Unique Roof Coating Technology is Fire Proof and Sound Proof

Unique Roof Coating Technology is Fire Proof and Sound Proof
Date: 21/07/2008
ATC Specialist Coatings Limited offer substantial savings with their Artcote roof coating system.

ATC Specialist Coatings Limited has developed a unique, all in one roof coating system known as Artcote™.  Artcote™ is specifically designed for the refurbishment of suspended ceiling and its innovative technology ensures that tiles maintain their Category 0 fire classification and sound proofing properties after application. As well as offering substantial cost benefits, Artcote™ applications are quick, clean and non-disruptive, as the majority of contracts undertaken are completed out of hours to allow daily business activity to continue as normal.
ATC also offers a variety of roof coatings that are suitable for weatherproofing and waterproofing, for both flat and pitched roofs. Once applied, the materials offer long-term protection, are solar reflective and are elastomeric, as well as being liquid cold when applied so as to eliminate the need for hot works on the roof area. Protection can be provided for life spans of up to 25 years, whilst the elastomeric properties of the coatings ensure seamless protection to allow for thermal and structural movement of the substrate.  Coatings are UV stable and also have excellent resistance to ponding water.
There are literally hundreds of floor coatings and floor screeds on the market but ACT Specialist Coatings are careful to identify and meet the exact requirements of their clients prior to recommending a particular system. Material prices can vary depending on the type of coating required, from a simple dust coating to a high specification anti-static coating. Therefore, ATC will not only aim to select the right coating for their customers but remaining within the agreed budget as well.
Key features and benefits of floor coatings include:
Long term protection
High performance and high build
Slip resistance
Chemical resistance
Quick drying times
Wide colour range

ATC offer a range of both external and internal coatings, providing long term protection for interior walls and ceilings, showers, toilets, swimming pools and cellars, as well as exterior steel, concrete, UVPC, plastisol sheeting and rendered surfaces. The company has taken into account several important factors when applying external coatings to various substrates so as to provide their clients with a long term protective and decorative finish that will be resistant to UV degradation, anti carbonation and chemical attack, as well as thermal and structural movement.
Internal coatings also offer long term protection, as well as having anti-fungal properties that deter mould growth. Coatings are available in a wide variety of shades, are easy and safe to apply and can be cleaned without damage to the surface. Both internal and external coatings which are applied by ATC are also non-hazardous and can be applied by brush, roller or airless spray, whilst external coatings offer a life expectancy of at least ten years.

New California law allows cities to give loans for energy-saving improvements

Berkeley and Palm Desert are pioneering the effort to let homeowners and businesses borrow at low interest rates to pay for solar panels, high-efficiency air conditioners and other upgrades.

By Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Berkeley and Palm Desert may be poles apart when it comes to politics. But the two cities are pioneering a new path to solar energy.

Pushed by these unlikely municipal bedfellows, California on Monday enacted a law that allows cities and counties to make low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses to install solar panels, high-efficiency air conditioners and other energy-saving improvements.

Participants can pay back the loans over decades through property taxes. And if a property owner sells his home or business, the loan balance is transferred to the next owner, along with the improvements.

The innovative financing scheme, if widely adopted by local governments, could give a hefty jolt to the installation of solar panels to generate electricity. Solar systems can cost $15,000 to $30,000 -- more than many homeowners can afford to pay upfront, although state rebates cover part of the cost.

The financing strategy was originally hatched in the office of Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates as part of the city's plan to reduce its carbon footprint. It attracted inquiries from across the country after it was described at a national global warming summit for mayors in Seattle last year.

Berkeley's City Council last fall proposed incorporating the financing plan into its ongoing climate initiative and is now working on a pilot project. Meanwhile, Palm Desert, a city with an aging population and high air-conditioning costs, jumped on the bandwagon, vowing to reduce its energy consumption by 30% and to become the first city to fully implement a solar loan program.

But the two cities found they had no statutory authority for the strategy and approached Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys), who sponsored AB 811, the new law. "Homeowners and businesses can have solar energy, install dual-pane windows and insulation, and they'll save more on energy bills than they'll pay on the interest on their loans," Levine said.

California requires investor-owned utilities to get 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and 33% by 2020. Public utilities are also setting green goals: L.A.'s Department of Water and Power has pledged to achieve 20% renewable energy by 2017.

A massive investment in renewable sources will be needed if California is to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% over projected levels, as required by the state's 1996 Global Warming Solutions Act.

Utilities are seeking to build huge solar electric plants and wind farms to meet those goals. But the plants, many of which would be in fragile deserts and require high-voltage transmission lines, are attracting opposition. Subsidizing individual solar systems may be more palatable, politically and environmentally.

So far, however, private utilities are resisting reforms that consumer groups advocate, such as allowing ratepayers to oversize their rooftop solar systems and sell the extra power back to utilities at favorable rates.

Sustainability advocacy

Sustainability advocacy

A few Tried and True Strategies for Inspiring Environmental change
Many business leaders find it challenging to lead others on the path to sustainability - and not necessarily because they’re working with a tough audience (although that happens too). Rather the trouble lies in their inability to communicate in way that generates real-world action and measurable results. But certain individuals seem to have cracked the code - they’ve figured out how to turn environmental conversations into sustainable changes for their companies, and for the environment. What exactly are these leaders doing differently, and how can we learn from them?
Principle I: Emphasize the business necessity.
Aspiring change leaders must have their heads wrapped firmly around the financial implications of their pet environmental initiatives. Environmental strategy consultant believes that creating a compelling business need is by far the most critical factor for getting decision makers on board with green initiatives. The good news for aspiring sustainability leaders is that the case for business necessity is getting easier to make with every passing day.
“Customers are asking questions about environmental performance,” and “Companies like Wal-Mart will give more shelf space to those companies that can reduce their footprint. Employees demanding more from companies they work for is another clear force that creates a compelling business need - it’s tough enough to compete for the best talent without turning them off on values-driven and environmental issues.”
The take-home? When seeking to serve the sometimes elusive triple bottom line, make sure you start with the bottom-line that decision makers value most- cold, hard cash. This topic is sure to get them listening.
Principle II: Frame environmental goals in terms of the other’s self interest.
With work demands and obligations bombarding them at every possible moment, how can we get organizational leaders to make our green initiative a priority? Here’s the secret of all motivational conversationalists: Take the perspective of the person you are speaking to and frame your agenda so that it occurs to other person as highly relevant to their own personal goals.
Of course, to accomplish this requires that we do a minimal amount of homework to learn more about our audience. What are their goals? How do these goals relate to our proposal? What do they have to gain by our success? This may seem like a lot to think through up front, but if we are willing to make a habit of this sort of analysis our persuasive abilities will skyrocket.
A good example comes from environmental initiatives for one company. Which has a distinguished track record of leading change in the organization and attributes much of the success to this simple habit? “There are multiple benefits to all environmental initiatives, so the language we use to impart the message has to mirror that diversity,” “For example, if I’m promoting an energy conservation initiative such as a lighting retrofit for the facilities, I will need to alter my message based upon my audience. I need to address the financial savings on our utility bill to the finance folks, the labor and maintenance benefits to the technicians in the field, and the quality of light with clients or tenants of the facility.”
Principle III: Appeal to enlightened self-interest.
Once you’ve framed your proposal in terms of ever-pressing financial imperatives and the other person’s self-interest, feel free invoke the “better angels” of your audience’s nature. Invite them to see how jumping on board with your initiative will also serve the more high-minded planetary and humanistic bottom-lines. Sometimes the best way to do this is directly, by discussing the positive global impact that your green proposal will create in terms of waste and greenhouse gas reduction. Other times it may be preferable to first be discreet, seeking topics that evoke in your audience a feeling of selflessness and a desire to contribute.
Creating rapport through meaningful conversations. “A great tactic is to look around and find something that the person you’re talking to really cares about. I’ve found that a universally powerful topic is children. If you can get people take a second to think about their children, and the effect that their choices might have on them, they seem to open up and be much more willing to consider higher causes like the environment.” Whatever your angle, remember that - beneath the cynicism and chaos - people want to do the right thing. You are, in fact, giving them a fresh opportunity to do just this.
Principle IV: Use humor to melt defensiveness.
Unfortunately, for most people there is still a huge gap between environmental awareness and environmental action. This gap often causes them to feel slightly guilty and defensive when the topic of saving the environment is even raised. If we don’t overcome it, this subtle mental block can make our audience unreceptive and make our words more likely to fall upon deaf ears. What are we to do? How can we get past this mental filter and raise our audiences to consider new possibilities? One strong approach is with humor.
One company has turned the tactic of using humor to overcome environmental guilt into an art by designing a stylish faux legal contract called an “Environmental Guilt Waiver.” This contract bestows clients and friends with a “24-hour exemption from all existential torment in connection with the environmental crisis” for making simple positive environmental choices in their daily life. The result? After receiving the waiver, clients who might normally be resistant to discussing the environment open up more easily and take a more active interest in the topic. “Making people feel guilty doesn’t help the environment,”  “People want to have fun and be part of the solution. We’re doing what we can to make saving the planet a more pleasant experience!”
Principle V: Paint an inspiring vision.
John F. Kennedy gave us the image of a man on the moon. These world leaders knew that all great accomplishments start out as little more than compelling images that capture our imagination. Granted, few people will ever reach the heights of power and influence that these historical figures attained, but each of us can nonetheless draw from that same well of wisdom when we seek to cause changes in our own work-life sphere.
Want to be a true visionary? Simply do this: envision the end result that you are seeking to cause for your organization and help others see it too. Make it vivid, make it compelling, make it believable and make it personal. What are the implications for your audience of this goal coming to fruition? How will their life - and the life of their organization - be changed as a result of small efforts made today? If you can get others in your organization to use their imagination to experience your environmental proposal in this way, you will generate astounding levels of motivation for your cause.
Principle VI: Stick with it.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were our current environmental challenges. As you do your part to reinvent the wheel in a new shade of green, remember to be patient and - even more importantly - be persistent. No matter how eloquent, business savvy and sincere we may be, sometimes the only way to get through to people is with good old-fashioned repetition. Allow yourself to be the squeaky (green) wheel that gets the grease!
Someone once remarked that breaking up with someone is a lot like trying to tip over a refrigerator…you have to rock it a few times before it actually topples over. Getting people to change their environmental thinking and behaviors is the same way. So stick with it. Be persistent. After all, how much does environmental change really matter to you? Are you in it to win a popular contest or to do the right thing? Are you willing to continually raise the issues that matter to you most, even when those around you don’t seem interested? If so, you are a true leader, and success is only a matter of time.

Web and Video Conferencing Software Improves Productivity and Efficiency While Saving Business Operating Costs for Manufacturers

Web and Video Conferencing Software Improves Productivity and Efficiency While Saving Business Operating Costs for Manufacturers
The following commentary is provided by WiredRed Software regarding the general topic of business-to-business video conferencing in the manufacturing vertical market. Additional research links appear on the left, and media contacts are listed below.

A WiredRed Commentary
Today’s business climate is more competitive than ever. So how do manufacturers both protect the bottom line and succeed without making deep cuts in their workforce? Is this an oxymoron? No. Manufacturers can look for cost savings no further than the latest software that brings management, employees, customers and partners together virtually. Web and video conferencing can save manufacturers, or any organization that is dispersed geographically, both time and money. Time spent out of the office traveling for general business meetings or even standard customer visits is usually time not well spent. This is especially true where visits are routine, back-and-forth between the same locations. Companies spend a great deal of capital on business travel that could be put to better use, such as hiring new sales personnel, updating manufacturing systems and other worthy capital investments.
The increase in the availability and affordability of T1 or better Internet connections [corporate Internet access] combined with the speed of the latest Pentium processors makes it easy for any operation to reap the benefits of online meetings, virtual training, and sales and support presentations via the web.
Videoconference services and software have experienced a dramatic surge of popularity recently. Organizations of all sizes have found that web and videoconferencing can be used in all departments, in all lines of business, for interactive training, off-shore manufacturing and out-sourced operations support, sales presentations, standing and ad-hoc meetings, just to mention some of the most popular applications of the technology. Manufacturers can also leverage this technology to make sure personnel are trained and up-to-speed on new ERP, control systems, as well as front office operations, supply chain and CRM software. Management can use a video conference to meet, virtually, with co-workers around the globe anytime and any place with just a standard web browser and high-speed Internet connection.
According to leading industry analyst groups, such as Wainhouse Research and Frost & Sullivan, much of the increasing market demand for web conferencing software and services can be attributed to worldwide economic growth, which will trigger increased IT spending, better system and software interoperability and increased acceptance of the technology itself. From a September 2004 report, Frost estimates that by 2009, web conferencing software and services, including video, voice and data will be a $9 billion industry. Wainhouse Research noted in its 2005 report, “Rich Media Conferencing”, that web conferencing software sales continue to soar with double-digit growth rates and a notable movement away from managed services to self-hosted applications.
Large successful companies such as D.H. Pace, a Kansas City, Missouri-based manufacturer and marketer of garage doors, had to adopt the latest web and video conferencing technology in order to keep up with training demands. Because employees are spread throughout six offices, in as many states, there wasn’t a practical way for the training staff to keep up with new employee training and ongoing employee education.
D.H. Pace is utilizing WiredRed Software’s e/pop Web Conferencing, which offers a comprehensive set of features for real-time interaction and communication. End users can share their desktops, any application or web browser. PowerPoint presentations can be dynamically uploaded and shared during the conference. Ten participants or more can use video at the same time in order to bring a more interactive environment to the conference. In conjunction with video, voice conferencing decreases the need to use expensive teleconferencing services for company-wide or lengthy meetings. In addition, the remote control feature allows the host to take control of desktops or applications in order to conduct training sessions. [D.H. Pace Case Study]
WiredRed’s e/pop Web Conferencing is in a class of what is called “on-premise software” versus leading web conferencing services, such as those from Microsoft, WebEx and Raindance. There are a variety of web conferencing software applications available today, such as Macromedia Breeze and IBM Lotus Sametime, to name a couple. WiredRed’s e/pop, along with Sametime and Breeze, offer many of the same features such as those listed above, along with whiteboarding, desktop and document sharing and annotation, the ability to mark up documents during presentations.
Tindall is a family-owned company headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina that designs, manufactures and erects pre-cast and pre-stressed concrete systems for various types of construction projects in Southern and Mid-Atlantic states. Like D.H. Pace, Tindall has offices in several states, including Virginia, Georgia and Mississippi. Like most sales and service-oriented businesses, Tindall has a significant travel budget. Tindall spent nearly $500,000 on business travel alone last year.
And, like many manufacturers, Tindall has a small IT department that is responsible for keeping the network and all software and applications, including its Baan ERP system running smoothly and efficiently. But Tindall found that web conferencing could meet the need for its engineering team to not only share AutoCAD drawings with conference attendees that don’t have the actual application, it has allowed the team to evaluate a new 3D CAD application in parallel without traveling to one central location to accomplish the evaluation. According to Tindall, the use of web conferencing for this one particular project saved the company approximately $24,000. Translate this savings to the numerous other projects that require group input and travel and that in itself pays for the web conferencing software many times over. [Tindall Case Study]
The management and maintenance of the web conferencing application is minimal, as is the end-user training that is required. Services generally charge per-minute and sometimes per-host. Web conferencing software package pricing is generally based on the number of users, or license seats.
There is no time like the present to adopt new software and technologies that can make your company more efficient and enable communication and interaction in real-time. The future of video and web conferencing is promising. In the near future, global workforces will hold high-quality video conferences, complete with voice and file sharing, from a mobile phone or PDA. This will unleash workers from their desks and empower them to reach new productivity goals regardless of physical location.
Innovative collaborative software and technology solutions can actually save a great deal of money spent on business travel, training and increase productivity by keeping key personnel in the office rather than waiting in airports to get to destinations that are really just a mouse-click away.

13 tips to go green

13 tips to go green

Today, we are helping our customers reduce their carbon-footprint and utility costs at the same time. Our slogan “Go Green & Save Money” says it all.

Our goal is to provide cost-effective energy solutions that make as much sense financially as they do environmentally. Energy Savers is proud to be at the forefront of America’s movement towards sustainability.

1) Turn down the thermostat. Lowering it by just one degree can reduce heating energy costs by about four percent.
2) Use ceiling fans in the summer AND winter. By reversing the direction of the blades, warm air is pushed down, helping to keep rooms warm in winter.
3) Conserve energy by purchasing major appliances with an Energy Star rating. Compared to a 1990 model, an Energy Star-qualified refrigerator would save enough electricity to light a home for more than four and a half months.
4) Repair leaky fixtures: one drop per second from a leaky faucet can waste as mush as 10 gallons of water each week.
5) Install low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets. Low-flow faucets reduce water consumption and the cost of heating water by as much as 50 percent; using a low-flow toilet can save Americans 2.1 trillion gallons of water and $11.3 million nationwide every day.
6) Choose carpeting, rugs, window treatments and other textiles made from natural fibers, such as cotton or wool, which are untreated and free of toxins, such as pesticides or chemical cleaners.
7) Ask for flooring products made from rapidly renewable resources, such as bamboo. Bamboo is one of the fasted growing plants in the world, requiring no replanting and little fertilization or pesticides.
8) Select solid woods harvested from sustainably-managed forests, when possible, for furniture or cabinetry, rather than pressed woods or composites that may contain formaldehyde or other chemicals that may be toxic and hazardous to your health.
9) Eliminate waste by choosing products that are biodegradable or recyclable. Consider the “lifecycle” of furnishings and accessories before purchasing: Are they made of materials that can be reused or recycled when the item eventually wears out or is no longer needed?
10) Recycle packing and shipping materials from any newly purchased items, and safely dispose of paint cans and other containers with contents that could potentially contaminate the ground or water supply.
11) Install exterior window shades on Southern and Western exposure windows.
12. Install insulation in attic and crawl space and install attic fans.

13) Speak with a friendly Energy Consultant from Energy Savers and start going green today!

Benefits of Green Roofs

Green roofs are booming in popularity because they bring multiple benefits to buildings and to communities.
These benefits include:
Reducing roof replacement costs. In Minnesota, a typical gravel-ballasted flat roof is expected to perform for 15-20 years before replacement is necessary. Roof membranes deteriorate when exposed to the hot and cold temperature extremes we experience in Minnesota, and also when exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. The components of a green rooftop protect a roof membrane from these aging factors. The membrane under a green rooftop can be expected to perform for 35 – 50 years before replacement is necessary. This means that a building can avoid 1 – 2 roof replacements over a 50-year lifespan. This reduces life cycle costs as well as significantly reducing the volume of roofing materials deposited in our landfills.
Reducing energy costs. Green roofs can reduce heating and cooling demands. During a Minnesota winter, the insulation layer and growing medium of a green roof can add r-value to a building’s roof. In the summer, the impact is more significant. Living plant material evaporating moisture from leaf surfaces will cool the rooftop surface, reducing cooling demand up to 25 percent.
Reducing stormwater management costs. An extensive green roof with four inches of growing medium can be expected to hold a one-inch rainfall event before any water runs off the roof surface. Nearly all the rainfall events we receive in Minnesota are less than one inch. This four-inch green roof can be expected to capture two-thirds of the rain that falls on its surface. With a deeper layer of growing medium or with rainwater or greywater harvesting systems, a green roof can be used to manage a significantly larger volume of water. As a part of a building’s stormwater management infrastructure, a green roof can reduce the cost of other stormwater management systems, and in some cities can reduce monthly stormwater management fees. The City of Minneapolis uses a stormwater utility fee structure that provides incentives for using green roofs to manage stormwater on-site.
Improving urban air quality.. Green space is good for air quality. Green rooftops provide opportunities to increase the amount of green space in densely developed urban areas where green space can be hard to find. A 1998 study by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities developed a model showing that, if six percent of the rooftop surfaces in the City of Toronto were replaced with green rooftops, the additional green space would remove 30 tons of airborne particulate pollution each year.
Mitigating Climate Change and the Urban Heat Island Effect. Urban areas like Minneapolis-Saint Paul are generally 2 – 5 degrees (f) warmer than surrounding rural areas. This is known as the Urban Heat Island effect. On top of that, the USEPA projects a 2 – 7 degree (f) increase in aggregate temperature for our region over the course of the 21st Century. It is projected that a three-degree aggregate temperature increase in Minneapolis would triple annual heat-related deaths from 60 to nearly 200.  By cooling rooftop surfaces and improving air quality, a critical mass of green rooftops can mitigate all of these impacts.
Providing urban green space. Green roofs can provide opportunities for significant green space amenities in urban areas. East Village Apartments in the Elliot Park neighborhood of Minnepaolis features an at-grade green rooftop installed over underground parking. The green space includes picnic tables and provides an amenity to this affordable housing development. The green rooftop at Brit’s Pub on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis can be used for lawn bowling and private parties. And pedestrians using the Loring Greenway in Minneapolis may not even realize that they are walking on green roof surfaces above occupied spaces. Hospital administrators know that patients who can see green space outside their windows can recover more quickly. Nursing home and elder care facilities can use green roofs as part of horticultural therapy programs.

Energy conservation plan

Energy conservation plan

Within the “Business As Usual” scenario, YJay has listed seven substantive challenges:

1. Electricity supply is not keeping up with demand.
2. Energy prices have risen substantially in recent years and this trend is expected to continue.
3. Global Warming and the emission of greenhouse gases are expected to increase.
4. Today, government has much less authority over the supply and price of electricity than it did before the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA) of 1999.

5. Renewable energy development and implementation progress is slow.

6. Electric grid upgrading is imperative

7. Energy storage development must advance and utilized

States will have to be overcome the challenges identified above between 2008 and the year 2021. The “Business As Usual” scenario includes no State action in those intervening years.

The consequence of inaction is an estimated 61% increase in the total cost of energy consumed in 2021, as compared to 2004, totaling in excess of $26 billion. Greenhouse gas emissions in 2021 are predicted to be 14.6% higher than they were in 2006, thus negating many of the benchmarks established by the recently enacted “Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Act”.

The “Alternative Scenario” however, outlines goals to change the way the States conducts its energy affairs. The “Alternative Scenario” lists six objectives, all involving States action:

1. Maximize energy conservation and efficiency.
2. Reduce State’s overall peak electricity demand.
3. Stimulate growth in renewable and alternative energy technologies.
4. Develop low-carbon emitting and more efficient power plants in order to close the gap between electricity supply and demand.
5. Invest in clean energy technologies and businesses to stimulate the industry’s growth within the State.

6. Develop and institute tax breaks for efficiency upgrade.