Philosophies vary in hunt for energy savings

When it comes to saving energy and promoting efficiency, Texas Instruments Facilities Manager Andrew McCullough said he favors an aggressive approach.

"The stuff that really gets my attention are things that I've never heard of," McCullough told a group at an Efficiency Maine seminar Wednesday afternoon in Freeport's Hilton Garden Inn. "If there is something like insulating the roof or putting solar panels or wind or the other alternative options that's fine — but chances are we've already looked at it and it has a mediocre return on investment. But if I can find something that is very, very unique, that's great."

"I like the new stuff," Barrett said.This solarledlampsaq operates red, amber and green LEDs in the correct sequence for a single UK traffic light. "I like to read about it and see all these wonderful ideas. But I also work for a municipality, so I'll let Andy try it first and if it doesn't work, that's his problem.Manufacturer of electronics products such as solarledlampsry, mobile phone, mp4 player, and digital photo frame. I'll wait until it does."

The two men were part of a panel Wednesday afternoon on energy efficiency for business and commercial customers. The panel was part of a symposium and awards ceremony sponsored be Efficiency Maine focused on statewide efforts to promote energy efficiency. This is the third year Efficiency Maine has hosted the awards ceremony and the first year for the symposium.

"We wanted to broaden our educational efforts in the state of Maine," said Efficiency Maine spokesman Paul Badeau. "This event has grown significantly over the years, and it's usually attended by our partners, vendors and contracts. Part of our mission is education and awareness and getting people informed about the latest developments in efficiency."

Consultant Carol Mulholland with efficiency consultants The Cadmus Group said Maine does a lot to promote efficiency but there are still huge potential savings.

"Across the country, energy efficiency is now being considered as a resource, on par with power plants of various kinds," she said. "That of course helps the country meet many of our national goals."

Lewiston's Barrett said that for his city, energy efficiency comes down to saving money.

"I may not know all the terms, but I know what the bill is — and that it shows up on the property tax rate," Barrett said.

Barrett said most of the city's efforts have been straightforward.

"A lot of it is very common sense," Barrett said. "Seal up the buildings,Quality LED Lighting store in Australia with all types of outdoorlight66. change the light bulbs, put in energy efficient lighting and go to more efficient heating and ventilating."

Texas Instrument's McCullough said he can afford to be more aggressive in the hunt for savings. The company's South Portland campus, the former National Semiconductor, must compete with 23 other Texas Instrument plants and hundreds of other companies around the world.

"It's critical that we stand out," he said. "And with all honesty,A short video on how to engage the engravingmachines on a roof ladder. stand out we do. Of the 23 facilities within Texas Instruments, only one is running at full capacity in this market, and that's South Portland, Maine.Westinghouse's collection of contemporarylamps2 fixtures includes wall lanterns,"

McCullough said his strategy for promoting efficiency is fairly hard-nosed. He begins looking for potential savings by asking his staff to live without something — the boilers that heat the building, for example, or machines used to cool manufactured parts.

Solar Energy Provider Gets Kick From Soccer Industry

A leading solar energy provider is sponsoring a soccer championship in Beijing later this month in celebration of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and China.

Germany’s FC Bayern Munchen, one of the top soccer clubs in the world, and Beijing Guoan, a popular Chinese soccer team, will duel at the “Yingli Cup” July 24 at the Workers Stadium in Beijing. The game is sponsored by Yingli Green Energy, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers.

The soccer match is a manifestation of the company’s desire to use innovative marketing techniques to advance social responsibility. The game will be the first of its kind to be hosted by a renewable energy company in China.

“We are excited that the Chinese fans will be able to enjoy and watch live a match between two of the most popular teams this summer in Beijing,” said Liangsheng Miao, chairman and chief executive officer of Yingli Green Energy. ”We are also honored to be utilizing our global marketing platforms not only to contribute to diplomatic relationships between China and Germany but also to give back to the community.”

There’s a legitimate link between soccer and solar energy, according to the Yingli Green Energy website. Viewership of the Men’s World Cup in the U.S. grew by 68 percent from 2006-2010, according to the site. During that same period, American solar system installations grew by 527 percent. And four of the top five solar energy markets are among the top five in U.S. Soccer attendance.

In 2010, the company sponsored the FIFA World Cup in an effort to capitalize on this soccer-solar energy connection. The company is currently signed on to sponsor the U.S. men’s, women’s and youth soccer teams through 2014.

Headquartered in Baoding, China, Yingli Green Energy manufactures every component of the solar systems it sells, from the solar cells to the modules that contain them. The company distributes its product to Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, South Korea, China and the United States.

Each year since 2010, another batch of 10 students travels to Tanzania to continue Oregon Tech's work providing energy for schools, hospitals and orphanages. This year the students will also take eight laptops allowing villages access to the internet as connections allow.

For the first time this trip, the group will revisit past sites to install equipment invented by last year's seniors that allow monitoring of the solar systems online. The data will allow Dr. Petrovic to ensure the installations stay working.

The humanitarian work also is made possible by donations from Hillsboro-based SolarWorld. SolarWorld has donated 30 panels to the program, and is invested in continuing to help it grow.

"This is about more than simply installing solar panels; it's about facilitating access to education, communications, medical services and clean, safe drinking water," says Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America.

The initial inspiration for the program came about during Dr. Petrovic's 2009 trip to Tanzania, when a terrible accident changed his perspective forever. "There was a girl in the dormitory in one of the schools using a candle hidden under her blanket so she could read," Dr. Petrovic says. "She fell asleep, and her blanket caught fire. Thirteen girls died. I want to prevent these tragedies."

In addition to installing solar panels, this year Dr. Petrovic and his students will build a large solar water pumping project to provide drinking water for a village of 3,000 people on Lake Nyasa.

Community development grants

Applications are now open for Community Development Grants of up to $2,000. Not-for-profit community groups are encouraged to apply for funding to assist in delivering projects and activities that will enhance the well-being and quality of life of borough residents. Applications close Friday June 29. Refer to council’s website for details.

Celebrating our volunteers
The work of our fabulous volunteers has been duly celebrated at a special evening held in their honour on Tuesday May 22, as part of National Volunteer Week. The generosity, patience, commitment and hard work of our local volunteers are very much appreciated, and forms part of the incredible spirit of this community. Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale would not be the same without them and again, we sincerely thank them.

Expressions of our youth
Take a moment to enjoy some fabulous photography taken by local young people as part of the National Youth Week art project Me, You and Us – Expressions of Youth. Our natural environment is a key feature of all works, currently on display at various sites around the borough, including the front of council offices.

Sea of Words
If you haven’t participated in any of the Sea of Words programming yet, you’re not too late. There are still a couple of activities coming up including a barbeque with food writer Bob Hart, and screenings as part of the Bellarine Lighthouse Films Winter Program. The full event program is available on council’s website.

Help celebrate National Reconciliation Week
Join together in reconciliation by celebrating and recognising our unique Aboriginal Australian culture at Point Lonsdale Primary School hall, Saturday June 2, 2–4pm. There will be a range of free fun and cultural activities for the family to participate in, as organised by the Queenscliffe Reconciliation Mob.

There’s no need to hibernate
The cold weather may be setting in but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck indoors. Stock up on winter woollies at a local fashion boutique and get out and about. There are plenty of things to do including local markets, the Queenscliffe Bricks LEGO display, film screenings, art exhibitions and live entertainment. Refer to the event listings on council’s website for more information.

Congratulations to the Vue Grand
The Vue Grand has been recognised as one of Victoria’s premier wedding venues at the recent Australian Bridal Industry Academy Awards. Well done to the Vue Grand team.
What do you think of the new energy efficient street lights?

Energy efficient compact fluorescent globes are being trialled in selected street lights in Mercer Street Queenscliff, between Symonds and King streets, and Glaneuse Road Point Lonsdale. The globes utilise as much as 52 per cent less electricity than the standard mercury vapour lights. Tell us what you think. Please send comments via email or in writing to the sustainability officer at Borough of Queenscliffe, PO Box 93, Queenscliff VIC 3225.

Local community insurance concerns
We welcome the response by Mr Paul Northey, general manager of RACV insurance, who has offered to meet with council to discuss the range of concerns raised by members of the community regarding increases in insurance premiums. This meeting will be designed to clarify the factors that RACV take into account when assessing risk and determining premiums, particularly for coastal properties.

Botanic Gardens Project Control Group
The Project Control Group for the development of the Botanic Gardens, at the former Queenscliff High School site, has been finalised. The group has a really good combination of skills and interests, which will add great value to the direction of the project.

The community members are Sue Wasterval, Joe Rutecki, Susan Salter, Mia Cooke and Fay Agterhuis. The two councillors appointed are Cr Merriman and Cr Davies, with Cr Merriman appointed chair. Two council officers will also be represented.

Rehabbed house gains suite space

This four-bedroom, single-family Colonial in Cambridgeport has undergone an architect-designed total rehab, opening up the living spaces and bedrooms and adding a basement-level au pair/in-law suite.

The 2,875-square-foot home at 32 Decatur St. features Brazilian cherrywood floors throughout, formal living and dining rooms with an open gas fireplace between them, a black granite and maple kitchen and redone master bedroom suite. It’s on the market for $1.399 million.

The exterior of the house has new olive-painted clapboard siding, white trim and all-new windows and roof. It’s surrounded by fencing and has landscaped areas, a brick driveway and granite-paver patio.

You enter the home into a cherrywood foyer with a closet that holds the home’s new forced-air gas heating and central air-conditioning system.

To the right through a French door are formal living and dining rooms with cherrywood floors, recessed lighting and lots of windows. The two rooms are semi-divided by a wall with a two-sided gas fireplace. The dining room features a built-in storage cabinet/bar.

To the left of the foyer, through a second French door is a kitchen rehabbed and expanded with a den/dining area in 2008. This recessed-lit space also has lots of windows, including a three-bay window bumpout. There are 21 maple cabinets (many large pantry sized), Absolut black granite counters and island and Jenn-Air stainless-steel appliances, including a double-door refrigerator, dishwasher and four-burner gas stove with a fluted hood. The den/dining area has a antique-style cast-iron gas fireplace and glass doors out to a mahogany-decked back porch.

The porch leads down to a fenced-in granite paver patio with a trellis gate leading to a small landscaped back yard.

Back inside, there’s also a ceramic-tiled half bath near a staircase that leads up to three bedrooms on the second floor. The master bedroom suite has cherrywood floors, recessed lighting, a vaulted ceiling and a cast-iron antique fireplace. There’s a walk-in closet space and the master bathroom has black ceramic tile floors and white tile walls for a walk-in shower with a just-added glass door.

The second bedroom has vaulted ceilings and recessed lighting. But the third bedroom is smaller. In between is a full ceramic-tiled bath.

The current owners dug down into the basement to create a 900-square-foot au pair/in-law suite, with black ceramic tile floors. There’s a living room, with a bath off to one side, a kitchen with functional cabinets and average appliances, and a bedroom with a full bathroom that has its own stacked washer and dryer. The suite has a ground-level private entrance.

A Lamp Made Of Bubbles Blown In Real Time

Design Week in Milan, which is happening now, is overwhelming no matter how you look at it. Emerging from the exhibitions, installations, product debuts, pop-ups, and parties is a very distinct sense that maybe there's just too much "stuff" being produced. While the eternal do-we-really-need-another-chair? debate rages on, one of the more interesting pieces on display this year is also one of the most ephemeral.

The trio of Swedish femmes who make up the design group Front have created the Surface Tension Lamp, an LED with a bubble shade--or, rather, 3 million bubble shades--and this is no George Nelson knock-off. The understated light source will last for 50,000 hours, in which time it will blow an almost unbelievable amount of unique globes, each reflecting its surroundings in a one-off performance before bursting to make way for the next. The action of the lamp encourages the viewer to stop, observe, and contemplate the process, promoting a level of meditation that can be tough to come by this time of year.

The project is part of a collaboration with Booo, a Dutch brand introducing its first collection which also includes a squeezable rubber bulb from Nacho Carbonell and Formafantasma's fixture made from a polymer derived from insect poop. "Lightbulbs now last for up to 20 years with normal use; this is why we think they'll become more precious objects," Booo's director Fernando Arias van Oordt tells Co.Design. "With new technologies it's possible to design and produce these for a similar cost to standard LED lightbulbs." The company's ultimate goal is to realize "innovative concepts that can be of real use to people," and though a bubble-blowing lamp might not make as much sense as a domestic piece, they are discussing putting it into production.

It's fitting, too, that the Surface Tension Lamp will be shown at the Spazio Rossana Orlandi. Each year, the gallery and shop shows a series of impeccably curated installations within the historic walls of its ancient building and courtyard, offering a welcome oasis of centered calm in the fray.

The Atlanta-based E&E lab of SGS will accommodate performance testing, EMC and also ENERGY STAR energy efficiency testing if necessary. Gamma Scientific's NVLAP-accredited laboratory in San Diego will carry out photometric testing. This lab has been presented with LM-79 accreditation for Solid State Lighting Luminaires' Luminous Intensity Measurements and Total Flux Measurements.

Through this expansion, luminaire companies can formulate custom testing schedules for market demands. In addition, service sourcing can be acquired from a single supplier, through a single account manager for rapid communication and improved accountability.

Gamma Scientific for photometry testing is proficient enough to test up to 30" x 30" luminaires using a new goniometer for an improved luminous intensity distribution. It has long-term expertise in photometry testing on LED lighting products and LED retrofit such as high bay fixtures, LED light bulbs and street lights. The LED test solutions were synthesized with the help of Gamma Scientifics' proprietary high-tech equipment.

SGS' Finland and Taiwan labs serve global producers with photometry testing, whereas its other branch offices provide lighting testing services. Since 1998, SGS has been operating as OSHA Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

Olney City Council approves program to replace 80 traffic lights with LED

Olney City Council approved entering into an LED street light rebate program that would replace 80 traffic lights in the city with more efficient LED lights.

According to information from City Manager and Attorney Larry Taylor, Sarah Mann, with Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission, told him that the rebate for LED lights may be reduced in June.

The current rebate is approximately $159 per light.

Taylor noted in his information that Street Department Supervisor Jay Scott estimates that the cost of replacing the lights on Whittle Avenue and Main Street will be approximately $500 per lights, for a total of approximately $40,000.

Taylor said the city will also need to spend approximately $1,000 to install three disconnects so that city crews can work on the lights without power flowing to them.

He noted that if the wiring along Main Street and Whittle Avenue is in good condition it will not have to be replaced because there is less demand on wiring with LED lights. There may be some wiring that needs replaced, however, he noted.

Taylor said the city should save around $6,000 in maintenance costs with the LED lights, so there would be a roughly four-and-a-half-year payback on the city’s initial investment.

Councilman Brad Brown noted the benefit of the program, but added that the cost of LED lights continues to go down.

Councilman Bob Ferguson said the costs may go down, but the longer the city waits, its maintenance costs increase in the meantime.

Councilman Gary Foster said he would first like to see what the budget looks like at the end of this fiscal year.

Richland County Development Corporation Executive Director Brandi Stennett noted during the discussion, however, that the city should likely get started as soon as possible in order to meet the June deadline.

The council voted to proceed with the program, with city crews doing the installation work.