Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

A warehouse full of lettuce might not be the first place you would expect to find the next Industrial Revolution. But follow the LED lights and youll discover a glimpse of the future of agriculture industrial-scale, indoor farming.

Advances in LED technology are helping to create an environment where vegetables can be produced at scale, with higher yields and shorter grow cycles, no matter what climate.

There will be a revolution, says Cary Mitchell, horticulture professorat Purdue University. I think that in a decades time, LED will become the de facto lighting source for controlled-environment agriculture.

Farming in a controlled environment, whether a greenhouse or warehouse, has long allowed growers to manipulate lighting, temperature and water to boost yields. What LED lighting brings to the equation is a cooler and more energy-efficient way to optimize conditions than the high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps traditionally found in greenhouses.

Mitchells team has found that LEDs can surpass 50 percent efficiency converting about half of their energy into plant-usable light versus just 30 percent for HPS lamps. That translates into significant energy savings: it cost four times more to produce the same amount of fruit with HPS lamps than LEDs.

The fact that these [LED] emitters are so cool literally cool and you can put them so close, theres a tremendous energy savings potential, Mitchell says.

Enterprising Indoor Farmers

Shigeharu Shimamura was able to capitalize on such efficiencies when he converted a former Sony semiconductor factory into what might be the worlds largest indoor farm powered by LEDs. With the help of GE fixtures designed to emit light at wavelengths optimal for plant growth, he was able to achieve a 100-fold gain in productivity per square foot over outdoor farming for his lettuce crop.

By effectively controlling photorespiration and photosynthesis, we not only control night and day, but also provide a better `sleeping environment for vegetables growth and increase the effectiveness of light, Shimamura says.

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The Future Of Agriculture? Indoor Farms Powered By LEDs

Gravedigger - Architects guitar cover
Just wanted to try my hand at this; transposed onto an 8 string, Gravedigger off of Architects #39; newest album. I play in a band called Superior, check us out at https://www.facebook.com/Superiorne.

By: Matthew McMillin

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Gravedigger - Architects guitar cover - Video

The fourth home, not the third, was actually the charm for Kim Taylor when she found the house in east Topeka she is spending her first holidays in as a new homeowner.

This is the one I was supposed to have, said Taylor, referring to her dark beige, ranch-style house she has owned since early May. Im so comfortable. I paid attention to wait for the right one.

Describing herself as very patient and very picky, Taylor said participating in the Topeka Opportunity to Own, known as TOTO, homebuyers program has been a blessing.

Owning my own home, she said, has been such a comfort to me. Im much happier here.

Taylor, who grew up in Tecumseh and provides comfort as a caregiver for Home Instead, an in-home service for seniors, said she was pre-qualified by the TOTO program for two years and had put offers that fell through at the last minute on three homes. However, when she looked at the three-bedroom house she now shares with her five-year-old white male cat named, Mr. Nelson, she knew it was the one.

It had good bones to it, Taylor said of the house built in the early 1960s. It had the kind of structure and layout that I wanted. It has just the right amount of yard space for me to garden.

Having gone through the TOTO program, created in the early 1990s by Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc., or HCCI, Taylor said she knew what parameters to work within to buy her own home. Some of the requirements include attending homebuyer classes, having a good credit history, providing a down payment of $500 and the selling price of the house cant be more than $65,000.

Once qualified, the TOTO participant is eligible to receive a $30,000 loan that Taylor describes as a soft second mortgage which is used to make the house code compliant and energy efficient. That could mean replacing the windows, water heater and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, of HVAC, system. If there is any money left over after making the necessary improvements from the initial $30,000, Taylor said that balance is applied to the mortgage, reducing the monthly house payments.

That was such a blessing, she said. That made my payment even more manageable.

Taylor said when she moved into her home last spring, one of the first projects was gutting the main bathroom which had a configuration she charitably described as being odd. She said the TOTO program paid for the bathroom remodel except for the bathtub.

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At Home Living: Fixing up a new home for the holidays

Updated: 12/19/2014 10:23 PM | Created: 12/19/2014 9:53 PM By: Stephanie Claytor, KOB Eyewitness News 4

State and city officials say homeowners need to watch out for scamming roofing contractors. They said even the licensed contractors sometimes dont pull permits, making it pertinent that consumers protect themselves.

According to Land Clark, the Chief Building Official for the City of Albuquerque, homeowners need to make sure the contractor is licensed before hiring them. They can check that information online, or by asking the contractor for their license number.

Clark said homeowners then need to ask the contractor for its roofing permit. It should have the homeowner's address and also specify the roof will be fixed in the work description.

Dianne Goodman brought this story to our attention after her roof job was botched.

My mistake was I trusted Alvarado Roofing," said Goodman.

Goodman said soon after the company fixed her roof in 2012, there were code violations.

"It was the beginning of a horrific two years with Alvarado Roofing," Goodman said.

She then found out Alvarado Roofing, a licensed contractor, never got a permit to do the work in the first place. That meant city inspectors also didnt give the work a final approval. She wants homeowners to learn from her mistake, since she didnt check for a permit or inspection dates before the work was done.

"Bring a camera and record, and take pictures. Make sure the permit is there. Absolutely, Goodman advises. You need to make sure that permit is issued and that inspector is coming out and you're there while that work is being done and when the inspection is done."

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State and city officials say homeowners need to watch out for scamming

Streetsboro, OH (PRWEB) December 20, 2014

Soft-Lite Windows, exclusive window manufacturing sponsor of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and McGruff the Crime Dog, is now offering its dealers a unique new program that will allow these companies to become actively involved as NCPC sponsors. Soft-Lite dealers can now sign a one-year agreement with the NCPC to become the exclusive window and door dealer sponsor for their area; Dealers who choose to join the sponsorship program will work with NCPC and Soft-Lite to educate consumers about home crime prevention strategies, particularly around window and door security.

Soft-Lite is known for placing a strong emphasis on designing and manufacturing durable high-quality products. The company voluntarily submits its products to independent, certified laboratories that test them according to forced entry standards established by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Soft-Lite's products consistently meet the highest levels for structural forced-entry testing to ensure maximum impact resistance.

Soft-Lite also offers a laminated glass option to provide homeowners with a highly effective means of deterring break-ins. Armor Glass Plus windows and doors feature three glass panestwo of which sandwich a tough polyvinyl butyral interlayerto keep out intruders. In tests, these products withstand more than 30 blows from a baseball bat before a hole the size of a quarter appears. Armor Glass also offers other benefits, including improved sound control, safety and energy savings and solar protection.

We are extremely pleased to partner with the National Crime Prevention Council to help promote the importance of window and door security in preventing crimeand we are excited to offer our dealers the same opportunity," said Tyson Schwartz, Soft-Lite Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "We continue to be concerned about the FBIs statistics that a high percentage of burglaries occur through windows and doors, and we feel that its a duty to build products that help protect and safeguard people.

About Soft-Lite

Soft-Lite is a vinyl replacement window and door manufacturer headquartered in Streetsboro, Ohio. The company was recently named 2014 National ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, and is a multiple Crystal Achievement Award winner. Other accolades include being a recipient of the Friedman Corporation Customer Appreciation Award, the Window Door Top 100 Manufacturers recognition, and the Door and Window Companies To Watch recognition. For more information, visit http://www.soft-lite.com.

About the National Crime Prevention Council and McGruff

The National Crime Prevention Council is the nonprofit leader in crime prevention. For more than 30 years, our symbol of safety, McGruff the Crime Dog, has delivered easy-to-use crime prevention tips that protect what matters mostyou, your family, and your community. Since 1982, NCPC has continuously provided the American public with comprehensive educational materials, training programs, and effective crime prevention messaging, delivered in large part through its vast network of more than 10,000 state and local law enforcement agencies, crime prevention associations, community groups, foundations, and corporate partners. For more information on how NCPC can be a public safety expert for you or how to Take A Bite Out of Crime, visit http://www.ncpc.org. Become a fan of NCPC: Friend us on Facebook| Follow us on Twitter| Find us on YouTube

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Soft-Lite and the National Crime Prevention Council Introduce Unique Sponsorship Program for Window Dealers

Google has brought its Nest Learning Thermostat to the UK. Here's what you need to know about Google's Nest release date, price and features.

Weve been waiting for UK availability for the Nest smart thermostat since its US release in 2011. Three years later the heating programmer and thermostat is now on sale in the UK, boasting the same features as the US version.

The Nest Learning Thermostat learns your domestic schedule, programs itself and can be controlled from an app on your phone or tablet. The company claims that the Nest Thermostat can lower heating and cooling bills up to 20 percent.

Nest Labs, recently bought by Google for $3 billion, has also announced its first UK energy partnership with npower, which will offer the Nest Thermostat to its customers as part of their energy plans. It promises more UK energy company partnerships are coming.

See also: Tado smart thermostat review

The UK release date for the Nest thermostat control is April 2, 2014. The UK price, including professional installation, is 249. It is also available for self install for 179, but Nest "highly recommends" professional installation because the Nest Thermostat connects to the heating system using high-voltage cables.

The 29 Stand for Nest Learning Thermostat is an accessory for those who dont have thermostat cables available in the wall or want to replace wireless thermostats.

Both products are sold separately and are available at more than 400 retail stores and online through Apple, Amazon, B&Q, John Lewis and Nest UK. You can also get it via the Google Play store.

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Nest thermostat UK release date and price - smart heating gadget comes to UK

Even though prices are way down, oil cant catch a break from homeowners who remain willing to spend thousands of dollars converting their heating systems to natural gas.

Heating oil has been losing market share to natural gas, electricity and other heat sources for years. Only 6% of U.S. homes used oil heat in 2012, government data show. But in the chilly Northeastern states, oil warms about 25% of all homes.

The price of a gallon of No. 2 heating oil a highly refined, cleaner-burning fuel used in single-family homes is down 26% this year, from a high of $4.242 on Feb. 24 to $3.142 on Dec. 15, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Oil industry leaders believe the price drop and the $5,000 to $19,000 expense of installing gas lines, furnaces and other equipment ought to make homeowners think twice about switching from oil to gas. Theres a large capital cost to making this kind of switch, said Richard Sweetser, president of Exergy Partners, which consults for the oil industry.

But theres no sign the price plunge has slowed the pace of oil-to-gas conversions.

Data from Con Edison, one of New York Citys gas utilities, says big buildings are switching from oil to gas at a faster pace than in 2013.

Through October, 1,249 large buildings in Con Eds New York City territory switched from oil to gas, a pace of 125 conversions per month. In all of 2013, Con Ed won 1,293 new big-building gas customers, or 108 per month. Some building owners are being pushed to change to gas becasue of city anti-pollution rules requiring a phase-out of dirtier, less refined No. 4 and No. 6 heating oil.

Con Edison has no data on single-family home conversions, but says they seem to be running at about the same pace as last year.

Cheap oil has probably kept a few people from switching over to gas, said Ryan Williams, general manager of 128 Plumbing, Heating and Cooling in Wakefield, Mass.

But Williams says customers who have changed to natural gas are still happy despite cheaper oil prices. The technology behind the gas equipment is far superior to any oil equipment, he said. Nobody would ever put oil in their house unless there was no gas on their street.

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Home heating oil is now cheap, but natural gas is even cheaper

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

A furnace service representative examines Valerie Ferguson's furnace closet that's on her condo deck. Photo Store

Bad enough the furnace broke down in the coldest winter in a century.

For Valerie Ferguson, that misfortune Feb. 1, 2014, was the start of her heating troubles.

"I never would have guessed I'd be in a condo with no heat," she said.

The problem? New high efficiency furnaces mandated by federal law don't fit in the space designed for the furnace in Ferguson's Tuxedo Village condomium.

The federal civil servant spent the winter huddled under blankets with space heaters for warmth, unable to find a new furnace without a costly refit.

"I'd be under the afghan and the cat would be under there with me," she joked.

With winter hard on Winnipeg's heels again, Ferguson said it looked like she faced the same desperate freeze as last year but is hoping she'll have a new furnace within weeks.

In the last year, half a dozen contractors crossed her door to figure out how she can install a new furnace. Some came back twice, she said.

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Left in the cold

Yelp Los Angeles Town Kitchen Remodeling Contractor Shafran Construction 310-295-1960
We can help you with your home remodeling project today. Our company is known for quality/ professional work for an affordable cost. Call us today to schedul...

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Yelp Los Angeles Town Kitchen Remodeling Contractor Shafran Construction 310-295-1960 - Video

Yelp Paramount Kitchen Remodeling Room Additions Contractor Shafran Construction 310-295-1960
We can help you with your home remodeling project today. Our company is known for quality/ professional work for an affordable cost. Call us today to schedul...

By: Shafran Const

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Yelp Paramount Kitchen Remodeling Room Additions Contractor Shafran Construction 310-295-1960 - Video