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Mr. Rooter franchise owners donate money and supplies to Ronald McDonald
House
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Mr. Rooter Plumbing kicked off
its national sponsorship of Ronald McDonald House Charities by donating
money and supplies to the Ronald McDonald House here.
More than 45 Mr. Rooter franchise owners, their employees and members of
the corporate staff made the trip to the Sacramento Ronald McDonald
House. They presented the House with a $3,395 check, as well as kitchen
and food supplies their teams collected.
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DOE
finalizes tougher water heater standards
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Energy Secretary
Steven Chu in early April announced that the Department has finalized
higher energy efficiency standards for a key group of heating appliances
that will together save consumers up to $10 billion and prevent up to
164 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years. The
new standards, for residential water heaters, pool heaters and direct
heating equipment such as gas fireplaces, will reduce air pollution,
prevent the release of harmful nitrogen oxides and mercury, and avoid
emissions equivalent to taking 46 million cars off the road for one
year, DOE said.
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for the full story
Healthy
Rebound for Remodeling Expected in 2010
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Home improvement spending will recover
this year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity
(LIRA) released today by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint
Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The LIRA suggests
annual spending will accelerate, with nearly five percent growth in
2010.
“The gradual recovery in the broader economy should encourage more
remodeling spending by homeowners,” says Nicolas P. Retsinas, director
of the Joint Center for Housing Studies. “This year could produce the
first annual spending increase for the industry since 2006.”
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for the full story
DOE
announces student teams for 2011 Solar Decathlon
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy in
mid-April announced the 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the
next U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, which will be held on
the National Mall in Washington in the Fall 2011. For two weeks, teams
of college and university students from across the U.S. and the world
will compete to design, build, and operate the most affordable,
attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar-powered house.
Hosted by DOE, the competition will highlight affordable homes that
combine energy-efficient construction and appliances with renewable
energy systems that are available today. The competition also supports
the Administration’s goal of creating a clean energy economy, while
saving American families and businesses money and reducing our
dependence on fossil fuels.
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for the full story
Will
IGCC Become a Green Code Juggernaut?
BY ROBERT P. MADER
The competitive folks at the International Code Council
are hoping that their International Green Construction Code becomes so
dominant that it marginalizes any competition. As ICC notes, their green
code is easy for a state or municipality to adopt because the green code
flows into the International Plumbing Code, the International Mechanical
Code and those flow seamlessly into their structural codes, such as the
International Residential Code. There’s no need for Anytown USA to
cobble together a plumbing code from one place and a structural code
from another.
In light of that competitive code issue, it was a savvy move for the ICC
to put together what Jay Peters, the executive director of the ICC’s
Plumbing, Mechanical & Fuel Gas Group, characterizes as exclusive
agreements with the U.S. Green Building Council and the American Society
of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Engineers.
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for the full story
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