the man. After he was back on the right side of the fence, he told park officials a friend of his at another zoo did the same thing and was able to pet a tiger. The man thought he could do the same thing at the Cape May County Zoo, officials said.

The man was not arrested. However, he was given citations and removed from the zoo.

Chris Franklin can be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @cfranklinnews or on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.

View original post here:
Man tried to jump the fence at N.J. zoo to take a picture of cheetahs - NJ.com

It remains to be seen whether trainer Bob Baffert will be representated in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup.

Notably omitted from the revised invitation list released Sunday by Gulfstream Park officials was Roadster, who was in the original field of 12, while remaining on the also-eligible list was stablemate Mucho Gusto.On Monday, Baffert said Speedway Stables Roadster would stay at his Santa Anita base and run in the San Pasqual Stakes (G2) going nine furlongs on Feb. 1. The son of Quality Road, who exits a second to Omaha Beach in the Dec. 28 Malibu (G1), continued preparations for the San Pasqual on Monday with a bullet four-furlong drill in :47.40. As for Mucho Gusto, Baffert said he is split between sending him to Gulfstream for the Jan. 25 Pegasus or also running him in the San Pasqual. The 4-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man, who collected a trio of Grade 3 wins in 2019, has not raced since finishing fourth in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park on Sept 29. Baffert previously said the main objective for Michael Lund Petersens Mucho Gustos is the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 29 in Riyadh. While he is currently on the also-eligible list for the Pegasus, Mucho Gusto would draw into the field with a defection between now and the Jan. 25 race.Mucho Gusto returned to training around Thanksgiving and boasts three consecutive bullet drills on the work tab, which includes most recently a six-furlong move in 1:12.80 on Friday. Baffert said he will decide on Mucho Gustos comeback race next week.

See the article here:
Baffert 'on the fence' over shipping for Pegasus World Cup - Horse Racing Nation

Fences keeping people out of forest areas closed due to kauri dieback in Auckland are being vandalised, and people are entering closed tracks due to a sense of entitlement, a council compliance manager says.

Signs like these have been removed and vandalised. Photo: RNZ / Joanna MacKenzie

Compliance officers were out over the Christmas-New Year break and while most people are following the rules, 14 people will be receiving bylaw breach and trespass notices and another four will be getting formal warnings.

Vandalism was worryingly on the increase as well.

Auckland Council regulatory compliance manager Steve Pearce said a small minority were undermining efforts to protect kauri forests to ensure New Zealanders and tourists could continue to enjoy these.

"There's been fences that have been taken down, chucked into nearby streams, signs that have been removed and it's just senseless vandalism. People that are a bit bored and pushing things over when they really don't need to," he told RNZ's Summer Report.

"We're trying to protect those ranges and those parks for all New Zealanders, all of our tourists and a couple of silly people have gone and wrecked it for everyone."

Pearce said people caught on closed tracks often believed they had a right to be there and the council had no right to enforce biosecurity rules introduced to protect kauri sites.

"Generally it's people going, 'this is my local area, my forest, I'm allowed to be around here'. And you've also got a bunch of people who kind of think 'well, actually the council don't have the right to exclude me from this public area'. But there's a reason we're doing this, we're not doing it for just a bit of fun."

He said it was essential people stayed off closed tracks because the micro-organism responsible for dieback was soil-based and easily transported from one site to another.

"Some areas are closed because they don't have Kauri dieback, so they are pristine. The kauri seem to be thriving. So we're trying to protect those kauri that are still surviving really well. There are other kauri that are known to be infected and we're trying to prevent the spread of the disease from these areas to other areas.

"At this stage we don't have a cure for kauri dieback, so the only thing we can do is prevent the transmission."

Over the Waitkere forest canopy it's not hard to see the damage kauri dieback has done. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook

Kauri dieback is a disease caused by the microscopic fungus-like organism Phytophthora agathidicida (PA). It lives in the soil and infects kauri roots, damaging the tissues that carry nutrients and water within the tree, effectively starving it to death.

It is typical spread by dirt on people's footwear, meaning trampers are required to scrub and spray their shoes entering and leaving tracks.

"There seems like a lot of other vectors as well, walking your dog, going on and off the track, they get some mud on their paws and that gets spread around," Pearce said.

"So the real simple thing is, stay out of those areas and when you're on the tracks scrub their boots, spray them afterwards."

He said the council didn't want anyone going through the courts and urged people to simply stay off closed tracks and enjoy the tracks that have remained open.

"The only enforcement tool we have is a prosecution through the district court. So we had our first prosecution late last year. That's a maximum $20,000 fine. We don't envisage that it will be anywhere near that maximum, but it's really important that people take this seriously."

See the rest here:
Fences at closed kauri forests vandalised and thrown in streams - RNZ

Boys Basketball

The Guilford boys basketball team went to New Haven and earned its first win of the season with a 56-50 victory over Career on Jan. 7. Three days later, the Indians took an 80-43 defeat against Hillhouse to move to 1-3 on the year.

Chris Cahill scored 28 points, and John Petonito had 12 points when the Indians beat Career. Guilford trailed by as many as seven points in the first quarter before fighting its way back. The Indians took a 39-30 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Panthers rallied to cut it to 52-50 with 1:19 remaining. The Indians converted four of their six attempts from the free-throw line, including two by Cahill, to solidify the win.

Cahill scored 18 points for Guilford in the Hillhouse game. Brayden Santa Barbara chipped in with 11 points.

Girls Basketball

The Indians came away with a split of two games last week and are now 2-4 this year. Guilford dropped a contest to Sheehan and then came back with a convincing win versus Career.

On Jan. 7, Guilford lost to Sheehan by the score of 50-43. Faith ODonnell scored seven points for the Indians. Elle Petra had six points, while Sam Leiby and Moira Kellaher added five points apiece.

In the teams second road game of the week, Guilford netted a 68-26 victory against Career on Jan. 10. ODonnell, Leiby, Kellaher, and Petra all scored 10 points in the win.

Boys Ice Hockey

Senior captain Jack Dacey recorded a natural hat trick, including the game-winning goal in overtime, to lift Guilford to a 4-3 overtime win against St. Joseph on Jan. 11.

Dacey scored a pair of third-period goals to help the Indians rally for their victory over St. Joseph. Guilford outshot the Cadets by a 34-20 margin for the game.

Earlier in the week, the Indians battled North Branford to a 4-4 draw. Guilford has a record of 2-4-1 on the season.

Girls Fencing

Guilford posted wins over North Haven and Hand and then swept all four of its opponents at the Morgan Invitational last week.

The Indians started off the week by earning a 24-3 win over North Haven on Jan. 8. Guilfords foil (9-0), pe (8-1), and saber (7-2) teams all claimed victory at the meet.

The day after that, Guilford defeated Hand by a 20-7 score, led by wins from its saber (8-1), foil (6-3), and pe (6-3) squads. The Indians JV team took a 15-12 defeat to Hand, but still saw its saber team get a 5-4 victory.

Then on Jan. 11, the Indians notched four victories when they competed at the Morgan Invitational. Guilford defeated Greenwich (20-7), Hand (23-4), Hopkins (19-8), and Morgan (20-7) at the event. The Indians saber team went 9-0 against all four opponents.

Saber teammates Shayla Flynn, Anna Angkatavanich, Adella Cho, and Camilla Gipson were unbeatable all day long for Guilford. Exceptional performances by peist Julia Gangemi and foil fencer Lindsey Smith left them also undefeated for the day.

Boys Fencing

The Indians competed in a pair of dual-meets last week, picking up a 15-12 victory over North Haven on Jan. 8. Guilford recorded a 6-3 win in foil and a 5-4 victory in saber, while taking a 5-4 loss in pe against North Haven.

The following day, the Indians took a 16-11 loss to Hand. Guilfords JV team earned a 16-11 win versus the Tigers, led by victories from its saber (7-2) and pe (6-3) squads.

On Jan. 11, Guilford competed at the Morgan Invitational in Clinton. The Indians won three of their four matches on the day, earning victories against Greenwich (17-10), Hand (15-12), and Morgan (20-7) to go with a loss versus Hopkins (15-12). The pe team went 9-0 in the win over Greenwich.

Boys Swimming and Diving

The Greater New Haven Warriors boys swimming and diving team hosted Cheshire for a matchup at Walter Gawrych Community Pool on Jan. 9. The Warriors took a 97-88 defeat against the Rams to move to 1-2 this season.

Wrestling

Guilford took two out of three matches in a four-team home meet against Ledyard, Middletown, and Trumbull on Jan. 11. The Indians defeated Ledyard (41-33) and Middletown (35-34), while losing to Trumbull (53-24) at the meet.

Posting wins for Guilford against Ledyard were Mohammad Halabi at 106 pounds, John Fernandes with a 13-2 decision at 132 pounds, Kyle Putnam with an 11-4 win at 132 pounds; Edward Barlage, who outpointed his opponent 11-0 at 138 pounds; Aiden Ghiroli, who recorded a pin in 2:23 at 170 pounds; Zach Halas, who picked up a forfeit win at 182 pounds; and Ian Rose, a pinfill victor at 220 pounds.

Halabi, Barlage, Ghiroli, and Rose earned for Guilford victories versus Middletown.

Anthony Bomgardner won by pin in the 125-pound match against Trumbull. Other wins were recorded by Barlage (138), Brent Strand (160), and Rose (220).

Earlier in the week, the Indians recorded a 37-33 victory versus Foran on Jan. 8.

Go here to see the original:
Guilford Boys' Hoops Gets Win Against Career; Fencing Teams Have Big Weeks - Zip06.com

Friday, January 10th 2020 - 12:10 UTC A report posted on the OIE website showed the disease, which has devastated herds in the world's top pork producer China, had now been found next to Germany

Poland recorded 55 outbreaks of African swine fever in wild boar near the German border last month, the world animal health body said on Thursday, in a sign the deadly virus is spreading near one of the European Union's biggest pork exporters.

A report posted on the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) website showed that the disease, which has devastated herds in the world's top pork producer China, had now been found in a village less than 30km from Germany.

African swine fever is harmless to humans but highly deadly in boars and pigs. It originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia and has already killed hundreds of millions pigs, while reshaping global meat and feed markets.

Germany's government said early December it was stepping up measures to prevent an outbreak of African swine fever after a case was discovered in Poland close to its border.

A majority of the outbreaks reported by the Polish farm ministry to the OIE were discovered between Dec 4 and Dec 23 in neighboring villages in the states of Lubuskie and Wielkopolskie, 75 to 100 km from the German border.

There are fears in Germany that its exports of pork to China and other Asian countries could be threatened, with import bans regularly imposed on pig meat from regions where African swine fever has been discovered.

Authorities in German states bordering Poland have built fences in an attempt to stop wild boars wandering into Germany and spreading the disease. A series of 90 cm high fences similar to those used to close farm fields were built by the state of Brandenburg in December while the state also relaxed hunting restrictions to allow more shooting of boar, the state agriculture ministry said.

The state of Saxony said it is this week building a 4.5km electrified fence along a high risk sector close to the border with Poland. Countries infected by severe animal diseases such as African swine fever or highly pathogenic bird flu, must warn the OIE immediately and submit regular follow-up reports.

See original here:
Electric fences between Poland and Germany to avoid spread of African swine fever - MercoPress

Crowley, Texas, company Superior AC & Heat launched its updated range of professional HVAC repair and installation services for clients in Crowley.

(Newswire.net -- January 10, 2020) -- Crowley, TX -- Crowley, Texas, company Superior AC & Heat launched its updated range of professional HVAC repair and installation services for clients in Crowley, Arlington, Fort Worth, Burleson and surrounding areas.

Superior AC & Heat announced the launch of an updated range of HVAC repair and installation services for residential and commercial clients in Crowley, Texas. Since 1980, the company has been proudly serving the Dallas/Fort Worth area, providing fast and affordable services.

More information can be found at https://www.superioracnheat.com

Air conditioning systems are essentials for keeping indoor air clean, warm during winter, cool in the summer, and maintaining proper humidity levels for optimal comfort. The newly updated repair and installation services at Superior AC & Heat ensure that Crowley residents benefit from a fast, responsive, and reliable service.

As one of the oldest HVAC companies in Texas, Superior AC & Heat follows all safety and efficiency standards as defined by the State of Texas as well as local building codes. The company can take care of each client's residential or commercial heating and cooling needs, while guaranteeing a courteous, professional, and efficient service.

In addition, all technicians at Superior AC & Heat have been screened and are regularly drug tested. They will always arrive in clean uniforms, driving clearly marked vehicles.

The expert team will identify the problem and repair the issue to keep the client's system functioning the way it should. When an air conditioning or heating system is not working properly, the professional technicians are ready to assist clients with a fast, responsive, and reliable service 24/7.

Whether clients are looking for a new, efficient HVAC system for their entire home or need help with a tricky repair, the professional team at Superior AC & Heat can help. They are dedicated to helping each and every client make the best choice and complete the job quickly to minimize any interruption at the clients home or business.

A satisfied client said: "Great company! Their bid was lower than the other two companies I called and their service was amazing. Mike had my unit back running in less than an hour. Very professional, will definitely use them for any future needs."

Interested parties can find more by visiting the above-mentioned website.

View post:
Crowley TX HVAC Repair and Installation Heating and Cooling Services Launched - Newswire

Nailing It Down

By Dave Murnen and Pat Beaty

Is your heating system meeting your needs? Is it clean, inexpensive and effective?

Last week we compared a variety of different heating systems and noted the pros and cons of each. Those we discussed included baseboard heaters, heat pump/air handler with ductwork, gas, pellet stove and wood stove.

Today we are concentrating on our favorite choice: the ductless heat pump. We really cant say enough about this effective, inexpensive option to heating your home.

Ductless heat pump program

After you get done reading todays column, consider whether you might be interested in installing a ductless heat pump. Its a good choice for many different living situations. And it might be a terrific choice for you, especially if you happen to be eligible for a program that installs free ductless heat pumps.

We will discuss the details of the free program in next weeks column including giving the income qualifications. For now, read up on why we especially like this form of heating and cooling your home.

Cheap alternative for heat

In this climate, a regular outside heat pump and inside air handler furnace with ducts is an efficient way to heat a house. The technology of any heat pump basically recovers heat from the outside air and transfers it via a closed-loop refrigerant gas to the inside air handler furnace inside your house. The air handler blows circulating air through the air handlers radiator coil that was heated by the gas and delivers warm air throughout the house in your ducts and floor vents.

In the summer, it will do the reverse drying out the indoor air and pulling the heat out of the air from inside the house and blowing it off outside at the exterior heat pump. The returning air feels cool, providing you with a nice air conditioned space.

Ductless heat pumps are just as they sound, not needing any ductwork to convey the heated or cooled air.

Their benefits are many. Here are just a few:

They do not pollute.

They are relatively easy and inexpensive to install, and sometimes come with a rebate from the PUD.

They provide filtered air better for folks with allergies and health concerns.

They require no ductwork in or under your house, saving you money on installation.

They are inexpensive to operate paying for themselves in just a few years and lasting 20 years.

They are easy to maintain.

We think the drawbacks are few, but we do need to mention them:

The heating units are visible, so the locations of both the exterior and interior units might initially be a practical or aesthetic concern.

If the electrical power goes out, you lose your heat unless you have a compatible generator or another backup source.

A house thats chopped up with lots of little rooms will not benefit from this type of system as much as one with a more open concept.

Itll heat what it can see

To be most efficient, you will want the inside ductless heat pump unit located where it can see the most living areas possible living room, dining room and kitchen where the space is more open and where you spend most of your time.

If it can see down a hallway, it may also heat it and the rooms connected to it when doors are left open. Still, you may want to have some kind of backup heat in those rooms.

Figuring ways to recirculate the air back to the unit is worth it. One little trick to help heated air get to where you want it is to open a window a crack in the room, which relieves pressure and draws in heated air. Some homes benefit from multiple indoor units or more than one setup. Your contractor will know which is best for what you want to achieve.

The ductless air heating units are about 3 feet wide and a foot tall and protrude from the wall about a foot. The air flow can be pointed just the way it is needed in your house.

While you may not have conceived of having a nice-looking heating unit on your wall, after about a week of clean, consistent, cheap heat, you wont even notice its there.

To maintain a ductless heat pump, you just need to open the unit and rinse the reusable filters in the sink, dry them and put them back in the unit. If treated correctly, the filters shouldnt wear out.

Consider for the future

Maybe your oil or gas furnace, cadet wall heaters, electric baseboard or pellet stove, or ducted heat pump is nearing retirement age. If thats the case, before you replace it with the same, try researching a ductless heat pump.

In our experience, most homes need just one unit. The cost runs about $4,000 for a 1-ton unit installed (more for bigger units or complicated installations).

Most heating contractors on the Harbor can install a ductless heat pump. We suggest that you get three bids before choosing which contractor to go with as you would on any major home improvement project.

Backups suggested

A ductless heat pump will provide most of what you need to keep your home a comfortable temperature 90% of the time.

However, if we get a deep, long-lasting cold snap, there simply wont be enough heat in the air for it to extract, so some sort of backup heat is suggested. Keeping your old system as a backup could make up the difference for short-term needs.

You may want to have something like a furnace-rated propane or gas fireplace or pellet stove for those very, very cold days instead. Regular fireplaces are the last resort and you should never try to heat your home with a barbecue or other non-vented appliance.

Dave Murnen and Pat Beaty are construction specialists at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor County, where Murnen is executive director. This is a nonprofit organization committed to creating safe and affordable housing for all residents of Grays Harbor County. For questions about home repair, renting, remodeling or buying, call 360-533-7828 or visit 710 E. Market St. in Aberdeen. Our office is fully ADA-compliant.

Go here to read the rest:
Nailing It Down: Singing the praises of ductless heat pumps - The Daily World

Natural gas utilities in Massachusetts are facing an existential crisis: they could be out of business by mid-century. That's because the state's 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act requires emissions from burning fossil fuels like natural gas be cut by 80% economy-wide by 2050.

But now a solution that could help save the companies and the climate is at hand. Or, more accurately, underfoot. It's geothermal energy, which takes advantage of thebiggest energy storage system on earth: the earth itself.

Our planet absorbs the sun's solar energy and stores it underground as thermal energy that can be used to heat and cool homes and businesses.Just a few yards down, the earth's temperature is a constant 50 to 60 degrees; warmer than the air above during winter, cooler in the summer. You can take advantage of the temperature difference using what is called a geothermal or ground source heat pump: plastic pipes filled with water and antifreeze pick up the heat from the ground, and the pump circulates it through a building.

The technology, developed in the late 1940s, does away with furnaces, air conditioners and hot water heaters, and is the most efficient way to heat and cool a building. While it's widespread in some countries, like Sweden, it's been slow to catch on here.

"The site has to be appropriate," said architect Lisa Cunningham, who recently designeda gut renovation of a private Brookline home using geothermal energy. The best sites for geothermal systems have lots of space to install horizontal pipes in relatively shallow ground. But because the Brookline lot is so small, workers had to drill two holes 500 feet deep.

"One thing that's so great about having a project like this right in the heart of a very dense town, we're showing people it can be very cost-effective," Cunningham said, adding that the cost for installing the system in the Brookline home "came in less than a comparable gas system."

But that includes thousands of dollars in state rebates and federal tax incentives that are expiring. Cost is still a big hurdle, said Zeyneb Magavi, co-executive director ofHome Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), a Cambridge-based environmental nonprofit.

"Geothermal ground source heating has been around a long time, and it has usually been installed one house by one house individually," she said. "It works. However, it is a fairly high up-front cost, and you have to have the means and motivation to be able to do it."

Magavi, a clean energy advocate, said she asked herself: Who already digs holes and puts pipes in the ground, has big money and is motivated to find a new business model? Her answer: natural gas distribution companies.

Magavi was familiar with the gas utilities through her work along with HEETco-executive director Audrey Schulman and the Gas Leaks Allies helpinggas companies identify leaky pipes most in need of repair.

Together, they found it would cost $9 billion over 20 years to fix the aging infrastructure. Magavi suggested they use for money to transform the industry instead.

"The idea is that a gas utility takes out its leaky gas pipe and, instead of putting in new gas pipe, we put in a hot water loop," Magavi said. "If we're going to invest in infrastructure, let's invest in infrastructure for the next century. Let's not invest in infrastructure that was hot in 1850."

HEET commissioned a study to investigate if there were a way to make geothermal energy appealing to both utilities and environmentalists.

"We wanted something that was renewable, resilient, reliable, kept gas workers in jobs, [was] equal or lower cost than gas, and safe and doable," Magavi said. She found that "networking" connecting geothermal systems to many homes and businesses ticked all of the boxes.

"The beautiful thing is that when you interconnect them, the more customers you put on the system, the more efficient it gets," Magavi said.

Magavi showed the results to senior officials with Eversource, the largest energy delivery company in New England.

It was an unusual pitch, but she felt that "they also understood that we were approaching this always from a data- and fact-based conversation, and they took us very seriously," Magavi said.

Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner said the company likes the idea.

"This looks a lot like the gas business that we're in except it's totally clean," Conner said. "Eversource can bring the capital and the expertise to this. We know how to build infrastructure."

Eversource conducted its own study of networked geothermal heat pump systems, leading it to propose three different pilot projects to Massachusetts regulators in order to prove that the networked systems are feasible.

Under a networked system, homes and businesses would own the geothermal heat pumps, while Eversource would own and manage the system of pipes, sensors and pressure regulators, Conner said. That would convert the gas utility into a networked, thermal management company.

"Maybe I have a laundromat that has a lot of heat load, maybe it's working a lot in the evening," Conner said. "So they are leveraging putting heat back into the system potentially in the evening when others need it for cooling. So you get that benefit."

State regulators are now reviewing Eversources's proposals for networked pilot projects, and could give the go-ahead within a year.

"I think we can move fast," Magavi said. "My vision of the future is that we have wires delivering us renewable energy competing with pipes delivering us renewable energy. So thermal power and electric power grids, and the two benefit each other."

Geothermal energy heating our homes, with pumps powered by solar- and wind-generated electricity. If this unusual collaboration between a natural gas utility and an environmental organization pays off, a clean energy future could be right under our feet.

Read this article:
How A Climate Change Nonprofit Got Eversource Thinking About A Geothermal Future - WBUR

Winsupply Acquires Rosen Supply, Plumbing and Heating Distributor | 2020-01-10 | ACHR News This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more. This Website Uses CookiesBy closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn MoreThis website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

Read the rest here:
Winsupply Acquires Rosen Supply, Plumbing and Heating Distributor - ACHR NEWS