Dealer Gets Greener

Hills Flat Lumber has installed solar panels on their one-year-old building in Grass Valley, Ca. The 30kilowatt project will handle 8-107o of the store's power needs.

"It's a long-term investment, a substantial quarter-million-dollar system before the rebates," said Jeff Pardini, general manager of the family-owned business. He expects the system will pay for itself within eight to l0 years.

The company chose a 3O-kilowatt system because it's the maximum size for commercial rebates from Pacific Gas & Electric at this time. "We did a 145-kilowatt system in Colfax that takes care of 9OVo of our store there," he said. More panels could be installed in Grass Valley if the new system works out. he said.

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The new store in Grass Valley already has a geothermal system for heating and cooling. "Underneath our parking lot we have 24000 sq. ft. of tubes," he said, where water runs to capture a ground temperature of between 50o and 60'. The water is heated or cooled depending on the time of year and need. The building also has a computerized lighting system that shuts off light bulbs when enough light is coming through the skylights during the day.

Millwork Waits For Rebound

Domestic millwork production and sales volumes were down by approximately 2.5Vo in 2008, while average sales prices for industry products remained flat, up just 0.67o during the year, according to a new study by IBISWorld. However, operators were able to continue to grow export sales, assisted by a continued decline in the U.S. dollar.

Declining housing starts also depressed millwork sales by 4Vo in 2001 and are expected to fall another 1.57o in 2009, yet jump3.77o in 2010.

IBISWorld sees the growth of the millwork industry as limited somewhat by a cyclical strengthening of the U.S. dollar, which will make imported products cheaper in the U.S., putting further pricing pressure on domestic milling operators. Imports from China and Brazll are likely to be major drivers of growth in imports of millwork products, having respectively risen by 31 .57o and l07o annually during the past five years.

Other countries that may increase exports to the U.S. in the coming years incluclc Chilc lLnil Irrcloncsilr (lLtc to l'tcur v rcccnt irtvc'strrrcnt in the u oorl Pt'otlttt l\ \\'r'l('t\ itt tlt.'.C !rrilnlti!'\. \Jcrico nlrr irlso pllrv rr lar-tcr lole il' thc llrpicl growtlt ol latc in thcir dorrrcstic e()nstructloll seelor cools. ;rnrnrptinu thcir- gr-ou ing nrillr.r,olking inrl r-r stlv to look incrcasingl\ lof c-\l)ofl ol)l)ol'tunitics in nclL|br sOuthcfn Ll .S. nrlrkct\.

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