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Editor's Note
Cast Your
Vote Now!
Do you want the opportunity to win a $100 gift check?
If
you're an EC&M subscriber, we invite you to help us select this
year's Product of the Year winner. The deadline for voting is June 22,
2008. To make your voice heard, visit the EC&M Home page anytime before now and
then. Click on "vote now and become eligible for a $100 gift check,"
located in the center of the page. You can click on a link for each of
the 24 category winners to read a brief description of the product
features and view a photo. Once you're finished with your review, you
can click on the "vote here for your favorite" link, which allows you
to
enter in your contact information, choose your favorite product, and
click submit. As an added incentive to capture your vote, five lucky
voters will be randomly selected to receive one of five $100 gift checks
-- so don't delay. Vote today!
The competition has honored innovation and excellence in product
development in the electrical industry for the past seven years.
ADVERTISEMENT
 AEMC's Ground Resistance Tester
AEMC's 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. Click
here for more details.
Around the Circuit
ABI Rises
Slightly
in April
The Architectural Billings Index (ABI) rose from its
lowest mark ever of 39.7 in March to 45.5 in April (any score above 50
indicates an increase in billings). "After dropping rapidly the past
two months, this uptick shows that the slowdown is beginning to
moderate," says Kermit Baker, chief economist for Washington,
D.C.-based American Institute of Architects. "Even though the downturn
in design billings has come on very quickly, most areas of the country
aren't showing signs of an oversupply of non-residential facilities.
That provides hope that this weak patch may be relatively
short-lived." To read more on this topic, visit the EC&M Web site.
March PPI
Reveals Skyrocketing Prices
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Producer Price
Indexes (PPIs) for March
report souring prices. The PPI for inputs to construction industries
increased 2.1%, driven by a 24% increase in diesel fuel costs and a
5.5%
jump in prices for steel mill products. "Red-hot steel prices, combined
with record diesel fuel costs, are making construction unaffordable,"
says Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General
Contractors of America (AGC), Arlington, Va. "Unfortunately, there is
worse to come."To read more on this topic, visit the EC&M Web
site.
DOE Announces $60
Million
CSP Funding Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced
the issuance of the Solar Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for up
to $60 million in funding over five years during fiscal years 2008 to
2012. The funding includes $10 million in fiscal year 2008
appropriations and $10 million in the fiscal year 2009 budget request
to
support the development of low-cost concentrating solar power (CSP)
technology.To read more on this topic, visit the EC&M Web site.
SMUD Enters
Solar-Powered
Homes Agreement
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD),
Sacramento, Calif., recently entered into an agreement with Woodside
Homes, Salt Lake City, to build 1,487 solar-powered homes in the
California cities of Rancho Cordova and Rancho Murieta by 2012.
According to the utility, the agreement marks the nation's largest
solar-home project. Last year, SMUD announced a similar agreement with
Miami-based Lennar Corp. for 1,254 new homes in Sacramento County.To
read more on this topic, visit the EC&M Web site.
ADVERTISEMENT
 ILSCO has reinvented the compression
category with a new ClearChoice solution.
SureCrimp copper compression connectors reduce inventory requirements
by
accepting multiple conductor classes including fine stranded and
building wire. UL-listed, CSA-certified, and range-taking when
installed
with approved tools and dies. Circumferential dies produce strong,
long-lasting crimps with a tight crimp profile for greater pull-out
strength. The increased contact area reduces resistance and eliminates
the potential for flash. www.ilsco.com
Project Watch
Wiring Services
Wanted in Virginia
The Director of Finance, on behalf of the School Board
of the City of Hampton, Va., is currently seeking a contractor to
furnish and install wiring for emergency panels at Bethel High School.
Proposals are due at 11 a.m. EST on June 11. For more information,
download a pdf from the city's Web
site.
On-Call
Electrical Maintenance Requested in Massachusetts
Barnstable County, Mass., through its Chief Procurement
Officer, is seeking bids for an on-call electrical services provider
for
routine and emergency electrical repair and maintenance for buildings
located in the Barnstable County Complex, the Orleans District
Courthouse, the County Farm, and other support buildings operated by
Barnstable County and Barnstable County Sheriff's Department. The
contract is for the period of July 1 through June 30, 2009, with the
option to renew for two additional one-year periods. To view the bid
request, register with the county's Web
site.
ADVERTISEMENT
 Save on Mechanical Lugs & Splices
Starting at only $0.51, our aluminum Mechanical Lugs & Splices are
rated
for both copper and aluminum conductors. Each connector is re-usable
and
needs only a hex wrench for assembly. I-Beam Lugs, Lay-In Lugs, and
Panel Board Lugs are UL-listed and CSA-certified. Great
quality, great price, great delivery. Use Coupon Code EZONE508 at
checkout to receive 10% off your next order. www.elecDirect.com - or call toll
free 800-701-0975.
Web Exclusives
Business Brief
Atlanta-based Acuity Brands recently announced a
strategic alliance between Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) and Lighting
Science Group (LSG), New York, to develop and launch multiple light-
emitting diode (LED) lighting products. The products will be part of
ABL's portfolio. For more Business Briefs, visit the EC&M Web site.
ADVERTISEMENT
 Check More, Fix More, Spend Less!
The new Agilent U1240A series enables you to check more with all the
DMM
features you would expect to see and more. Maintenance tasks are
greatly
simplified with frequency and capacitance and dual temperature
functions. And new features, like a switch counter, harmonic ratio, and
differential temperature, further extend your capabilities with just a
push of the button. Click
to learn more.
Eye on Safety
New York DOB
to Hire New Inspectors for Sidewalk Shed Safety
New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Acting
Department of
Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Robert D. LiMandri recently announced a
$5.3 million budget increase to fund 63 new positions to enhance
oversight and enforcement of construction safety. The additional
resources are part of the Mayor's fiscal year 2009 Executive Budget.
The
new positions will enable the Department to launch a new Special
Enforcement Plan (SEP) initiative: the sidewalk shed electrical safety
team.Consisting of two new electrical inspectors for the
department's
Scaffold Safety Team, the program will
focus enforcement resources on sidewalk shed safety. The building code
requires that sidewalk sheds be equipped with electrical lighting to
illuminate pathways for pedestrians at night. In years past, there have
been incidents of stray voltage emanating from sidewalk shed piping,
which have led to injuries of people and their pets. Inspectors will
conduct unannounced spot checks of sites with sheds to verify
contractors have installed electrical lighting according to the
building
code. This new program will build upon the Safety Analysis and Field
Evaluation (SAFE) Scaffold & Shed Initiative launched in February to
crack down on unsafe supported scaffolds and sidewalk sheds.
Shows & Events
7x24 Exchange
2008
Spring Conference
The 2008 Spring Conference will take place from June
1-4
in Boca Raton, Fla. Tutorials at this year's event include topics such
as data center commissioning, fire protection systems for mission-
critical facilities, and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for data
centers. For more information and to register, visit the event's Web
site.
Windpower 2008
Windpower 2008 Conference & Exhibition will be held
June
1-4 in Houston. Session topics to be presented during the conference
include the fundamentals, development process, and safety of wind
energy, as well as current legislation, financing, and market
realities.
For more information and to register, visit the event's Web site.
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