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Around the Circuit
Electrical
Contractor Testifies Before House Committee
Mike Cavanaugh, owner and president of Cincinnati-based
Queen City Electric, Inc. and member of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter
of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC), recently testified
before the House Small Business Committee about the impact of health
insurance costs on small business owners and their employees. The
Committee hearing, chaired by Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-NY),
focused on the difficulty that most small businesses face in meeting
the
health insurance needs of their employees. The hearing also examined
possible solutions to this problem, such as association health plans
and
tax credits for individuals and employers who purchase health
insurance.
Cavanaugh testified about the challenges he faces in providing
competitive health insurance benefits for his 25 employees. "Small
businesses are at a significant disadvantage because we cannot easily
band together to form large pools of insured individuals similar to big
companies," says Cavanaugh. The Committee's Ranking Member,
Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH), specifically asked Cavanaugh about
the impact these costs have on his company's bottom line. "The money
and time associated with providing reasonable, quality health insurance
for my employees is the largest uncontrolled cost that my business
faces
every year," Cavanaugh responded. When pressed for a possible solution
to this problem, Cavanaugh agreed with Rep. Chabot's contention that
allowing for more competition within the marketplace -- namely
through
pooling vehicles such as association health plans -- would create the
incentive to offer more reasonably priced health insurance options for
small business owners.
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 AEMC New Ground Resistance Testers
AEMC®'s new rugged Digital Ground Resistance Tester with
automatic calculation of test results, Model 6470, performs grounding
resistance, earth coupling measurement, soil resistivity, and bonding
tests. This easy-to-use and accurate instrument measures up to 512 test
results that can be stored in internal memory for later recall to the
display or downloaded to a PC for analysis and hard copy reports with
automatic fall of potential plots. www.aemc.com
Materials Costs
Expected to Rise
Construction cost increases experienced a slowdown in
the last half of 2006 but the reprieve already may be over, says
Kenneth
Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of
America (AGC), Arlington, Va. By the end of 2007, materials costs could
rise again at a 6% to 8% rate, with wages rising at a 5% rate. Simonson
explains that construction is vulnerable to high price increases
because
the industry cannot avoid using materials that are in high demand --
and for which supplies increase unpredictably. The greater volatility
in
petroleum, concrete, and metals products means that highway and other
heavy construction markets are more likely to pay for large price
spikes
than are the other construction segments. However, he warns that
construction is at risk of higher materials cost increases than the
general rate of inflation.
IEEE-USA
Offers
Four New eBooks
Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers in the United States (IEEE-USA) has published a
three-book series, "The Engineer's Guide to Lifelong Employability," as
well as the single volume "Engineering a Communication Bridge" through
its eBooks division. The employment series covers topics such as
resumes
and cover letters, the transition from school to the job market, and
how
to obtain adequate compensation as a technical professional employee.
Ebooks are offered at a discount to IEEE members. To view the entire
collection and to order, visit IEEE-USA's Web site.
LED Research
Continues
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)
Oak
Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tenn., in collaboration
with the University of Tennessee, believe thin films of polymers will
improve the next generation of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), making
them
more energy efficient. At ORNL, researchers are currently developing
electrodes composed of carbon nanotubes and magnetic nanowires to
enhance the light emission from polymer-based organic LEDs. Magnetic
nanowires and dots have been shown to help control the spin of
electrons
injected into the LEDs to further improve efficiency and reliability.
In
early tests, carbon nanotubes improved the electroluminescence
efficiency of polymer LEDs by a factor of four and reduced the energy
required to operate them.
ADVERTISEMENT
ILSCO Pigtail Adaptors
Popular Again
With the recent increased use of aluminum conductors, ILSCO's ACM,
ACO-90, CPM, and CPML pigtail adaptors are in high demand. The pigtails
give contractors the flexibility of using less-expensive aluminum
conductor and then converting the conductor so that it can be installed
into a copper connector. Pigtails also reduce the size of the conductor
to allow installation into smaller panel board connectors. Go to www.ilsco.com and click on Compression
Products to learn more
Project Watch
Experienced
Electrical Contractor Wanted in Key West
The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA), Key West,
Fla., is seeking to retain licensed, qualified industrial electrical
contractors to provide work that includes construction of, furnishing,
and installing electrical systems to support the construction of
reverse
osmosis (RO) expansions and Floridian Aquifer water supply and disposal
wells. The work in general includes electrical substations, 4,180
eBooks
primary power feeds, yard electrical conduit and wiring, transformers,
motor control centers, variable-frequency drives, raw and finished
water
electrical pumps, RO building, RO systems (feed pumps, control,
electrical), chemical systems, control systems, telecommunications
systems, and miscellaneous electrical and controls work. A copy of the
qualifications package may be obtained from Peggy Medina, FKAA
Department of Engineering at 1100 Kennedy Drive, Key West, FL 33040 or
by phone at (305) 296-2454. The deadline for submission is 4:30 p.m.
EDT
on April 16. For additional information, e-mail Ray M. Shimokubo, P.E.,
director of environmental services for FKAA at rshimokubo@fkaa.com.
General
Contractors
Needed for Substation Construction in Montana
The Harrison, Mont., Volunteer Fire Department (V.F.D.)
is requesting proposals from general contractors for the construction
of
substations in three locations: Norris, Pony, and State Highway 359
between Harrison and Cardwell. Each building measures approximately 30
feet by 40 feet with a 14-foot sidewall height. The electrical will
include 100A service for 11 duplex 110V interior outlets, one single
220V interior outlet, up to six 4-foot heavy-duty fluorescent lighting
fixtures, one low-temp sodium exterior light with photocell, and one
GFI
exterior 110V duplex receptacle. All proposals should be submitted to
Harrison V.F.D., P.O. Box 200, Harrison, MT 59735 until 5:00 p.m. MDT
on
April 20.
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can be used with 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch threaded rods, eliminating the
need for multiple hanger sizes. The Flip Clip requires only one nut and
one tool for installation. www.cooperbline.com/flipclip
Web Exclusives
Business Brief
Camarillo, Calif.-based SolarWorld AG recently
announced
plans to take over the silicon wafer production facility in Hillsboro,
Ore., from Tokyo-based Komatsu Group. The California company will
further develop the new site with an investment of about $400 million
to
establish an integrated solar silicon wafer and solar cell production,
which may reach a capacity of 500MW by 2009. The SolarWorld Group plans
to shift its solar crystallization activities from Vancouver, Wash., to
Hillsboro and start up production in the summer of 2007. In the first
stage of the expansion, capacities will be enhanced to 100MW. For
more Business Briefs visit the EC&M Web site.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Basics of Voltage Sag
Immunity
By John DeDad
Sponsored by Caterpillar
This podcast will describe the various causes of voltage sag, industry
studies such as System Average RMS Variation Frequency Index (SARFI),
equipment sensitivity performances (CBEMA and ITIC), and solutions to
voltage sag at the end-user level. ecmweb.com/podcast
Eye on Safety
NETA Updates
"Acceptance
Testing Specifications"
American National Standards (ANSI)-accredited
InterNational Electrical Testing Association (NETA), Portage, Maine,
recently released the 2007 edition of its "Acceptance Testing
Specifications" (ATS). Shipping and installation damage, field and
factory wiring errors, manufacturing defects, and systems and
components
not in accordance with drawings and specifications are some of the
problems that can be detected by using the guide.The 2007 "ATS"
addresses the latest technologies in acceptance testing of electrical
equipment and covers revisions to applicable IEEE standards. Also in
this edition, visual and mechanical test results and electrical test
results are now listed in separate sections. The updated edition is
available as a bound manual, CD ROM, or electronic download. For more
information, contact Kristen Schmidt, technical services coordinator
for
NETA at (269) 488-6382 or by e-mail at neta@netaworld.org.
Shows and Events
IEEE/IAS
Industrial & Commercial Power Systems Technical Conference
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) and Industry Applications Society (IAS) will present the
Industrial & Commercial Power Systems Conference in Edmonton, Alberta
May 6 to May 11. For 2007, the conference has been expanded to include
more tutorials and vendor displays. Topics of papers to be presented
include power systems protection, energy systems, codes and standards,
and power systems engineering. For more information and to register,
visit the conference's Web
site.
2007 LFI
2007 Lightfair International (LFI) Tradeshow and
Conference will take place May 8-10 in New York. Topics for conference
seminars include trends in residential lighting, LED performance, solar
energy, building skin technology, landscape lighting, lighting
controls,
and exterior lighting ordinances. For more information and to register,
visit LFI's Web
site.
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