EleBlog

29 Jan, 2007

I think you'll enjoy Jim Pinto's writing. He's an expert on industrial automation (and a lot more). I once edited columns he contributed to a Web site, and learned a lot (and didn't have to work all that hard!). Writing for Automation.com, he recently penned "2007 Technology -- Pinto's Picks." He covers, briefly, industrial wireless, embedded intelligence & M2M [= machine-to-machine -- a big thing!], real-time information to boost productivity, and more.

See the column by clicking here.

29 Jan, 2007

There were 38 of them. If you missed one, or you want to read off-line -- or whatever -- I've put them all together on one MS Word document, which you can download by clicking here.

27 Jan, 2007

One item missing from the 2006 national election, the State of the Union, the SotU response, and most of the news and political commentary in the country, is the fate of New Orleans. We all know who is to blame for what happened to NOLA in 2005 -- the weather gods. We all know who to blame for what came (or didn't come) after -- government at all levels . . . which is what made the re-election of the mayor down there astounding.

I'm not sure who to blame for the city's extremely slow recovery from the destruction. There were all kind of promises made, including those floated by President GW Bush. Money was budgeted. Construction people were excited -- literally -- by the prospect of a great deal of work. I listened to a lot of talk about this at various meetings.

But the 1/21/07 NY Times carried a story with this headline: "New Orleans of Future May Stay Half Its Old Size." Here are some dreadful facts:

• NOLA's populiation in the 1960 Census was 627,525
• Before Katrina, the city's population was 444,000.
• Now, there are 191,000 folks (as reported 11/06 by the LA Recovery Authority).

Here's a quote (in that story) from a LA-based "consultant and demographer," Elliott Stonecipher: "It will be a trickle based on what we know now. Low tens of thousands, over three or four or five years, something in that range. I would say we could start losing people, especially if the crime problem doesn't get high visbility."

Also quoted in the Times: "The Brookings Institution says the number of citizens paying for electric service and/or natural gas didn't increase appreciably between 4/06 and 11/06." That's depressing, isn't it?

Let's quantify what Stonecipher is saying: Maybe NOLA will get near 225,000 to 240,000 citizens by 2010-2012. Maybe not! If a decline happens, NOLA could someday in the next 10 years approach 150K to 180K residents -- 30% of what it was in 1960.

Buried in the Times story -- in the third paragraph before the end -- was this: "There has been little to no construction of cheap housing that would enable the return of the largest category of those still displaced, Mr. Stonecipher noted."

Essentially, we the people of the U.S. are allowing -- through collective inaction and inattention -- one of our major cities to evaporate.

Frankly, when everybody jumped on the Bash-Bush Bandwagon after the screw-up in the aftermath of Katrina, I never envisioned this. I didn't think the country coulid allow this to happen; I figured the Bush people would move heaven and earth to prevent a morass.

And I am normally a pessimist on such matters.

24 Jan, 2007

A release appearing on PRNewswire provides lots of data from a study of "build versus buy" data center options on small to medium-sized businesses. You're almost certain to find something interesting in the release. My favorite slice: The study revealed that "an SMB with 'typical' IT needs does not exist."

I've pasted it below.

- - - - -

Data Center 'Build Versus Buy' Study Reveals Costs and Options for Small to Medium Businesses

 - Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Data Center Needs Compared With Building an
                            In-House Solution -

    BALTIMORE, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Baltimore Technology Park (BTP), a
premier data center and the largest carrier-neutral facility in the state
of Maryland, today announced the completion of a study that examines the
costs for small-to medium-sized (SMB) organizations of colocating their key
IT systems at a data center versus building or expanding an in-house
solution.
    The technology needs of organizations vary greatly, and an SMB with
"typical" IT needs does not exist. BTP based its analysis on a company that
currently needs 20 server cabinets and plans to grow by 50%, 1,120 total
square feet of space and 43 watts of power per square foot. The study found
that general room construction with a modern power design, including an
advanced electrical system, HVAC, fire suppression and security systems,
would cost about $562,000 to build. This figure rises to over $707,000 when
costs such as contingency (10%), architect and engineering fees (6%) and a
project manager consultant (10%) are factored in. In addition, annual
recurring costs to maintain such a facility (utilities, bandwidth,
maintenance, security personnel, insurance, taxes) could total over
$270,000. For the same hypothetical company, BTP's research found that
colocating IT infrastructure within a data center would necessitate roughly
$39,000 in startup costs, with recurring annual fees estimated at $206,000.
    "While colocating critical IT systems at a data center is generally
more secure and affordable than building an in-house solution, every
organization's situation is different," says Jim Weller, President of
Baltimore Technology Park. "Nonetheless, our study provides essential
information on the myriad factors an organization should consider when
deciding the best way to meet their current, and future, data center
needs." To obtain a free copy of BTP's "build versus buy" study, send an
email to sales@baltimoretechnologypark.com.
    Factors to consider before building an in-house data center include:

    * staffing needs
    * affordable real estate or length of lease commitment
    * power -- building a "modern" power design, including redundant and back
      up power
    * proximity to fiber optic lines
    * "ping," or the ability to choose bandwidth providers
    * available space and scalability
    * "pipe," heating and venting (HVAC)
    * protection from flood, fire and other natural disasters
    * time-to-market
    * in-house security threats and physical security
    * accessibility and distance from major metropolitan areas
    Considerations for colocating IT systems at a data center provider
include the three P's: ping (network connectivity options), power
(redundant electrical supply) and pipe (adequate HVAC). Other important
elements include:
    * proximity to fiber and network provider choices
    * security
    * 24x7x365 access to systems
    * cost
    * ease of monitoring equipment
    * on-site customer support
    * fire suppression capabilities
    * scalability, including space and power
    Baltimore Technology Park, which opened in March 2006, recently
announced a $3 million build-out of its current space to meet demand and
anticipated growth. This 11,000 square foot build-out will create room for
an additional 250 server cabinets and more space for cages and suites. Six
thousand square feet will consist of raised flooring available for
colocation. The remaining 5,000 square feet will be designed for employee
and client workspace, kitchen, break and conference rooms.
    About Baltimore Technology Park (BTP)
    BTP is a new 30,000-square-foot, purpose-built facility that provides
the highest level of security and redundancy for businesses of all types
and sizes who require reliable data center services. BTP's corporate
headquarters are located at 10 East Baltimore Street, Suite 1000,
Baltimore, Maryland 21202. For more information, send email to
sales@baltimoretechnologypark.com, call 1-877-293-5615 or 410-500-4050, or
visit us on the Web at http://www.baltimoretechnologypark.com.

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24 Jan, 2007

The Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR program is working on Solid State Lighting. CLICK HERE for more info -- including "draft ENERGY STAR requirements for SSL luminaires."

24 Jan, 2007

American Power Conversion Corp. -- which is in the process of being acquired by Square D's parent company, Schneider  Electric (of France) -- has created an educational offering it calls "Data Center University." You can find it by going to www.datacenteruniversity.com.

What's it about? "The data center environment is constantly changing, so to stay ahead you need cutting edge information on the best practices and theories of heating, cooling, management, security and fire protection." It's aimed at IT professionals, but you might want to see what this electrical UPS supplier is telling them.

24 Jan, 2007

You might have noticed this: The City of Chicago now will accept permits for electrical construction work ONLINE -- online only! That's big news. I'm not sure why electrical came first, but there it is. For details, CLICK HERE and poke around at the site.
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24 Jan, 2007

I try to keep this blog NON-political. But I did watch the State of the Union festivities last night, including the after-speech by Virginia Sen. Webb (I live in VA and voted for Webb).

I am limiting my comment on Mr. Bush's opus to this: Why do we have to wait 10 years to cut gasoline use by 20%?

- - - - -

Why not say -- "I'm the President, and I'm setting a short-term goal of cutting gasoline use by 5% -- on a comparable-miles-driven basis -- by the last half of 2008, before I leave office" . . . ? You can set whatever goal you want for 2017 after that -- but GET SOMETHING DONE while you are in office. Setting a goal for 10 years on down the road is pretty ridiculous.


Why do Presidents always set long-after-I'm-gone goals for energy conservation and efficiency?

Why did Bush purposefully avoid the words "global warming" in his speech? Is he a wussy? Does he NOT believe in plain speaking?

His wife Linda is a librarian. She has been married to this guy forever -- and yet she's been unable to correct the way he says "nuc-ulear." He said it twice last night, and I winced both times. It's bad enough that the Sunnis and Shiites are playing us for chumps in Iraq and Iran . . . does our national leader have to go on global TV and self-characterize himself (and therefore the rest of us) as a friggin' moron?

To add in -- why did Congress, in EPAct 2005, authorize a bunch of significant, billion-dollar benefits for energy production, but limit the energy-efficiency measures (the tax deductions for commercial buildings) to a two-year horizon -- expiring 12/31/07? And then, recently (12/06), the Congress realized its idiocy, and extended the deadline for the tax deductions -- to 12/08. BIG WHOOP! Why not make those tax deductions open-ended (never-ending)....?

Put your feelings about Bush or Repub/Democratic partisan issues aside. Why can't our national leader be taught to say "nuclear," for heaven's sake? Why should tax deductions that can only be earned by making buildings more energy efficient EVER expire? What more evidence is needed that the globe is getting hotter? Why do we let elected leaders who will no longer serve after 2008 set a goal for 2017?

- - - - -

Jefferson is alleged to have said: "I tremble for my country when I reflect hat God is Just; that his justice cannot sleep forever."

In my way of thinking, we had plenty of inspiration about saving energy, and becoming energy independent, in the 1973-1982 period. If you didn't live as an adult in the 1970s, you missed a heck of a lot of lessons that our country should have learned. Instead, we forget these lessons as soon as we could; Jimmy Carter put solar energy panels on the White House, but Reagan's minions tore them off as soon as they got the chance.

We the people, in other words, collectively act is if we were Incredibly Stupid.

When I reflect on how our insane national waste of energy -- which is continuing AND worsening -- is screwing up our political system, ruining our country's international reputation, and polluting our air (and perhaps warming the globe in the bargain) . . . I start to think that we are now getting, or perhaps are about to receive, our just desserts.

19 Jan, 2007

The U.S. Geological Survey today emitted its October report, part of which I've reproduced below. The report consists of what's below + 10 pages of statistics. Key data is in the first lines -- production in October was UP 18% from 10/05 . . . which might 'splain why copper's price has sunk from $3.20/pound to, recently, the $2.50-$2.60 range.

But there are mysteries in here, if you read it closely. I've taken the liberty of boldfacing what I think is THE key paragraph; it's not the first time USGS has said this (and far from the first time I've included it or written it) -- but it's worth remembering!!!

The report's word piece follows:

Average daily mine production of copper in the United States
rose by about 3% from that in September and was about 18%
above production in October 2005, according to data compiled
by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Smelter production in
October plummeted for the second consecutive month. In
September, Kennecott Utah Copper Corp. (Salt Lake City, UT)
began a 45-day planned maintenance shutdown at its Garfield,
UT, smelter that extended through most of October.

In October, Phelps Dodge Corp. (Phoenix, AZ) closed its Miami, AZ,
smelter for an approximate 30-day maintenance period. The
closure of 2 out of 3 primary domestic smelters resulted in
smelter output in October falling to only about 40% of that in
August (Platts Metals Week, 2006).

Downstream, production of electrolytic refined copper fell in
October by about 24%, and total refined production by about
12% to its lowest monthly total in at least 50 years.
Consumption of refined copper in October declined by about
14% from that in September owing to a 16% decline in wire-rod
production, which was in part attributable to a shortage of
cathode.

Following a build-up of inventories in September,
shipments of wire rod in October declined by only about 7% but
were down by 13% compared with shipments in October 2005.

The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed that export shipments of
copper concentrate to China early in the year were reported as
gross weight and not the purported copper content. Based on
this, and low average unit values reported by the Census Bureau
for most copper concentrate exports, the USGS adjusted current
and historic 2006 concentrate export data (table 15) to reflect
the estimated copper content of the concentrates produced at
nonintegrated U.S. copper mines.

According to data compiled by the International Copper
Study Group (ICSG) (2006), the apparent world balance
between refined copper production and refined copper use for
the first 9 months of 2006 indicates a production surplus of
about 81,000 metric tons (t). This compares with a production
deficit of 319,000 t for the same period in 2005.

Note that in its calculation of the refined copper balance,
the ICSG does not take into account changes in China’s SRB
stocks, which are unreported and which might affect
calculation of China’s apparent consumption.

World refined copper use for the first 9 months of 2006 increased by
about 2.5% compared with use in the same period of 2005.

Europe was the only region showing growth. Total European usage
increased by about 12%, while apparent usage in the European Union-15
countries increased by 15%.

In Asia, usage was down by 1%, as a decrease of about
6% in Chinese apparent use more than offset a growth of about
6% in Japan and 5% in India. In North America, use declined
by about 2%.

On the production side, ICSG data indicate that world mine
production of copper for the first 9 months of 2006 was
essentially unchanged from that in the same period of 2005.

Owing to production difficulties and labor unrest, estimated
global mine capacity utilization decreased to about 86% from
88% in the same period of 2005.

Total world refined production increased by about 6% in the first
9 months of 2006 compared with that of the same period of 2005:
Primary production was up by about 5%, and secondary production
was up by 13%.

References Cited

Platts Metals Week, 2006, Smelter shutdown hits Kennecott output: Platts
Metals Week, v. 77, no. 43, October 23, p. 7.

International Copper Study Group, 2006, Copper—Preliminary data for
September 2006: Lisbon, Portugal, International Copper Study Group press
release, December 18, 1 p.

19 Jan, 2007

I didn't start this blog for money (it's Love that drives me!) -- but there's a unique situation happening in early February, in which a friend of mine (Mike Holt) is speaking locally at seminars arranged by one of this site's sponsors (the DC-MD-VA distributor Capital Lighting & Supply). So forgive me for this, if you find it promotional.

Mike Holt is the best-known expert in the country on the National Electrical Code. He's especially well-versed on Grounding & Bonding. We once had a conversation about G&B, and Mike told me that it takes 20 years for people to figure out grounding and bonding in the NEC. I laughed -- but he wasn't kidding. It is, he said, the one thing that even savvy people seem to get wrong.

CLS is sponsoring Grounding & Bonding seminars featuring Mike on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 in Maryland and Virginia. For more information, click here to download a PDF promoting the events.

18 Jan, 2007

On page 2 of today's release on the Consumer Price Index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a table summing up 12-month changes in various inflation indicators for the years 1999 to 2006.

I'm not sure the major media will report this, but the figure for inflation for "all items less food and energy" for 2006 was 2.6%. Here are the figures for this subindex for the years reported:

1999 -- 1.9%
2000 -- 2.7%
2001 -- 2.6%
2002 -- 1.9%
2003 -- 1.1%
2004 -- 2.2%
2005 -- 2.2%
2006 -- 2.6%

I have serious quibbles with these numbers. I think REAL inflation is significantly higher. For example, the cost of housing is supposedly up by 27% from 1998 to 2006. That's so stupid I can't find the words to curse it. And housing makes up 23% of CPI when BLS calcualtes it!

The medical care line on that page-2 table shows higher numbers for each year (than does housing or overall inflation). But still, the increase from 1998 to 2006 is less than 39%. I don't closely monitor medical costs, but I am willing to bet YOUR medical care costs (holding things like your family's illnesses, etc. constant) have gone up by more than 39% since calendar 1998.

There are other problems in these numbers. I'm going to skip over them, but they exist. I believe REAL inflation is more like 5%.

However, the bottom line is this: Even the "less food and energy" number, supposedly "core" inflation, is running at its highest rate in a while. Given the accuracy of any calculation suchas this, the 2.6% number for 2006 might well be the HIGHEST figure (yes, even higher than the 2.7% of 2000) on that short list above.

REMEMBER: CPI calculations aren't precise. This is an ESTIMATE based on a world of variables, and so 0.1 percentage points over a seven-year period is not significant.

At the very least, we can say that the BLS estimate of inflation in 2006 is bumping up near the top of what we've experienced lately -- and that's without food and energy added in. I don't think this is a good sign. If the Federal Reserve Board finds a way to cut interest rates in this environment, they need to be sent to a re-education camp.

My forecast is slower growth (perhaps much slower) with higher inflation, in 2007 . . . getting worse (on both counts) in 2008. Yes, that sure is gloomy. But better face reality than shy away from what's really happening only to get run over by it!

To see the BLS 12/06 CPI report yourself, download the 24-page PDF by clicking here.

18 Jan, 2007

The IBEW -- which is the electrical workers' union and a lot else -- launched 9+ months ago a Web site called IBEW Hour Power. The site is oriented toward the construction members of IBEW, who number around 200,000 to 340,000 (depending on how you want to count them).

What's unusual about the site:

a. It's all online video.

b. There are damn few words!

c. It's a magazine, really. It's updated very frequently.

d. While it's really produced for IBEW members, it's online where anyone can find it and watch what the union is saying.

I realize you -- as a worker, contractor, distributor, manufacturer, inspector, or other participant in the electrical construction world -- might be pro-union, anti-union, or an agnostic. The reason for you (no matter what your "faith") to take a look at this site -- in the opinion of EleBlog! -- is not w; hether you think the IBEW is the best thing since sliced bread or comprised of a bunch of crazy people.

The reasons to see it are: It's from our industry; it's a cutting-edge Web site; there might be stuff there of interest, even if you hate the IBEW.

Find it at www.IBEWhourpower.com.


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18 Jan, 2007

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency Web site offers a 32-page PDF, Residential Lighting Programs - National Summary. It profiles local electric utility programs (in 2006 with a space for plans for 2007) on residential lighting energy efficiency. Click here to download it.
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17 Jan, 2007

I've contended for a while that the end-game of electrical construction e-business will be the day when contractors (and their project managers, engineers, etc.) give electricians handheld computers. I should write more about that here some time!

For the moment, take a look at this article from ConstrucTech magazine (you might need to register to see it -- I think it's FREE). The piece is about AirToolz, which offers a handheld tool for use by field superintendents -- enabling management to keep an eye on what's going on on the job site.

17 Jan, 2007

An article from CONTRACTOR magazine -- which serves the mechanicals -- provides decent coverage of FMI Corp.'s latest pronouncement on productivity in construction. For those not familiar, FMI is the leading consulting firm in the construction market.

You can access the article by clicking here. While it's not about Electrical Construction, of course, you probably should read it. Here are bullets from the item:

Key findings of FMI's 2007 Contractor Productivity Survey indicate that:

• 54% responded that productivity had improved either slightly or substantially in the past several years;
• 80% of respondents believe they could save a minimum of 5% of their annual field labor costs through better management;
• Aging field management continues to be a concern in the industry;
• 78% of the field managers in the surveyed companies are older than 35, and more than half of them are older than 45;
• 45% of respondents had between 1% and 24% Spanish-speaking workers;
• 46% of respondents plan three or fewer days in advance of their needs;
• Daily goal setting was being used only about 26% of the time.

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17 Jan, 2007

I ran across an 11/27 article in Inside F.E.R.C., which I think is a newsletter from McGraw-Hill, headlined: "Labor Shortage, Resources Dominate Infrastructure Debate As Energy Demand Surges." It's a 3,174-word article; you have to pay $4.95 to see it -- and I'm NOT selling it (use this link if you wanna pay).

Among other stuff in the article:


DISCLAIMER: When I worked as Publisher of Electrical Contractor magazine (1990-98), Dan Walter was my boss for much of that time.

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17 Jan, 2007

If you're behind in your knowledge of Voice over Internet Protocol, it's about time you catch up. 2007 is the "year of" many things, according to stuff I've been reading -- and one of them is "the Year of VoIP." It's possible whoever said that is right. So read the article you'll find here, from CIO.com, oin the ABCs of VoIP.

17 Jan, 2007

Maybe you've seen this factolito before. I had not. So it woke me up. It's the 5th paragraph of a Dec. 30 article from the Rocky Mountain News (headline: "Colorado's Electricity Infrastructure Needs Jump-Start On Expansions").

Here's paragraph #5:

"Standing alone, the five leading Internet search engines will consume 5 gigawatts of electricity in 2006. That equates to the amount of electricity needed to run the city of Las Vegas."

Wow!

15 Jan, 2007

A CNNMoney.com story (1/4) points out that there is, already, a skilled worker shortage in the U.S. "Companies [are] indicating they can't exploit market opportunity because they can't find people with the right skills," says a Deloitte Consulting guy quoted in the piece -- which you can find here.

Along the same lines, see "Lack of Human Capital Is Becoming Serious Issue," on Hospitality.net -- click here.
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15 Jan, 2007

NECA & IBEW have issued a press release on the worker shortage in the electrical industry. I think the shortage is here, now. See the release by clicking here. DISCLAIMER: I work for the NECA-IBEW joint marketing co-operative that issued that release.

Self-pat on the back: I made a number of presentations (and wrote articles) in the 2000-2004 period that predicted a worker shortage would hit. The time frame I projected was 2007-2010. I don't expect to see a parade in my honor! It's just nice to be right occasionally . . .
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15 Jan, 2007

As you might know, Best Buy owns "The Geek Squad." These folks bring knowledge of computer crap with them and, in theory, solve your problems. I had one of the Geeks here a few weeks ago. He solved 2 computer problems I had -- quickly, without disruption to what I was doing. It wasn't cheap, but since I make my living with the computer and the telephone, I wasn't looking for cheap.

Now, Circuit City has introduced "firedog" and has launched this technology service business. According to an 11/13 article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (CC is based in Richmond), the company "has more than 2,000 firedog techs and 1,000 subcontractors" . . . to start. "That number will continue to grow as our business continues to grow," said Marc Singer, senior vp for services at CC.

To get CC's official line on "firedog," go to www.circuitcity.com and page down to see the green banner (click it!).

According to the newpaper article, the technical services business is estimated (by CC) to be a $10 billion market today -- one that will hit $20 billion by 2010. That's a double in 3-4 years . . a growth rate of 18% annually or more.

ELEBLOG TAKE: By my lights, if you're providing technology services in someone's home, you're verging on what electrical contractors do. Or should do.

15 Jan, 2007

Wireless lighting control? Cooper 's Aspire RF products were honored recently (as part of the pre-show CES hoopla). Accoridng to the release (click here), the products use Z-Wave "to connect over 200 devices in a single network."

15 Jan, 2007

You might have seen this someplace earlier, but if not, this lead paragraph from a 12/25 item will fascinate you:


Read the rest here.

15 Jan, 2007

I don't know if global warming is happening. I don't know if it's caused mostly by "man" or whether the globe is warming naturally. In other words, I'm NOT SURE on a lot of this.

However, I am sure that's it's damn warm for January here in Northern Virginia. Where in the past I've shoveled snow in January, last night it was 67 degrees at 10pm on the middle floor of our three-story townhouse. It was warmer upstairs.

Read the 2006 "annual climate review" for the U.S. from the NOAA -- click here.

13 Jan, 2007

"It is estimated that as many as 50% of existing healthcare facilities do not have adequate power back up and could experience major problems in case of an outage or disaster."

"It is estimated" means the speaker found this data somewhere, but I don't know where. Anyway, this comes from a release from Stellar Energy Services.

13 Jan, 2007

You really should pay attention to Mesh Networking. Electronic House magazine -- which is oriented at an audience of cutting-edge homeowners -- included an article about it recently. It covers Z-Wave, ZigBee, and Zensys.

Read the whole article (which you can get by clicking here). Make sure you get to the end of the story, to the section with the subheading "Lighting Is The Springboard."

Key sentence; "Some manufacturers are planning to sell [their mesh-networked lighting control products] through big-name retailers like Home Depot this year."

ALSO: Self-pat on the back -- one of the first posts here (in Sept. 05) was on mesh networking.

13 Jan, 2007

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in electrical contracting was 713,000 in November 2006 -- a number subject to revision. It's the second-highest monthly figure of the year (August's 714,400 was higher). It's the best November since 2001 (when 739,400 were reported).

Employment in electrical contracting has now been above the 700K mark for five months in a row. Before it vaulted that level in July, it hadn't been above 700K since the report for September 2002.

13 Jan, 2007

Bureau of Labor Statistics data -- which is subject to revision just yet -- put the national 2006 average for construction employment at 5,746,000. That's up 3.23% from 2005. It's also the 3rd straight year of rising employment.

13 Jan, 2007

The Nov06 construction put-in-place report that I printed out was hiding beneath a bunch of papers. I found it last night. The report came out 1/3, so it's "old news." Here's the gist, using UNadjusted numbers (which are not what's reported by the media):

Private residential construction -- spending down 0.8% in the year's first 11 months. With inflation, that's a down move of 5-6%.

Nonresidential construction -- up 16.7%. That's pretty damn amazing. The above-17% numbers: Lodging, up 51.5% (add $6 billion to the total); Amusement + Recreation, up 22.7% (adds $1B); Manufacturing, up 20.6% (adds $5.7B); and Office, up 18.7% (adds $6.3B). Those 4 niches were up $19B over the first 11 months of 2005; overall, Non-Res was up $39.2B -- so the other categories, up less than the average, contributed a bunch.

Public construction -- up 10.1% in 11 months. The biggest subcategory, Education, was up 5.9%.

Total construction was up 5.4% over 11 months, which probably is just a bit better than inflation. The amazing run continues!

10 Jan, 2007

Mike Holt's Web site often distributes a quarterly Electrical Safety review from Canada. The most recent printed out at 13 pages. It lists, one by one, what happened. The impact of a bunch of these, read quickly, will get across (if nothing else does) the importance of "being careful out there." Here's a typical listing:


Find the online version of this newsletter by clicking here.

10 Jan, 2007

As an editor, my strong feeling always was that readers enjoyed and learned more from stories of folks in their businesses failing (as compared with true stories of success). Building Operating Management hit the sweet spot in October with "Crash: Data Center Horror Stories," a 1,500-word piece. Click here to see it.

To whet your appetite, here's one "failure" case study:

10 Jan, 2007

Plant Engineering magazine's 12/06 issue presented a report on a paper presented by folks from Ferraz Shawmut. Title: "Effects of Insulating Barriers in Arc Flash Testing." If electrical safety is a concern to you, you'll want to click here and read the thing.

10 Jan, 2007

I don't receive the print issues of VARBusiness magazine, and if you also don't get it, we probably both missed the Sept. 18 issue. The cover story was "Buildings With Brains: IP sets the stage for 'intelligent' strucures, and VARs should be getting in on the action." The story measured out at almost 1,900 words.

See it by clicking here.

NOT TO BE MISSED: On that page, about a few inches down, there's a link to a one-page PDF -- "Blueprint: Bringing A Smart Building To Life." You are going to want to take a look at this!

10 Jan, 2007

"Hotel Technology Next Generation" is the name of a Web site of "an industry organization" founded 6/02 "to facilitate the development of next-generation, customer-centric technologies." From what I've seen in several visits, it's worth . . . more visits! www.htng.org.

10 Jan, 2007

For reasons at which I can't guess, InsuranceNewsNet has posted the transcript of the recent Q4 earnings report conference call held by Integrated Electrical Services (the largest pure-play electrical contracting company in which you can buy stock). I guess a lot of insurance companies own IES stock or have lent it money . . . ? Click here to see it.

10 Jan, 2007

"Green Thoughts" is the headline on the Salimando column TEDMAG posted this week. My problem is that I spent six years as Editor of Waste Age magazine in the 1980s. I was "green" before most people in the construction business ever even thought about "sustainability" and energy-efficiency. That's not to make myself out to be a worthwhile human being, or something; it's just that, if you travel around the country for a few years with a bunch of municipal solid waste landfills as your ultimate destinations, sooner or later you find out there really IS a place that things you throw away go to.

"Commodity Facts, Forecasts & Fears" was the headline on the previous column, the last one posted in 2006.

08 Jan, 2007

In Oklahoma, temporary employment agenices that "hire out" electricians to electrical contractors must get licenses. Read a news item here.

08 Jan, 2007

Also in that DOE weekly energy-efficiency newsletter (of 1/04) -- "President Bush Signs Data Center Energy Efficiency Bill." Click here to see that. It's not as wonderful as the headline; the text indicates the bill "requires . . . EPA to study the rapid growth and energy consumption of data centers."

08 Jan, 2007

President Bush signed into law a 1-year extention of the Energy Policy Act of 2005's tax credit for building energy efficiency installations/retrofits. The original law set the expiration date for 2 years after enactment (or 12/31/07); now the benefits expire with the end of 2008. This is hailed as a great thing in certain circles, but IT IS RIDICULOUS. A country that imports a bunch of its energy, and can't use its main domestic source (coal) without fouling the air and perhaps contributing to global warming, SHOULD CUT ENERGY WHENEVER IT CAN. The tax benefit should be left in place -- forever.

That rant aside, find details about the extension in the lead item in the 1/04 DOE energy-efficiency weekly newsletter -- click here.

08 Jan, 2007

An innocuous piece, "Data Centers Handle Holiday Rush," might be of value to you based on the assumptions about DC operations that are embedded in it. For example, it says the Mohegan Sun casino in CT has "two data centers onsite in two fiber-connected buildings about a mile apart from one another." See it here.

08 Jan, 2007

A survey of CEDIA members established "benchmarks" for "the residential electronic systems contracting industry," according to a press release you can find on the CEDIA Web site. Amou caong the facts:

• 65% to 75% of contractor revenues (as reported by respondents) came from the Audio-visual category.
• 10% of revenues came from home networking.

You can't get a copy of the survey unless you participated.

08 Jan, 2007

"Load-shedding" is a strategy in which customers voluntarily shed certain loads when electric utilities are having trouble meeting electric demand. Think about the hottest days of a summer: The utility can either build enough power-generating capacity to meet the absolute peak load imaginable . . . or it can "shave" that peak via voluntary load-shedding.

Up to now, the load-shedding of which I've been aware has been centered on HVAC loads. For example, at one of the houses I owned years ago, there was a load-shedding device from PEPCO, the local utility, on the air conditioning system. Should PEPCO have trouble reaching a summer peak, they had the option of shutting off my air conditioning for some period of time.

A recent (12/14) press release from Osram Sylvania called my attention to a new load-shed ballast system. This technology was developed by the company and the Lighting Research Center, apparently.


Is this the most wonderful lighting development ever? No. But it is a logical development, as lighting comprises 40% of a typical commercial building's energy use. According to the Osram release (which I can't find online), an LRC study "determined dimming electric lighting by up to 40% for brief periods was acceptable to occupants in an office setting." Osram says its "load-shed universal-wattage electronic ballast for 32W T8 lamps" will be available this year.

08 Jan, 2007

"Lack of Linemen Slows Job of Restoring Power" read the headline in the 12/21 issue of The Seattle Times. You might be able to see the story here. The gist: The Tanner Electric Cooperative employs just 11 linemen. When the power went out (all 4,300 customers) in mid-December, TEC tried to get some line contractors to do the work of hooking things back up. However, all of the area's electrical contractors were fuly engaged.

Earlier (11/24), the Los Angeles Times ran a story whose headline was: "Need for lineman surges: U.S. utilities are struggling to replace departing employees as younger people eschew jobs in the pwoer industry." The newspapers quoted a U.S. Dept. of Energy report to the eeffect that "an expected shortage of 10,000 line workers could eventually limit utilities' ability to maintain or increase electricity supply." You might be able to access that story online in the Times' archives, but you'd have to pay to see it.

In that story: "There are an estimated 43,000 apprentice and journeymen line workers, whereas about half the power industry's roughliy 400,000 technical and office workers are eligible for retirement within five years, said Jim Hunter, utility director for the IBEW."

EleBlog's take: The line worker shortage is just the beginning. There's a good chance of major electrician shortages in 2007 and beyond. Power plant construction will soon start to surge -- and if/when nuclear power plant construction starts -- these projects will act like a giant sponge for skilled "inside" electricians. Stay tuned.

05 Jan, 2007

Electronic House magazine presented a short item on Trendsetting Electronics for 2007, with links to stuff about Blu-Ray, the DVD War, Media Services, HDMI ("nears single-cable nirvana"), and "home (mesh) networks" . . . go here to see it.

05 Jan, 2007

"Top Stories of 2006" is the heading on a list of 12 stories (with links to each) from RenewableEnergyAccess.com. Included: "Solar Cell Breaks the 40% Efficiency Barrier" & "Biodiesel Edges Out Ethanol" and "Vinod Khosla on Proposition 87." See the thing here.

[I wrote about Khosla back in 10/05 -- see the blog entry here]

05 Jan, 2007

As the new year turns, trade magazines and other business news sources reliably will run two types of stories:

a. A look back at the old year.

b. A forecast for the new year.

I enjoy (a) -- and put more credence in such stories -- in preference to (b). No one really knows what's going to happen, but there should be little dispute about what DID happen.

ThomasNet's "Industrial Market Trends" online publication has a piece, "Manufacturing's Mark on 2006," which brings to light facts and figures on how well U.S. manufacturing -- which many people believe is dead -- did in 2006. For example, didjaknow that manufacturing productivity rose 6.7% in Q3/2006?

See the piece (don't ignore the links at the bottom) here.

05 Jan, 2007

Nonresidential construction growth will continue this year, accoridng to Jim Haughey, the economist at Reed Construction Data. His article goes segment-by-segment; two tables provide numbers (for 2007) and a look at construction of auditoriums, fire stations, gymnasiums, and libraries in major cities. Yes, the selection of those 4 submarkets DOES seem weird. Find the piece here.

05 Jan, 2007

The Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI claims "the world's economy appears to have netered the early stages of a slowdown" in an outlook that covers Q4/2006 to Q4/2008. Find the release here.