Board Member James Bibbs, second from left, joins with others from GLEAMNS and SCE&G in a cooperative effort.

By James Bibbs, GLEAMNS Bd.Member

For over 50 years, GLEAMNS has been committed to helping improve the living conditions of our low-income families. Our services in Edgefield County include:

Head Start/Early Head Start promotes school readiness of children ages birth to 5 years old from low income families by supporting their development in a comprehensive way through: Health, Education, Nutrition, Disability Family Services, Parent Involvement and Mental Health.

Workforce Development Program which provides services to youth, adults and dislocated workers, who fall within the poverty income guidelines. This program assist with Workkeys testing, job search/employability skills, counseling and career planning, on-the-job-training, referrals, internship, and education assistance.

Community Services Program available services are Rental assistance, residential heating and cooling bills, air conditioners, HVAC repair/replacement, and educational assistance.

Weatherization Program The programs goal is to reduce energy costs to low-income persons by improving the energy efficiency of their homes while ensuring their health and safety. Weatherization specifically focuses on assisting low-income people primarily the elderly, persons with disabilities, families with children, and households with high energy burdens.

Weatherization specialists inspect and test combustion appliances; air seal ducts, holes and cracks; insulate attic, sidewall, floor and hot water heater and install base-load measures for electricity reduction. You may qualify for Weatherization if your total household income falls within the Poverty Income Guidelines listed below:

Family size ONE; Gross Monthly Income is $1980.00; for each additional person add $690.00.

Applications are available at our main office in Greenwood. To request an application, please contact us at 864-229-8836 or 864-229-8818.

As a GLEAMNS Board member, representing Edgefield County, it is important to me to make sure Edgefield County citizens are aware of the services GLEAMNS provides and has full access to those services. It is also important to me, that GLEAMNS continue to develop partnerships that help to leverage our limited resources for our communities.

GLEAMNS joins with SCE&G

Today, GLEAMNS joins SCE&G in helping ensure low to moderate households are using energy as efficiently as possible. We applaud SCE&G for their efforts, as all measures and supplies provided today are at no cost to our residents. We are thankful for our partnership with SCE&G and look forward to increased collaboration in the future.

Like today, and always, you have my full commitment to continue working with GLEAMNS and other partners to further develop and improve our communities.

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GLEAMNS' Commitment to Low-Income - Edgefieldadvertiser

INDIANAPOLIS Chris Cunningham didnt have the honor of serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, but hes always had a deep respect for those who do. He gives veterans priority status when he hires, but he wanted to do more.

On Thursday, June 22, he and a crew from his company, Service Plus Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, spent the day in Franklin, Indiana, installing a new furnace and air conditioner for a disabled Marine.

The project, valued at $8500, is Cunninghams inaugural Salute to Service program, through which his company will annually donate and install a new air conditioner for a veteran in need.

This absolutely is a life saver for him, said Debra Gahimer, who nominated her husband for the program but didnt tell him about the possibility for fear of him being disappointed if he wasnt selected. After weeks of waiting for word, shed given up but took some comfort in thinking that whoever won surely needed it more.

Cunningham said it would be difficult to find someone who needed the project more.

Mark Gahimer left the Marines after only a year due to knee injuries but went on to spend 33 years in Indiana law enforcement, serving with the Capitol Police, Hendricks and Johnson counties, and the town of Whiteland. Now 60, he suffered a stroke last year. Hes diabetic, has recurring issues with dehydration, and severe back and neck issues. He uses a walker to get around. Summer is especially difficult as heat worsens his dehydration issues.

For the past three years, the Gahimers have relied on window air conditioners because they havent been able to afford to fix their central air conditioner. They dont really do that much good, Debra Gahimer said.

Cunningham was moved by Mark Gahimers nomination, but when he visited the couple to assess their needs, he said he had to do more.

Heres a guy whos spent his life protecting and serving others. First as a Marine and then as a police officer, Cunningham said. His a/c didnt work at all, and his furnace was 30 years old. Were going to rip out everything and give them a system that will help them all year round.

Mark Gahimer was a bit skeptical of the program at first, thinking it was likely a bait-and-switch kind of offer. He said he kept waiting for Cunningham to tell him what the catch was.

Id kind of forgotten there are still some really great people in the world, Mark Gahimer said.

For more information, visit: serviceplusnow.com.

Publication date: 6/27/2017

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Retired Marine/Police Officer Gets 'Life Saving' Gift - ACHR NEWS

Situated on 11.8 acres, Viega LLC's Broomfield campus will be home to a state-of-the-art, 55,000-square-foot North American headquarters as well as a 24,000-square-foot training facility. The new headquarters will be a Class A office building featuring a sweeping curved roof, a design inspired by Viega's innovative fittings. The building will incorporate a variety of Viega solutions including press fittings, fire suppression systems, radiant heating and cooling, carrier systems and manifolds. A courtyard will feature Viega's radiant snow melt systems.

The new training facility is in addition to the company's existing training facility located in Nashua, N.H. and will expand Viega's training capacity. The facility will offer hands-on, interactive training on Viega systems and solutions. The training facility will also incorporate and highlight Viega fittings, radiant heating and cooling systems, fire suppression systems and carrier systems.

Glass curtain walls in both buildings will let in natural light as well as showcase great views. Estimated completion for both buildings is late 2018.

"We've received such a warm welcome in Colorado already and are excited to establish our new campus. Our new state-of-the-art headquarters and training center will provide a working environment that our colleagues and customers deserve and will highlight our innovative products," said David Garlow, CEO, Viega LLC. "The growth in this area shows no signs of slowing and there is a wealth of talent here that has already strengthened our team."

Land use has been optimized to position the company for future growth and development at the site. Close proximity to the Denver International Airport will also make Viega more accessible to customers and partners.

Viega LLC employs nearly 600 people in North America, with a central manufacturing and distribution center in McPherson, Kansas, as well as distribution centers in Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and a training facility in New Hampshire.

About Viega:The Viega Group, with a tradition of innovation for more than 115 years, has more than 4,000 employees worldwide and is among the leading manufacturers of pipe fitting installation technology. In metal press systems for industrial, commercial and residential projects, the company is the global market leader. In the U.S., Viega LLC employs nearly 500 people and offers more than 3,000 products. These include Viega ProPress for copper and stainless, Viega MegaPress for black iron pipe and Viega PEX Press systems in Zero Lead bronze and high-performance polymer. Viega also specializes in the design, production and installation of ProRadiant heating and cooling systems. For more information, visit http://www.viega.us.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/viega-breaks-ground-for-new-headquarters-in-broomfield-300479744.html

SOURCE Viega LLC

http://www.viega.us

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Viega Breaks Ground for New Headquarters in Broomfield - PR Newswire (press release)

To deal with expected increase in private spaceship traffic at the International Space Station in the coming years, two US astronauts are set to embark on a spacewalk on Friday (August 19) to install a special parking spot for them.

Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins will step outside the orbiting laboratory to attach an international docking adaptor launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship last month.

NASA describes the equipment as a metaphorical gateway to a future that will allow a new generation of US spacecraft , the first since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 , to carry astronauts to the space station.

The docking adaptor will be the first of two such additions to the space station. The second is expected to be shipped in 2018.

ISS operations integration manager Kenneth Todd called the installation a very significant milestone on the path to establishing commercial crew capability.

The spacewalk is set to start at 8:05 am (1205 GMT) with veteran NASA astronaut Williams emerging from the space station airlock on his fourth career spacewalk.

Flight engineer Rubins will be making her first venture outside the ISS.

But the work will be hardly brand new for her. She has already practiced the necessary maneuvers, including mating the cables, in NASA's neutral buoyancy laboratory in Houston.

A series of spacewalks last year have helped prepare the groundwork for the adaptor's arrival.

The space station's robotic arm pulled the docking adaptor from the trunk of the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship on Wednesday, placing it inches away from the station's Harmony module, where it will be installed.

Once the spacewalkers also known as extravehicular (EV) crew are outside the space station, an extension of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, called the "Dextre" Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM), will push the bulky adaptor even closer to its installation point.

The plan is for the robotic manipulator to push the adaptor into place so the astronauts will have only to tether it.

The operation will remain delicate, however, because the SPDM is highly sensitive to external pressure, lead spacewalk officer Glenda Brown said.

This is the first time that the EV crew members have actually taken a handoff from the SPDM, she told a news conference this week.

We have to be very careful about putting loads into the SPDM, she added.

In space, it has got a lot of capability, but on the ground it can barely support its own weight.

Built by Boeing, the circular adaptor measures around 42 inches (one meter) tall and about 63 inches (1.6 meters) wide.

The adaptors will work with Boeing'sCST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon, two spaceships under construction that are planned to ferry astronauts to the space station.

The docking adaptor is more sophisticated than past equipment because it will allow automatic parking instead of the current grapple and berthing process managed by astronauts.

It also has fittings that will enable the space station to share power and data with the spacecraft.

NASA is planning a second spacewalk on September 1 for a separate operation to retract one of the thermal radiators outside the space station. Astronauts unsuccessfully tried to push it back into position last year, Todd said.

We will go back here in a couple of weeks and restow that guy for its final time.

However, a problem with an American spacesuit that appeared to allow water to build up inside an astronaut's helmetin January has been resolved, he added.

Tests on the suit back on Earth showed an apparent flaw in a piece of hardware called a sublimator, which manages condensation in the suit's heating and cooling loops.

Although it worked well in simulation tests, a blockage in a secondary set of holes might still react differently in zero gravity, Todd said.

The issue was not as severe as a spacesuit breakdown in 2013 that flooded Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet, forcing him to end his spacewalk early, he added.

NASA has been using the same spacesuits for some 30 years, continuing to study what makes them work and fail, Todd said.

We are still learning how to use this suit and how to care for them in a zero-gravity environment and it is not the same as what we do on the ground.

Read more:
US astronauts prepare spacewalk to install new docking port - Garavi Gujarat (press release)

Some experts believe our basic personality traits are set in stone by age 15 and there will be few major changes after that. They base this on genetics and what we are exposed to in school and life. For instance, what we learned in kindergarten helps set the tone in how we should treat others. Maybe some need to go back to kindergarten?

Anyway, a book that hopefully most third graders have read is a version of the 1930s The Little Engine That Could by Platt and Munk. This story is used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work.

There are various versions of the story. A basic storyline is that more powerful locomotives built to pull the trains up the steep terrain refused to perform that task. They felt it was too difficult. The little locomotive heard this and took the challenge. It said, "I think I can, I think I can" as it pulled hard up the terrain. The little locomotive struggled, but reached the top and then said, I thought I could, I thought I could."

Stories like this at an early age can be part of the foundation of our beliefs. We learn most difficult things can be possible if we try.

At the same time, if that terrain was steeper, longer, or the load was heavier, that little locomotive would've failed because it was barely able to perform that difficult task.

Another version of this story could be about our heating and air conditioning systems instead of a little locomotive. Our Nebraska weather is like a very steep terrain and odds are our HVAC equipment is not designed for the huge task.

The reason HVAC equipment often struggles is typical sizing is approximately 90% of maximum demand capacity according to ASHRAE energy standard 90.1. In many ways, its like the little locomotive that has to go over steep terrain.

The theory on designing HVAC equipment to a lower capacity is to promote energy savings and comfort during average conditions. There are many variations to ASHRAE standards, so lets use them only for reference reasons and move on. The main point is because of these standards its vitally important for HVAC equipment to be well maintained. Our HVAC equipment needs to pull us up the Nebraska weather terrain, so it must be in tip-top shape.

Some may try to outsmart the design standards and install larger HVAC equipment. The old theory of installing the biggest equipment that fits through the front door will cause problems in energy consumption and comfort. Larger equipment will consume more energy, cycle more often reducing comfort, and cause a rise in humidity levels in the summer or lower humidity levels in the winter.

Refrigerant levels are also very important. Unfortunately, according to some sources refrigerant levels are not accurate 90% of the time. It takes well-trained, caring technicians to understand and install the proper amount of refrigerant.

HVAC equipment that is low on refrigerant will work harder and fail quicker. Low levels cause compressor temperatures to increase as the refrigerant that helps cool them is not available. If its not cooling, shut it off before the compressor is damaged even more.

Its rare that refrigerant leaks can be fixed. Adding refrigerant each year is typically throwing money away. Evaporator coils are often a source of leaks because the materials are too thin to improve energy efficiency.

The perfect HVAC system that will perform well enough for the best comfort to pull through the tough Nebraska weather terrain is readily available. You may have it already or at least parts of it.

The best system for our community is a heat pump with an electric or natural gas furnace for backup. It will have a high efficiency air filter that removes at least 95% of the impurities and a good quality humidifier. A 3 or thicker pleated air filter will end the need to change filters monthly.

The next step will be to have that HVAC system serviced twice a year by qualified HVAC technicians that receive regular training and are managed well. A good service maintenance agreement will provide at least three levels of service to meet your needs.

Its at this point you can relax and let the experts take care of your HVAC system. Gone are the performance questions of your HVAC system that will be able to say, I knew I could, I knew I could.

Continue reading here:
I Think I Can..I Knew I Could - Lincoln Journal Star

Mechanical Heating & Cooling is a residential, light commercial Detroit heating and cooling contractor and Michigan HVAC company serving Southeast Michigan and the Metro Detroit area. We specialize in customer service, being there when we say were going to and complete customer satisfaction.

One of the main differences between Mechanical Heating & Cooling and other Michigan HVAC companies is Focus. We are focused on 100% customer satisfaction. Ongoing training in each specialized area of our business is key to making sure you are a satisfied customer. Most Michigan HVAC companies do not arrange their company into specialized areas. Not only are specialized areas of expertise key to our organization, but the Mechanical Heating & Cooling team also focuses on making sure we match the right person to the right task. Our unprecedented growth is attributable to our philosophy of treating our customer as we want to be treated. Its such a simple philosophy that so many Michigan HVAC companies overlook or forget. Mechanical Heating & Cooling pledges to our customers in Detroit, Michigan, and surrounding communities to never lose this focus.

Mechanical Heating & Coolings mission is providing each customer with safe and effective cooling and heating solutions at the best possible prices. Each customers comfort is a top priority in the day to day business of Mechanical Heating.

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Mechanical Heating & Cooling Mechanical employs only the ...

If youve come back to Campus Construction Update longing for more of the high anticipation and drama that surrounded last summers residential transformations: Sorry!

Nevertheless, while summer 2017s facilities work is low key by comparison, it sings of compelling things: academics, human comforts, technological renewal.

For the academic angle, tune in to Campus Construction Update again next week. Todays installment focuses, instead, on human comforts and a question of pressing importance to those of us who spend the summer at Bates:

Why is the Bobcat Den, Bates beloved subterranean caf in Chase Hall, closed?

Acckk! The Dens closed until August! Here, booths have been moved away from the wall and given a protective cover. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

The good news is that the closure is only until mid-August, and in the meantime Dining Services is throwing hard-core Den-izens a lifeline in the form of special meal and beverage offers in Commons.

And, of course, the closure is for a good cause: the replacement of heating and air-conditioning infrastructure in the Den, and the extension of air conditioning into the high-ceiling area of Memorial Commons, above the Den.

Shown on June 14, 2017, the Chase Hall mechanical room awaits a major installation of steam heat-exchange and hydronic equipment. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

The Dens had air conditioning, but the upstairs hasnt, explains Bates energy manager John Rasmussen, Facility Services project manager for the Chase Hall undertaking. So the Events Office people are pretty happy to be able to air-condition that space better than just opening up the windows.

What sparked the project was the need to replace two heat exchangers that have heated the Den since the rear section of Chase Hall opened in 1950. Those units distributed air warmed by the campus-wide steam system.

One of two obsolescent heat exchangers in the Den that are being replaced during summer 2017. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

Air conditioning in the Den was driven by cold water from a chiller that serves several buildings. The AC pumped chilled air above the acoustic ceiling tiles, apparently following a sort of HVAC trickle-down theory that was about as effective as its economic equivalent.

With the heat exchangers at the end of their useful lives, it made sense not just to replace them, but to upgrade the whole system in fact, to a different heating method.

Even though the central steam plant heats most of campus, steam is not the point source of heat in many Bates buildings. Instead, those buildings use so-called hydronic heating, which circulates hot water to warm interior spaces. Central steam heats the water for the hydronic system.

Most of Chase Hall is already hydronically heated, and this summers project will bring in the Den and the high-ceiling commons into the system.

Ceiling tiles have been removed or pushed aside in the Den to make way for pipes that will supply heating and cooling water to new overhead climate-control units. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

Its very difficult to control steam systems, because theyre massive and they tend to hold the heat, says Rasmussen. Henceforth, only Lane, Pettigrew, and Schaeffer halls will be warmed by radiators clanking with steam from the central plant.

With a budget of $600,000, what does the Chase Hall project entail specifically? A new steam-to-hot-water heat exchanger will be installed in the Chase mechanical room.

New pipes will connect that exchanger, as well as the existing chiller, to new fan-coil units that will push air of the desired temperature to the desired locations. HVAC contractor Damon Mechanical, as Rasmussen points out, is running new pipework clear across the buildings footprint, from the mechanical room in the southeast corner to the Den in the northwest. Its a disruptive work involving the removal of ceiling tiles, lots of pipefitting and soldering, and plenty of noisy drilling through masonry.

Its a wrap: Booths in the Den are protected with plastic sheeting as new heating and air conditioning equipment is installed. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

New air handlers, occupying the closets in the Den where the 1950-vintage units once labored, will pull in outside air for ventilation. And new digital controls will tie all of Chase into the centralized network that regulates interior heating all over campus.

Five fan-coil cabinet units will go into Memorial Commons. Four ceiling units in the Den will heat or cool both their immediate surroundings and, via ductwork, areas never before blessed with AC, such as the Den servery, the adjacent prep kitchen, and the tiny staff lounge.

So its not just we customers wholl have something to look forward to when the Den reopens, on Aug. 22.

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update welcomes your questions and comments about current, past, and future construction at Bates. Write to dhubley@bates.edu, putting Campus Construction or Have you tried hydronically grown tomatoes? in the subject line. Or use the 21st-century commenting system below.

Pipe sections in the Chase Hall mechanical room awaiting incorporation into a new heating system for the rear of the building. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

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Campus Construction Update: June 23, 2017 - Bates News

Speedtown Comfort Heating and Cooling joined other local contractors and Building Homes for Heroes at a Welcome Home ceremony in Avon, Ind. for Army Sergeant First Class Gary Pearson on May 25. The ceremony was held at 689 Weeping Way Lane, Avon, Ind. 46123 and was open to the public. Johnson Controls donated a complete YORK heating and cooling system and Speedtown Comfort Heating and Cooling provided installation of the system for the veterans new home.

The support of companies like Johnson Controls and its high-quality YORK heating equipment contractors like Speedtown Comfort Heating and Cooling enable our organization to reach more injured veterans in need and help them begin to rebuild their lives, said Chad Gottlieb, director of construction development, Building Homes for Heroes.

Building Homes for Heroes is a national organization that recognizes the tremendous sacrifices of men and women of the United States Armed Forces by supporting the needs of severely wounded or disabled soldiers and their families. The organization strives to build or renovate quality homes and gift the homes to severely injured veterans nationwide, mortgage free.

Speedtown Comfort was overjoyed when asked to help on this project. When we got the call, there was no hesitation to help one of our brave veterans who give us the freedom to live in a great country, said Tony Wilson, vice president, Speedtown Comfort Heating and Cooling.

Building Homes for Heroes invites anyone wishing to volunteer or make a donation to the organization to contact Building Homes for Heroes at [emailprotected]

To learn more about the Building Homes for Heroes organization or to donate, visit http://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.

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JCI York and Contractor Provide Comfort System to Veteran Support Organization - Contracting Business

Plumbing Services

With Jessup Service, Inc., you have peace of mind knowing that you are working with a state licensed plumbing company that has an established reputation and is only interested in doing the best job possible. We offer a very wide variety of services covering all your light commercial & residential plumbing needs. We are ready to serve you in service, repair and renovations.

Plumbing Maintenance agreements Tankless Water Heaters Bathroom Renovations Kitchen Faucets Toilet Replacements & Repair Sewer Lines Drain Cleaning Backflow Testing Broken or Frozen Pipes

Heating Services and Cooling Services

Our Complete System Tune Up is a professional cleaning; adjustment and safety check we perform on all types of air conditioning and heating equipment to help maintain peak performance, safety and reliable operation. Cooling and heating systems require routine maintenance to maximize performance, maintain efficiency and to insure safety. In the past, systems were simple by design and had less moving parts but they have become more complex due to safety and efficiency standards. Take the example of automobiles. Cars made in the 60's were relatively easy to work on, and didn't take a lot of complex tools and knowledge to fix. In the 70's due to the gasoline crisis, vehicles were mandated to become more efficient, and they also increased safety standards. Try working on a car today with the complexity of computerized controls and systems. The same thing has happened to heating and air conditioning systems. The government has mandated that they be more efficient and safer than the units of the past. As of January 2009, Gas furnaces must be at least 95% rating (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) in order to meet the tax rebate standards - which is a lot like miles per gallon. The higher the rating, the more efficient the system. Cooling and heating systems are thebiggestexpenses in a home. Maintain your system to assure a long reliable life.

Electrical Services

Your home is important, and your safety is important to us! We provide electrical system safety inspections. We can also upgrade the electrical safety devices in your home or increase your electric panel and service size so you can add new electrical devices to your home. Our licensed electricians commonly install, repair and provide electrical system changes, maintenance for fuse boxes, smoke detectors and lighting receptacles, home automation wiring and design. Are you remodeling? Jessup Service is the first to call for home improvements when you want to install new lighting, change your light switches or upgrade your electric panel to handle today's new electric components and accessories.

That's why we say... Jessup Service, Installing the Best and Servicing the Rest, for 62 Years.

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Jessup Service - Greensboro News & Record

Tips to Keep Your Air Conditioner...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Suzanne Marshall spent her Friday searching for a portable air conditioning unit to cool down her living room. She has lived in an East Beach apartment complex for more than 30 years without a cooling system.

"The weather has been changing, really been changing," said Suzanne Marshall.

She visited the Santa Barbara Home Improvement Center to check out her options after seeing her neighbor install a portable air conditioner.

The center currently has many fans and air conditioners for sale. A section manager tells us customers are constantly calling asking for more details on what's available, but sales typically pick up during August or September.

Once a unit is installed, routine maintenance and cleaning is required in order to keep the unit working properly.

"Rarely once they have them in, they rarely check the operation of the system. They change the filter when they need to or if a problem arises due to filter not being changed and then it creates a problem with a system," said JohnMcCormack, president and CEO of Heating & Air Conditioning in Santa Barbara.

McCormack says people should clear the area around your air conditioner unit within 3 feet of the condenser unit of weeds, sticks, and other debris, clean and replace the filters often.

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Tips to Keep Your Air Conditioner Running Smoothly - KEYT