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Around the Circuit
New Construction
Starts Up in June
New construction starts increased 8% in June, according
to McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC), which counts the full value of new
contracts in the month they are signed, as opposed to the Census
Bureau,
which measures spending as it occurs on projects underway. For the
first six months of 2007 combined, starts decreased 14% compared to the
first half of 2006, reports MHC. A comparison of the latest 12 months
to the previous 12 showed a 10% decline. Residential construction
climbed 4% for the month but dropped 26% year-to-date and 25% on a
rolling 12-month basis. For nonresidential building, the changes were
up
29% for the month, a 0% increase year-to-date, and up 5% for 12 months.
Nonbuilding construction dipped 12% for the month, increased 4%
year-to-date, and jumped 13% for 12 months. Combined, the
nonresidential
categories increased 12% for the month, jumped 2% year-to-date, and
experienced an 8% increase on a rolling 12-month basis.
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Housing Market
Remains in Slump
Seasonally adjusted housing starts in June increased
2.3% from a downwardly revised May total but were 19% below the June
2006 level, reports the Census Bureau. Accounting for the entire
monthly
gain, multi-unit houses spiked 5.3% in June, but were still down 15%
from a year earlier. Single-unit housing starts dropped 0.2% in June
and
22% compared to last year. In addition, building permits hit a 10-year
low, dropping 7.5% from May and 25% from June 2006. Multi-unit permits
decreased 15% from May and 18% from last year, while single-unit
permits
dropped 4% from May and 27% from June 2006. Finally, the National
Association of Homebuilders reported that its monthly index of
builders'
expectations for the next six months hit its lowest level since
1991.Results from a recent survey by the Associated General
Contractors of America indicate that residential activity remains weak,
while nonresidential activity is strong and may get even stronger. The
largest homebuilder by number of closings, D.R. Horton, Fort Worth,
Texas, recently reported a 40% decrease in net houses sold in April
through June, compared to those months in 2006. The cancellation rate
-- sales orders canceled divided by gross sales orders -- for the
quarter was 38%. These figures show a bleaker view of the residential
market than the recent drops in new home sales reported by the Census
Bureau or the drop in sales of existing homes reported by the National
Association of Realtors, Chicago.
UL Warns of
Counterfeit Ground Rods
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is notifying
electricians, regulatory authorities, and consumers that certain ground
rods sold at various hardware and home improvement stores bear a
counterfeit UL mark for the United States. The ground rods in question
have not been evaluated for safety by UL and are not eligible to bear
the UL Mark. It is unknown if the mechanical properties and dimensional
tolerances of the ground rods are suitable to ensure an adequate ground
path over time.
- Name of Product: Ground Rod, Catalog Number PWC 588'
- Units: Unknown quantity
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Date of Manufacture: Unknown
- Identification: The counterfeit ground rods are similar in
appearance to ground rods Listed by UL for Priority Wire & Cable, which
bear the UL Listing Mark consisting of the following: PWC, the UL Mark
followed by "LISTED E170100," 588, GROUND ROD.The counterfeit ground
rods are marked only with the following information: UL, PWC,
588
To view a photo of this product, visit UL's Web site.
UL
recommends that users stop using these ground rods and return them to
the
place of purchase. For more information, contact Joe Hirschmugl in
Northbrook, Ill., by phone at (847) 664-1508 or by e-mail at joseph.f.hirschmugl@us.ul.com.
BCSE Asks
Congress
to Consider Full Energy Bill
Lisa Jacobson, executive director, Business Council for
Sustainable Energy (BCSE), a coalition of renewable energy, energy
efficiency, and natural gas interests, recently issued a statement
urging the U.S. House of Representatives to enact a national energy
policy that "will enable the country to quickly deploy the clean energy
technologies that are currently available to address our country's
short- and long-term energy needs." The statement warned that failing
to
address key provisions would only complicate the debate over climate.
Jacobson went on to list the provisions the organization would like
enacted:
- A National Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) that sets
national targets for renewable energy use.
- A National Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) that
strengthens efficiency, coupled with strong appliance and building
standards.
- Clean energy tax provisions, including incentives for homes,
commercial buildings and building equipment, advanced, high-efficiency
appliances and combined heat and power.
- Increased federal support for smart distributive grid technology,
which enhances the reliability and economy of the country's electric
grid, and advanced plug-in and next generation batteries.
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Project Watch
Pump Station
Installation and Testing in Birmingham, Ala.
The Water Works and Sewer Board of the City of
Birmingham is requesting sealed bids for furnishing, installing, and
testing all required and specified equipment to complete the
construction of Summit Pointe Pump Station in Clay, Ala. Bids will be
received until 10 a.m. CST on Aug. 7. The work consists of providing
all
labor, materials, and equipment, including electrical and controls and
piping and plumbing. For more information, visit the University of
Alabama at Birmingham's Web
site.
Electrical Work in
Albany, N.Y.
The Office of General Services (OGS), Design &
Construction Group (D&C), Contract Administration, Albany, N.Y., will
accept sealed bids for Project Nos. 43008-C and 43008-E, comprising
separate contracts for construction work and electrical work, on behalf
of the Office of Children and Family Services, until 2 p.m. EST on Aug.
15. Prospective bidders will be allowed to visit the job site to take
field measurements and examine existing conditions of the project area
at 10 a.m. EST on Aug. 2. For more information, view the complete request
for bids.
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Web Exclusives
Business Brief
Duke Energy Carolinas, a unit of Charlotte, N.C.-based
Duke Energy, recently awarded an engineering, procurement, and
construction contract to Baton Rouge, La.-based Shaw Group to build a
new 800MW supercritical coal-fired electric generating plant and a flue
gas desulfurization (FGD) system at Duke's existing Cliffside Steam
Station in Rutherford and Cleveland counties, North Carolina. The new
plant is part of the Cliffside modernization project. The value of
Shaw's EPC contract is approximately $1.29 billion. For more
business
briefs, visit EC&M's Web site.
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and is engineered for heat dissipation. www.ilsco.com
Eye on Safety
Construction
Fatalities on the Rise in Great Britain
The number of construction-related fatalities from 2006
to 2007 increased by 28% compared to the year before, reports the
Health
and Safety Executive (HSE), London, the enforcing authority that works
in support of the Health and Safety Commission, which is responsible
for
health and safety regulation in Great Britain. Bucking a downward
15-year trend that has experienced an average 3.9% drop in the number
of
deaths per year, last year there were 77 construction-related fatal
injuries, while in the same period the year before there were 60.The
figure marks the highest number of fatalities since 2001 to 2002, when
80 workers lost their lives at a rate of 3.8% per 100,000. Based on an
average of the past five years, construction fatalities have accounted
for around 30% of all worker deaths, making it the highest total of
fatal injuries among all sectors in the U.K. To address the increase in
construction-related fatalities, HSE said it will continue focusing on
its inspection program as well as working closely with stakeholders to
address the problem.
Shows and Events
Mitigating Harmonics
in Commercial Environments
This free live conference will be presented by John
DeDad, EC&M magazine, on Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. Eastern and Pacific
times, in the EC&M e-Tradeshow. To gain access to the event,
visit the EC&M Web
site, sign in or register as an attendee, and follow the signs to
the presentation room. And be sure to take a look at the On-Demand
Theater, where you can view past online conferences 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, and 365 days a year.
ALA Annual
Conference
The 2007 American Lighting Association (ALA) Annual
Conference is scheduled for Sept. 9-11 in San Antonio. General sessions
include Dr. Kevin Freiberg discussing the reciprocal relationship
between employees and employers, Steve Mulvany on how an active
strategic plan is a critical factor in a company's success, and the
Industry Open Forum addressing the issues facing all ALA members. In
addition, the Certified Lighting Manufacturers Representative (CLMR)
Accreditation Program will present educational seminars on outdoor
landscape lighting, trends in kitchen and bath lighting, and
understanding lighting hardware. For more information and to register,
visit ALA's Web
site.
BICSI Fall
Conference
The 2007 BICSI Fall Conference will take place in Las
Vegas from Sept. 10-13. Seminars for this year's event include
discussions on wiring trends in high-performance optical data centers,
smart estimating practices, horizontal cabling, and applying codes and
standards in data center design. For more information and to register,
visit the BICSI Web
site.
ISC East
The International Security Conference (ISC) East 2007
will be held from Sept. 11-12 in New York. Topics featured at the event
will include access control, alarms and monitoring, biometrics, CCTV,
fire control, remote monitoring, systems integration, wireless
applications, and urban security. For more information and to register,
visit the ISC Web site.
EC&M
Code
Change Conferences
Where do you turn when you need accurate information on
changes to the National Electrical Code? Acknowledged as the leaders in
providing information on the NEC, EC&M magazine and EC&M
Seminars have been the preferred sources of this information for more
than 60 years. Seven Code change conferences have been scheduled in the
fall of 2007. Host cities include: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Orlando,
Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Seattle.
As an approved provider with the National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), through its Registered Continuing
Education provider Program (RCEPP), professional engineers attending
any
of our 2008 Code change conferences will receive Professional
Development Hours (PDHs), a requirement for re-licensing in many
states.
The conferences are also approved by every state that has a continuing
education requirement for contractors and electricians.
For additional information on the dates and locations of these
events, download a pdf of the schedule from the EC&M Web site.
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