NEW CUMBERLAND-With security, heating and cooling improvements to Hancock County Courthouse completed, county officials are turning their attention to a new roof for the courthouse annex.

In January, the county was awarded a $97,600 grant from the West Virginia Courthouse Facilities Improvement Authority (WVCFIA) to replace the roof, insulation and coping on the 1968 annex.

Hancock County commissioners expect to receive official word of the award from WVCFIA Executive Director Melissa Garretson Smith on Thursday. The grant comes at an opportune time for commissioners, who are overseeing a series of capital improvements to the aging courthouse.

"It's great news," Commissioner Dan Greathouse said.

Before the roofing work can begin, however, commissioners likely will have to solicit bids for an architect to do design work, said Robert Vidas, executive director of the county's Office of Technology and Communications.

Vidas said workers from Kell's Heating & Air Conditioning, of Chester, recently completed work on the courthouse's heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. The project cost came in over the original Kell's bid of $58,320, he said.

The HVAC systems in the old stone courthouse, which dates back to the 1920s, were in need of upgrading because of their age and high maintenance costs. The new system will make heating and cooling more efficient for the section of the courthouse that houses Circuit Court Judge Martin Gaughan's courtroom, the assessor's office and clerk's office, Vidas said.

The county courthouse is actually a two-building complex that includes a three-story annex, completed in 1968, that is connected to the old section via a walkway.

An architectural assessment of the courthouse done by Silling Associates, of Charleston, in 2012 included a recommendation that the HVAC system be overhauled. Commissioners also are addressing other suggested improvements contained in the Silling report, Vidas said.

Probably the most visible improvement is the recent completion of a new security system for the newly-redesigned courthouse entrance. Starting Monday, courthouse visitors will have to submit to metal detector screening before they can enter the building.

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State grant allows for courthouse roof replacement

One of the city's very first landmarked buildings is getting nearly a complete interior renovation before the Staten Island Museum moves in later this year. NY1's Bree Driscoll filed the following report.

An ornate, four story staircase is the only original item inside the Snug Harbor Cultural Center building dating back to 1879 when it was a place of rest for weary mariners.

"It has been a feat that you can turn what used to be a dormitory for sailors into a world class museum," said Staten Island Museum COO Cheryl Adolph.

Snug Harbor became a city, state and federal landmarked site in 1965, with help from the Staten Island Museum. Now the museum is relocating there while keeping its smaller location near the ferry terminal.

It's a move almost 50 years in the making.

"We are a smaller museum in New York City but we have been around just as long as almost anybody has been. So we are an old time museum that we are a general interest collection. So we do art, science and history. There is no other museum that does that," said Staten Island Museum Director of Exhibitions and Programs Diane Matyas.

Right now the space is filled with drywall and flooring but it is quickly being transformed into Staten Island's first "green" historic landmark. It's using the earth's natural temperature to keep things comfortable for museum-goers.

"There are 30 wells almost 500 feet deep to do this super ecological heating and cooling," Adolph said.

Organizers say it is an exciting time to be on Staten Island's north shore.

"We are really proud that we are going to help anchor this site as a cultural destination especially in light of the New York Wheel coming," Adolph said.

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Staten Island Museum Plans Move Into Historic Digs

The south wall of the city's new Lumberworks parking garage is grim and barren, a concrete outline of the three stories of parking bordered by a jumble of power transformers and switching devices.

But by the end of the decade, much of that wall should be a tapestry ofvines and plants, a literal "green wall."

The city is installing a green wall that will provide environmental as well as aesthetic benefits for the garage that sits between O and N streets near the viaduct in the West Haymarket.

The green wall, like a green roof, is designed to slow and cool rainwater as it heads for nearby streams, said Dennis Scheer, a landscape architect with Clark Enersen Partners.

And that is a good thing for the health of streams and rivers,particularly in urban areas where concrete has replaced the bare earth that helped slow down and cleanse rainwater in the past, he said.

The plants also help filter pollutants out of the air. That is particularly helpful with a garage, where the photosynthesis of the plant material will help remove the carbon from exhaust fumes, and release oxygen, Scheer said.

A green wall will also help to cool the building itself, protecting it from the suns heat, said Wayne Mixdorf, parking manager for the city.

Research has shown that these theoretical assumptions are true and that green walls have environmental advantages, Scheer said.

Green walls aresometimes calledbiowalls,ecowalls, vertical gardens or living walls. However green walls and living walls are actually two distinct kinds of walls, Scheer said.

Living walls generally are interior walls covered with living plants and used in conjunction with the heating and cooling systems of buildings to purify, or better filter, the air.

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Green wall to grow from new parking garage

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Gadgets let you check on home, contents from afar

Whether you need to replace an existing HVAC system, maintain it or repair it, the home services professionals at The Home Depot can help. We handpick installers and contractors who meet the highest standards for experience, know-how and customer service to get your heating and cooling project done right. We screen and perform background checks on all of our service providers before we send them out on any job to ensure they have all applicable licenses and insurance.

Servicing your furnace or air conditioning unit twice a year can help keep it running smoothly and efficiently. However, you may need more than scheduled maintenance. Knowing if your system is outdated, has a lengthy repair history, operates improperly or contributes to higher-than-expected utility bills can help you determine if you need to replace or repair your unit. Our providers offer such services as furnace replacement, maintenance and repair, air conditioner replacement, air conditioner maintenance and air conditioner repair. We also service and install central air systems, evaporative coolers, forced air furnaces, heat pumps, hot water/hydronic heating systems, ductless mini-splits, gas boilers and air quality systems such as whole-home humidifiers, central humidifiers, central dehumidifiers, central air cleaners and ultraviolet systems.

Our flexible financing options will help get your project underway.When you hire The Home Depot home services for your HVAC installation, tune-up or repair, you know we'll get the job done right and stand behind our work. View Contractor License Numbers View Terms and Conditions

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Heating & Cooling System Installation | HVAC Technicians ...

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in Ward County had received 444 applications for help with this winter's heating bills as of the end of December. Application numbers have been trending down in the past couple of years, said Holly Keaveny, who oversees the program at Ward County Social Services.

"We used to have 1,200 to 1,300 applications," she said. "After the flood, we had about half that much, and it hasn't come back up."

It's unknown to what extent low-income residents left, are now earning more money or are living in different situations where the assistance isn't needed. But the number of applications this year is similar to the lower numbers of the past couple of years.

A weatherization worker with Community Action Partnership in Minot adds wall insulation to a home during the 2012-2013 heating season. Submitted Photo

A weatherization crew with Community Action Partnership in Minot blows insulation into an attic of a home during weatherization activities last year. Submitted Photo

Carol Cartledge, economic assistance policy division director with the North Dakota Department of Human Services, said the number of individuals qualifying for the program has been dropping statewide.

In the heating season that ended in May 2011, there were 15,840 participants. In the heating season that ended in May 2013, there were 13,029.

"We have seen those drops across all of our economic assistance programs," Cartledge said. "That's, in part, due to increases in income in North Dakota. Fewer people qualify. Their incomes are greater."

Income guidelines for heating assistance through LIHEAP include a $25,773 limit for a one-person household; $33,703 for a two-person household; $41,633 for a three-person household; and $49,563 for a four-person household.

For the 2013-2015 biennium, the Economic Assistance Policy Division estimates serving about 6,578 households each month during the heating season and paying about 400 energy providers an average monthly benefit per case of $230. This compares to the previous biennium's 6,910 cases per month receiving an average monthly benefit of $238.

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Heating low income homes

One of the most innovative and groundbreaking projects at Grissom was the recent installation of...

PERU, Ind. (AP) The U.S. Department of Defense has an annual energy budget of approximately $20 billion, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the federal government's total energy consumption, according to a recent study by The Pew Charitable Trust.

U.S. military bases alone rack up a $4 billion energy bill annually.

It's an astronomical chunk of change, but it's a number that has shrunk a little thanks to energy-saving initiatives launched at Grissom Air Reserve Base.

"The DOD is definitely looking at becoming more green," Tech. Sgt. Mark Orders-Woempner with the 434th ARW Public Affairs office told the Kokomo Tribune. "Every base has its own unique mission sets, and every facility has its own characteristics. But across the board, the DOD is looking for innovative ways to save money and protect the environment."

One of the most innovative and groundbreaking projects at Grissom was the recent installation of a $100,000 geothermal heating and cooling system. It's the first unit of its kind ever installed on an Air Force Reserve Command base.

Geothermal energy uses the earth's natural heat to help heat and cool buildings.

Engineers drilled 28 wells 300 feet into the earth to install a closed-loop, geo-exchange system that's now heating a nearly 15,000-square-foot facility at a fraction of the cost.

Geothermal systems wouldn't work on every base, but a study conducted by engineers revealed it would work at Grissom.

It was Sam Pier, 434th Civil Engineer Squadron mechanical engineer, who first looked into a geothermal unit. Grissom was renovating the facility, and Pier had some experience with geothermal exchanges. He said he wanted to incorporate the technology into the renovation design.

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Grissom air base paves way for energy savings

In the quest to curb rising energy costs, some businesses will buy a good sales pitch and try a product that promises to affect the bottom line.

So when Tampa marketing executive Mickey Owens approaches local business owners with a product that he says will make their heating and cooling equipment more efficient, their ears perk up and their curiosity is piqued.

The CEO of a Tampa marketing investment company, the avuncular Owens offers convincing information about IceCOLD, a unique catalyst applied to the synthetic oils in heating and cooling equipment.

Owens said the product, developed by a Texas inventor named David Pickett 13 years ago, has reduced air-conditioning and refrigeration costs by 25 percent in some cases.

"When energy becomes 30 percent of your home and business expenses, then we've got to do something," said Owens, 67. "Air conditioning and heat account for the majority of one's electric bill. IceCOLD makes everything run more efficiently, like the first day you bought it."

According to the company website, when IceCOLD is injected into any type of refrigeration or air-conditioning unit, it helps to blend the compressor oils by changing the molecular structure. That improves the heat transfer so the system runs more efficiently and stays cooler for longer periods of time.

IceCOLD contends that companies can save $2 million to $3 million a year on utility costs, depending on the scale of the system. It even offers a 10 percent performance guarantee.

"Generally, investing in energy conservation is a tough sell, because the investment is initially expensive and the payback is way down the road," Owens said. "But IceCOLD is a one-time installation that will last the life of the project, and the payback is often less than a year."

The company works with GE Capital to help finance IceCOLD installations, in some cases 100 percent.

Richard Conte, a longtime instructor of engineering at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and an expert mechanical engineer, has never tested IceCOLD. But he says it appears the product is working on sound engineering principles when it comes to removing the sticky oil layer from the inside the refrigerant tubing. But he would like to test the long-term effects.

Originally posted here:
Tampa exec pitches product guaranteed to cut electrical bills

GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE The U.S. Department of Defense has an annual energy budget of approximately $20 billion, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the federal governments total energy consumption, according to a recent study by The Pew Charitable Trust.

U.S. military bases alone rack up a $4 billion energy bill annually.

Its an astronomical chunk of change, but its a number that has shrunk a little thanks to energy-saving initiatives launched at Grissom Air Reserve Base.

The DOD is definitely looking at becoming more green, said Tech. Sgt. Mark Orders-Woempner with the 434th ARW Public Affairs office. Every base has its own unique mission sets, and every facility has its own characteristics. But across the board, the DOD is looking for innovative ways to save money and protect the environment.

One of the most innovative and groundbreaking projects at Grissom was the recent installation of a $100,000 geothermal heating and cooling system. Its the first unit of its kind ever installed on an Air Force Reserve Command base.

Geothermal energy uses the earths natural heat to help heat and cool buildings.

Engineers drilled 28 wells 300 feet into the earth to install a closed-loop, geo-exchange system thats now heating a nearly 15,000-square-foot facility at a fraction of the cost.

Geothermal systems wouldnt work on every base, but a study conducted by engineers revealed it would work at Grissom.

It was Sam Pier, 434th Civil Engineer Squadron mechanical engineer, who first looked into a geothermal unit. Grissom was renovating the facility, and Pier had some experience with geothermal exchanges. He said he wanted to incorporate the technology into the renovation design.

When we knew the building was going to be renovated, Wayne Raby, 434th CES project manager, and I sat down and thought about what type of systems we wanted to utilize in the 14,900-square-foot facility, Pier said. I had experience with residential-type geothermal units and wanted to see if there was a way to incorporate that technology here.

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Grissom goes green to save greenbacks

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has identified Carbon Monoxide as the leading cause of gas poisoning deaths in the United States. Thousands of cases of illness, brain damage, and death could be prevented if all homes had CO alarms.

A CDC survey published in 2012 found that only 68% of homes in Charlotte, NC were found to have functioning CO alarms.

Charlotte Mechanical, a locally-owned HVAC and Plumbing company, is dedicated to protecting its customers from this serious danger. Were installing a CO Detector in every home that we enter for service or installation, that has a gas water heater or gas furnace at no charge to the customer, said Steve McLaughlin, President of Charlotte Mechanical. Our goal is prevention and awareness of this silent killer.

Charlotte Mechanical has implemented a program called Project CO. This program puts standards in place for technicians to install these devices on all gas service calls and installations. Project CO will continue through 2014 at no charge to Charlotte Mechanical customers.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control, 96.2% of the severe poisonings occurred in homes with no reported functioning CO alarm. During power outages and severe weather conditions, this danger increases.

We are determined to help this community stay safe, and we believe that Project CO will help us do that, stated McLaughlin.

About Charlotte Mechanical:

Charlotte Mechanical is a family-owned HVAC and Plumbing company with more than 20 years experience in the Charlotte community. It services both commercial and residential customers. Charlotte Mechanical sponsors a community Coat Drive every December. More information is available at http://www.charlottemechanical.com.

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Charlotte Mechanical to Provide Free CO Detectors to its Customers