December 2006

Cover Story

Back in Balance

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Beck Ireland, Staff Writer

The decline in new residential construction spending predicted for 2007 is no cause for alarm, say industry economists. Although estimates of a drop in...

Features

Understanding Basic Fire Alarm Systems

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By David Herres, Master Electrician

Even if you're not ready to take the plunge into fire alarm system design and installation just yet, you should still know the fundamentals in order to...

The Lighting Designer's Role in the Construction Process

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Randy Burkett, FIALD, IESNA, LC, Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Inc.

The profession of lighting design is a relatively young discipline among the building design and construction fields. Although lighting has certainly...

Streamlining the Energized Work Permit Process

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Larry Ayer, P.E., Biz Com Electric, Inc.

Filling out paperwork for electrical permits and inspections and submitting a drawing to the local building department for plan review is already time...

National Electric Code

The Ins and Outs of Optical Fiber Cable Installation

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

Several factors are driving the popularity of optical fiber cabling. Chief among those is the growth of high-tech applications that require the massive...

Illustrated Catastrophes

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

As usual, never consider the following commentary associated with these photos as a formal interpretation of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Without...

What's Wrong Here?

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Joe Tedesco, NEC Columnist

Hint: Bending over backward....

Stumped by the Code?

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

Q. Do I need to use hospital-grade receptacles in a chiropractor's or medical examining room?...

Industry Viewpoint

Making My List, and Checking it Twice

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Michael Eby, Editor-in-Chief

I love the holiday season. It's a time to celebrate faith and spend time with my family and friends. It's time for me to take a little break from the...

Market Watch

Post-Electrocution Acts that Save Lives

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

While most electrical safety plans make every effort to ensure no one is ever electrocuted, electrocution is an ever-present danger for those in the electrical...

Shocking Stat of the Month

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

The amount of capital spent on the petrochemical segment of the chemical processing industry (CPI) during 2006 in the U.S. and Canada. Plants...

California Solar Bill Finally Signed Into Law

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

It took two years for the California legislature to agree on a final version of the Million Solar Roofs Plan, SB 1, but it was finally passed and signed...

EPA's Push for Manufacturing Plant Efficiency

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

This summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its first-ever energy efficiency ratings for corn refineries and cement plants. The...

Product of the Month

Thin Is In on the Lighting Front

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Jaclyn Alcantara, Associate Editor

In retail stores, there's no doubt space is at a premium. So when New York-based Christian Dior learned about a new flat light source Light Emitting Capacitor...

PQ Corner

Evaluating Motor and Transformer Inrush Currents

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Mark McGranaghan, EPRI Solutions, and Fred Kinder, Dranetz-BMI

Inrush currents associated with motor starting and transformer energizing can cause interaction problems with other loads in a facility or on the power...

Construction Watch

California Leads in Pharmaceutical-Biotech Construction

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

In the last few years, the trend toward outsourcing has put a serious dent in the U.S. manufacturing construction sector. In general, the market has relied...

Shocking Stat of the Month

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

58% The percentage of architectural firms with annual billings of $5 million or more that have used virtual design/building information modeling (BIM)...

Let Your Fingers Do the Walking

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

The Internet can be a powerful marketing tool. In fact, the Web has all but replaced the Yellow Pages as a way for consumers to locate local service providers....

Training Alberta's Union Electrical Workers

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

The Electrical Industry Education Trust Fund of Alberta, endowed by the Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta and Local 424 in the International...

Market Insider

Focus on Transportation

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Jaclyn Alcantara, Associate Editor

Despite sky-high material costs, 2006 was a good year for transportation construction spending, thanks in part to strong state and local economies and...

Product News

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

High-capacity UPS The 10kVA Liebert GXT UPS is configurable as a tower or rack-mount model and delivers online double-conversion UPS protection for up...

Short Circuts

Short Circuits

Dec 1, 2006 12:00 PM

Balancing Act The office we were running conduit in about 30 years ago was of typical wood-frame construction, about 9 feet high, inside a 25-foot warehouse....