March 13, 2017 12:27 ET | Source: JC Penney Corporation Inc

Test stores feature service displays for HVAC, bathroom remodeling, home water solutions and more

PLANO, Texas - (March 13, 2017) - As homeowners continue to invest a larger percentage of their disposable income on home upgrades, JCPenney [NYSE: JCP] is capitalizing on the strong housing market by launching JCPenney Home Services(TM) this month. By partnering with the industry's leading manufacturers and service providers, such as Samsung and Trane, JCPenney Home Services is planning to test six programs in select markets to establish its relevance and appeal among shoppers. These programs will provide turn-key services for heating and cooling systems, bathroom remodeling, quick ship and installed blinds, whole home water solutions and awnings, as well as easy-to-install smart home devices.

"With the resurgence of the housing market, consumers are spending more than $300 billion annually to upgrade their homes since nearly two-thirds of the nation's homes are over 30 years old.* There is a tremendous opportunity to capture additional revenue and minimize our dependence on apparel by catering our services to female homeowners who represent over 70 percent of our loyal customer base, and make the primary decisions regarding any home renovations," said Marvin Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer of JCPenney. "These are categories that JCPenney offered in its assortment many years ago, and we believe the timing is right to re-enter home services in order to acquire available market share and differentiate our business from our traditional competitors and pure e-commerce retailers."

Each program will be presented as an informative, compact display located within the home department in approximately 100 stores this spring, with services and marketing varying by location. The Company has also launched a digital storefront at jcpenneyhomeservices.com, where users can shop the range of professional services offered and schedule an in-home consultation. An authorized contractor will then determine the scope of the job and provide an estimate for the total cost. JCPenney will introduce a JCPenney Home Services credit card this summer, enabling customers to take advantage of attractive promotional financing offers.

Established homeowners investing in older homes look to nationally recognized, trusted brands to help with their home improvement plans, which is why JCPenney has chosen to partner with some of the leading providers in each industry for installation and service. Customers will have the peace of mind that their project is completed to their total satisfaction, as these brands employ authorized installers who are experienced, licensed and insured. The Company is leveraging her confidence in JCPenney to deliver fast and efficient improvements from a retail brand she has long trusted to furnish her family's home.

"JCPenney has the unique competitive advantage of a strong female customer base who has a vision for the home upgrade she wants, and will research various options and companies that offer a high level of quality and service. Much like our successful return to major appliances, we will pursue these new home services initiatives using the same multimarket test-and-learn approach," Ellison added. "Home services presents a low-risk opportunity to drive sales with minimal investment in inventory and capital resources since we are partnering with the industry's leading providers for service and installation."

Living Smarter at Home Smart home technology is surging in popularity as consumers are finding more convenience, safety and security in connected devices, as well as discovering energy savings with automation. One-third of U.S. homes have at least one connected device today and within four years, household penetration is expected to increase up to 60 percent.**

JCPenney has chosen to pilot a compelling selection of smart home technology in select stores this spring. A unique category addition to the home department, JCPenney has partnered with the industry's leading brands like Samsung to provide simple smart home automation. With Samsung SmartThings, consumers can control and automate lighting, cameras, thermostats, door locks and more, from the iOS or Android SmartThings app or supported voice assistants. By offering shoppers the most intelligent technology available, JCPenney is helping to make customers' homes smarter, safer and more comfortable.

JCPenney Home Services complements the soft and hard home furnishings available at JCPenney, including major appliances, furniture and flooring. A popular destination for ready-made curtains, blinds, shades and decorative hardware, JCPenney has also offered custom design and installation of in-home window treatments for nearly 60 years. This service is available today in more than 350 locations.

For historical images of home services at JCPenney, please contact DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University at degolyer@smu.edu.

For current store images of the home department, please visit: http://www.jcpnewsroom.com/news-releases/2017/0313_expands_home_services.html

* John Burns Real Estate Consulting and the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies ** Statista, market research firm

JCPenney Media Relations: (972) 431-3400 or jcpnews@jcp.com Follow @jcpnews on Twitter for the latest announcements and Company information.

About JCPenney: J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE:JCP), one of the nation's largest apparel and home furnishings retailers, is on a mission to ensure every customer's shopping experience is worth her time, money and effort. Whether shopping jcp.com or visiting one of over 1,000 store locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, she will discover a broad assortment of products from a leading portfolio of private, exclusive and national brands. Supporting this value proposition is the warrior spirit of over 100,000 JCPenney associates worldwide, who are focused on the Company's three strategic priorities of strengthening private brands, becoming a world-class omnichannel retailer and increasing revenue per customer. For additional information, please visit jcp.com.

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JCPENNEY ACCELERATES ITS EXPANSION IN HOME SERVICES BY TESTING REPLACEMENT AND ... - GlobeNewswire (press release)

Fivefactors are holding back the energy transition to a zero emissions Europe by 2050, writes Thomas Nowak.

Thomas Nowak is Secretary-General of the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA).

The way we use energy in our society needs to change if we want to keep global warming well below 2C, as stipulated at COP21 in Paris. This transition needs to include decision-makers on all levels and must above all include citizens.

A world without fossil fuels seems daunting, but the energy transformation is already happening: its entering peoples psyches, production cost is going down, and its cleaning out our grids: in 2016, 86% of the new capacity built across Europe came from renewables, thats 21.1GW of new clean energy power entering our system.

This is true for electricity, but where is heating and cooling? The sector is responsible for 51% of final energy use in Europe and about 27% of CO2 emissions. Decarbonising heating and cooling is a tremendous challenge: even in new buildings, the market uptake of low emission technologies is too slow and the renovation sub-sector is suffering from an even lower renovation rate.

Heating and cooling is a sector governed by tradition. If you need heat, you burn something this is common practice, understood and mostly unchanged since our early forefathers lived in caves. Cooling started with ice and quickly moved to electricity, using the refrigerant cycle. Important in everybodys daily lives, heating and cooling technology is hidden in basements and on rooftops connected via pipes and tubes to radiators, floor heating systems or ceiling boxes.

A good heating/cooling system is a working system out of sight, out of mind. On commercial levels and in industrial processes, the same applies on a much larger scale. Functionality and reliability have too often been prioritised over innovation: why change a running system? Heating and cooling is not characterised by short innovation cycles and many systems are operated even past their expected useful life. Yet, we do need to increase the speed of change and we need it to happen fast if we are to get to zero emissions by 2050, only 33 years away.

The energy transformation implies an overhaul of the entire value chain, from research and development to manufacturing to installation and maintenance. Todays heating industry is still dominated by fossil fuels with market shares of green heating solutions not even close to the level needed for reaching zero emissions.

But there is a bright side to it: technologies for a decarbonised sector exist and manufacturers know how to make and deploy low-to-zero emission 2050-ready heating solutions, air conditioning systems and cooling equipment. In the construction sector, the know-how to build, refurbish or renovate a building to near zero energy standards exists. And industry is experimenting with circular economy concepts that include reusing energy.

If technologies exist, what is the problem? Five key factors are inhibiting green solutions from being the most cost efficient and most easily deployed:

Addressing these points will help to unleash the power of individual, corporate, and municipal investments in favour of a more fully decarbonised heating and cooling system. This can be re-enforced further. Policymakers must give a strong signal to end-users and industries on the need for change and the incompatibility of fossil-based solutions with the 2050 goals to reach a zero emissions economy for Europe.

This years #DecarbHeat forumwill lay the groundwork for how to achieve that by taking stock of best practices in residential, commercial and industrial applications.

See the original post:
The keys to decarbonising Europe's heating and cooling - EurActiv

J.C. Penney has started selling products such as bathtubs and power toolsonline and is expanding its services in some markets withbasicbathroomremodels, The Dallas Morning News reports.

The department store forayed into home improvementin 2016by selling kitchen and laundry appliances in 500 stores and later partnering with Trane to offerheating, ventilation and air conditioningsystems.

J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison saysthese new ventures will help [the company] grow and de-emphasize the department stores dependence on apparel, according toThe Dallas Morning News.

CNBCreports that theinstallation services will be available through100 stores and will include bathroom remodeling, home heating and cooling systems, quick-ship and installed blinds, whole home water solutions, awnings and smart home technology.

Its a $300 billion market that we believe we have the opportunity to pick up some significant market share, Ellison says in theCNBCcoverage.

In addition, J.C. Penney will add 100 more appliance showrooms in 2017and begin offeringmore appliance brands, according to theDallas Business Journal.

The changes follow announcements that the retailer is closing 140 store locations and trimming its workforce by offering early retirement to thousands of employees.

The rest is here:
JC Penney Sees More Opportunities in Home Improvement - Hardware Retailing

Who says you can't come home?

J.C. Penney ( jcp ) is making a big bet on home remodel servicesa new arena for the retailerto help revive what had been a promising turnaround.

In a 100-store test that is likely to presage a rollout to hundreds more stores, the department store this spring will start offering services like bathroom remodeling and blinds installation, and selling and installing awnings, water systems, and smart home technology. It's a major departure for a retailer better known for its apparel and soft home goods like towels and sheets.

The six new service groups, being tested at stores in San Diego, San Antonio and Tampa, are branded together under the "JCPenney Home Services" rubric and will also include heating and cooling systems.

The incursion, coming on the heels of a disappointing holiday season for Penney, will take the retailer straight onto the turf of such well-established rivals in these areas as The Home Depot ( hd ) , Lowe's ( low ) and Best Buy ( bby ) .

The move could be risky, since customers have never thought of Penney as the go-to retailer to provide these services.

But Penney has its eyes squarely set on a more direct competitor that is a big player in these areas, Sears , with which Penney goes head-to-head in 400 malls. Penney is looking to poach sales and lift its sales per square foot with big ticket items like appliances and HVAC systems. Sears' comparable sales were down 12.3% during the holiday quarter, continuing a long sales hemorrhage. In addition, the recent hhgregg bankruptcy is also freeing up some market opportunity in appliances and services.

"We don't have aspirations to be #1 in market share in appliances, smart home or window installation," J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison told Fortune as he gave us an exclusive tour of the home area at a store in East Elmhurst, N.Y. "We have a large competitor, larger than us, in the mall, that is struggling, and there is market share up for grabs."

Expanding on an appliance revival

Each group of services will have its own display and signage inside Penney's home goods departments at the test stores. A web site, jcpenneyhomeservices.com, will serve as a portal with information as well as the ability to ask for a consultation and set up a home visit with an authorized contractor to get a project estimate.

As with appliances, Penney will not take actual possession of goods, and thus will minimize risk. For instance, in the case of the HVAC systems, Penney is teaming up with supplier Trane, whose products are primarily sold by local distributors. And the smart home systems are offered by Samsung. Penney is essentially renting out its space to these suppliers and service providers, and taking a cut of their sales.

These new services are also meant as the logical extension of and complement to Penney's return to appliances last year after 33 years. Together, they're part of an effort to diversify away from apparel, its largest category but a struggling one (Penney expects comparable sales in apparel to fall 5% this year), and to ramp up offerings that will be tough to replicate for purely online stores.

Ellison, who became CEO in August 2015, has made a point of reducing Penney's reliance on apparel sales to focus more on home goods, soft and hard alike. That category generates only 12% or so of Penney's sales, down from 21% just a decade ago.

What's more, sales per square foot in Penney's home goods section lag the store average dramaticallyabout $100 per square foot per year, compared to the store average of some $170. But by some estimates, the home areas of stores that sell appliances generate anywhere from $600 to $1,000 per square foot. (The appliance departments, which the company says have not required much capital, have now been rolled out to 500 stores, and Penney will add them at 100 more this year.)

Ellison says he wants a piece of the consumer spending that has shifted to home improvement (and away from apparel), and he may be onto something: The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University recently reported that the residential remodeling market reached an all-time high of $340 billion in 2015, and forecast it would grow 2% a year through 2025.

The bet on home services comes at a tough time for Penney. Its comparable sales were unchanged for the fiscal year that ended in January , and even fell during the holiday season. That was a far cry from the 3% annual pace through 2019 that Ellison and his team promised Wall Street, and a disappointment compared to 2014 and 2015 numbers. Investors have been losing faith too: Shares have fallen by nearly half since hitting a 52-week high of $11.85 nearly a year ago. And Penney recently announced it would close about 140 of its 1,020 stores.

As chronicled last month in a Fortune examination of the travails of department stores , Penney, like rivals Macy's ( m ) and Kohl's ( kss ) , is grappling with too much overlap and sameness among their offerings, leaving discounting as their only tool to stoke sales.

In addition to the new services, J.C. Penney will be introducing a JCPenney Home Services credit card that will offer higher credit limits than its regular store cards, reflecting the higher overall prices of such projects. The card will be a crucial tool for collecting data on customers, an area where Penney lags Macy's and Kohl's.

The new categories play to Ellison's strengths, given the 13 years he spent a The Home Depot , including some time overseeing its appliances business. But it also harkens back to a time when Penney offered everything for hunting rifles to washing machines and was a national leader in things like window treatments. In its heyday, Penney reportedly provided one-third of U.S. homes their blinds, shades and curtains.

One stat Ellison likes to cite is that 70% of Penney customers are women, and 70% are homeowners. And so he sees a natural fit. He dismissed the idea that big appliances and services would hurt visit frequency, since people don't get a new fridge every year but do freshen up towels sets and get coffee machines more often.

"We are not as concerned that the customer will buy a washer and dryer, then we won't see them again for five years," he said. "Next year it will be a dishwasher." And if his hunch is right, an HVAC system the year after that.

Read the original:
JC Penney Wants to Remodel Your House - Fortune

GENESEO Moving day is drawing nearer for the animals at the Henry County Humane Society's Geneseo shelter.

Society members hope this year's Pasta for Paws event, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. March 25 at the Geneseo Moose Lodge, will provide enough funds to schedule a tentative moving date for the shelter's animals.

The new shelter is located off of Illinois 82, just east of the former shelter and west of Cole Cabin.The 4,000-square-foot steel pole building was designed with a 1,200-square-foot attached storage garage on 4.6 acres. The site also includes a dog park and pavilion which will remain open to the public.

"Progress at the new shelter is happening by leaps and bounds," said Karen Russell, president of the Henry County Humane Society. DeDecker Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, of Atkinson, is working on the duct work for the ventilation and the installation of copper pipe in the walls for the plumbing.

Accurate Electric, of Lynn Center, has installed conduit within the walls of the new shelter and some lighting in areas where there will not be a dropped ceiling, she said. And theGeneseo High School building trades class is mounting dry wall and will begin applying waterproof wall covering in the animal areas.

The concrete floor of the shelter has radiant heating. Remaining work includes a suspended ceiling, lighting fixtures, interior doors, windows, dog kennels, sinks in the animal areas, a dog wash bathtub and painting.

"There are plans to construct outdoor play areas for the dogs behind the building," Ms. Russell said. "But that project may take place after the move.

Since time has elapsed since the beginning of the project and the Geneseo High School Building Trades classes have provided free labor, we are currently trying to update prices of the remaining work," she said. "And we are projecting that remaining work and material costs should be less than $100,000."

Construction began in 2013, but a lack of funds has kept the building from completion. In September, the shelter received a $250,000 donation from Dr. Barb Kuhns, a retired Geneseo veterinarian, and her husband, Bob Kuhns, a retired Geneseo band director.

Tax deductible donations for the shelter may be mailed to Henry County Humane Society Geneseo, 14606 Roos Hill Rd, Geneseo, IL 61254. For more details, call 309-944-4868.

The March 25 Pasta for Paws includes a dinner, cash bar, a 50/50 drawing and auctions. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 8 years old and may be bought at the door.

Donations are being soughtsilent and live auctions. For more details, call 309-945-8757 or 563-505-8309.

View original post here:
Pasta for Paws will help animal shelter reach new home - Quad-Cities Online

Thursday was a day of moving forward in the Greene County Hunter Education Firing Range project, with bids for security cameras and HVAC systems being awarded and physical progress being made at the range due to the days excellent weather.

At the same time workers at the range site were moving and stacking timber and brush cut to open up the trap/skeet area of the range, members of the committee overseeing the grant-funded project were approving bids for range security camera and HVAC systems.

Blountvilles Dynamark Security Inc. was granted the job of installing security-and-safety cameras at the range, which must be finished in September under terms of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency grant funding the work.

Dynamark brought in the low bid of $14,900, beating out three other bidders. Some of the cameras installed will be wireless while others will be hard-wired, depending on the terrain and vegetation.

The purpose of the cameras is primarily to be for monitoring the shooting areas for safety reasons, and to provide a visual record of any firearms accidents, should any ever occur.

If anything happens, we want to be able to see it, Greeneville Police Chief Terry Cannon, a committee member, said.

Installation of the cameras is expected to take about 12 days.

Another bid granted Thursday was for HVAC systems at the range, primarily for the administration/classroom building that is now almost entirely enclosed and which has utilities roughed in.

Air Pro Heating and Cooling of Greeneville brought in the low bid of $32,800. The work is expected to take about 14 days once it begins.

HVAC needs at the range are limited in that many of its structures are open pavilions and shelters.

At the range, work included clearing and piling downed trees and brush that had been removed in what will become the trap/skeet area.

Work in that area of the range has proceeded somewhat slowly due to its low elevation, which has caused frequently muddy conditions in rainy periods. Thursdays clear skies and moderate temperatures helped dry the area enough to allow heavy equipment to lift and stack the cleared wood.

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Work Advances At Hunter Education Firing Range - Greeneville Sun

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy team (AIRE). This county program helps you make smart energy decisions that save you money and leaves a lighter footprint on the environment. Got a question? Email us at [emailprotected]!

We often hear residents describe drafty rooms, high utility bills, temperature fluctuations from room to room, or other home energy headaches. If these issues sound familiar,an energy audit will be the best way to pinpoint opportunities to cut your energy bill and improve your homes comfort.

Who should I call?We recommend that residents use a BPI certified auditor. These highly trained energy specialists ensure that your energy auditor will be knowledgeable and well trained.Search here for an auditor in the area.

How much money can I expect to save? Every home is unique. The audit will provide you with a detailed report that explains how much air leakage you have along with a prioritized list of actions you can take. Each proposed action will include an estimated financial payback. Payback also comes in less tangible ways like a more comfortable and safer home.

Remember, the home energy audit is only the first step to cutting your energy bills. Making the recommended energy efficiency upgrades is what leads to real energy savings.

You can pair your audit with our Home Energy Rebates, which gives you up to $575 to use for air seal, insulation, or to install high efficiency water heaters and heating & cooling equipment.

If you clicked anything butJust right, consider an energy audit or using the Home Energy Rebate program to insulate and air seal this spring. Youll be thankful you did when the summer heat arrives.

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JC Penney piloting six new home installation services Dallas Business Journal CNBC reported Thursday that later this month, J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) will expand its home services by offering bathroom remodeling, home heating and cooling systems, quick-ship and installed blinds, home water solutions, awnings and smart home ... and more »

Read more from the original source:
JC Penney piloting six new home installation services - Dallas Business Journal

Enhabit offering deal on Nest model that cuts heating and cooling costs

Want to cut your energy bills and carbon footprint?

Local nonprofit Enhabit is offering a discount for Portland-area residents interested in getting a "smart thermostat" in their home, which have been proven to cut home energy bills.

Enhabit, formerly known as Clean Energy Works, has funds to install 500 Nest smart thermostats in homes in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties for $299 each. That covers the hardware and installation, which normally retail for about $450, plus a 100-point home performance check and Home Energy Score.

A Nest thermostat pays attention to your home heating and cooling patterns and automatically adjusts to be more efficient.

"Studies show they end up saving, on average, between 15 and 20 percent on heating and cooling costs," says Stephanie Swanson, Enhabit vice president for communications.

Ordinarily, the Nest thermostat and installation costs from $400 to $500 from a private contractor, Swanson says. The Energy Trust of Oregon provided funds to help subsidize the first 500 thermostats.

In addition, Enhabit will conduct the 100-point home performance checks, which generally take up to two hours, evaluating insulation, air seals, carbon monoxide monitors, indoor air quality, and seismic retrofits, among other items. Homeowners will get free LED light bulbs and faucet aerators, also courtesy of Energy Trust.

The home check also will result in a Home Energy Score, which will be required by the city of Portland starting in January for homes put on the market.

To sign up or get more information: https://enhabit.org/smart/

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

503-546-5139

@SteveLaw/Trib

facebook.com/portland.sustainable.life

Read more from the original source:
Get big discount on a smart thermostat - Portland Tribune

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When it comes to your family or staff, you want a dependable heating and air conditioning system, as well as a quality installation! As a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer, we can provide you with the most efficient system save you time and money and help the environment too! Count on us to deliver PEAK comfort to you in Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and the entire Triangle area.

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Apex Heating and Air Conditioning, HVAC Install and AC ...