Home Entertainment & Automation Services in Matthews, NC.
Home Entertainment & Automation Services in Matthews, NC.
Home audio and Video Services in Matthews, NC.  TV installation, Surround Sound, Home Entertainment Systems
Why Energy Efficiency Starts at Home

C.I.S. is the Carolina's #1 Authorized Retailer/Installer of Lutron & HAI Energy Saving Devices

C.I.S. is the Carolina's #1 Authorized Retailer/Installer of Lutron & HAI Energy Saving Devices

It’s time we took energy efficiency personally.

Consider the following stats:

-Over 70 percent of U.S. electricity is generated by burning coal, petroleum, or natural gas, all fossil fuels that emit carbon into the atmosphere when burned. Coal alone provides 44 percent of U.S. electricity and the majority of greenhouse gases. Source: DOE

-Homes and commercial buildings use 72 percent of U.S. electricity, and homes use 51 percent of that. Source: EPA

-There are approximately 126 million homes in the United States, which equates to an annual emission from homes alone at approximately 1.3 billion metric tons of carbon. Source: US Census Bureau 2006

-According to the National Home Energy Efficiency Program (NHEEP), the U.S. housing stock wastes more energy than any other sector in the world.

So why are environmentalists, policy makers and others focused on reducing the energy output of industry, transportation and the commercial sector? It’s true that we can make huge gains by making our power and manufacturing plants, cars and commercial buildings much more efficient. But many of us forget to include our homes in the energy efficiency equation. And this, I am convinced, is the primary reason why we are not seeing the efficiency gains we’d like in these other sectors.

A recent New York Times article, “Doing More While Using Less Power,” throws around a bunch of conflicting energy efficiency projections. And other articles on the subject typically state projections in the billions and trillions—collective numbers that few can comprehend, not to mention the fact that wildly varied projections stretch into 2020 or 2030 or 2050—times few us can comprehend, especially when most of us are trying to survive in an economically scary 2010.

The Times article also laments the fact that some businesses, while they could save millions on energy efficiency initiatives, remain hesitant to do so. “Perhaps the biggest barrier to maximizing energy efficiency is the natural reluctance of people to try something new,” the article opines.

That may well be true. In both business and politics, anything new poses risk, and risk is not typically welcome in economically troubled times.

But maybe, just maybe, the hesitation people have with all this energy efficiency stuff is that they are not personally invested in it. And of course they are—if we continue on our wasteful ways we will all have stakes in inflated energy costs and a deteriorating climate. But people don’t feel they are invested in it—and that is the problem.

The sad part is, people have reason not to be personally invested in energy efficiency: We throw incomprehensible numbers at them—billions and trillions—as well as incomprehensible terms like BTUs and kilowatt hours—and dates that extend far into the future, which more likely inhibits a sense of urgency in the matter. We say we should set policy in industry and in the commercial sector and in transportation—and soon the entire matter is in someone else’s hands—not our own. The problem becomes so much larger than each individual. Instead, we need to personalize energy efficiency and give everyone a stake in it.

The numbers above prove we should start our energy efficiency efforts in the home. So why aren’t we doing it?

The Real Prius Effect

Say what you will about the Toyota Prius—I say you can do the planet better by turning lights off in your home—but the hybrid electric car does one thing amazingly well: It puts energy efficiency in the face of its driver, with a large screen-based readout that makes saving gasoline like a video game. The Prius may not be the best choice for saving the planet, but it manages to personalize energy efficiency and gives its users a real stake in it.

And here’s another story, which for many actual people may be far more convincing than a bunch of incomprehensible numbers. I was at a Little League game this summer, the day an energy-efficiency appliance rebate program ran in my state, and the very blue-collar, probably not so energy-efficient granddad in front of me said, “Yeah, we bought a new washing machine and a new refrigerator—and you know what? It’s going to use half as much electricity as the one we had!” He was as excited about the energy efficiency as he was about his rebate—if not more so. And the funny thing was, the scene repeated itself the very next week with another person who suddenly started thinking about energy efficiency. That is personalizing it. And that is why our energy efficiency efforts should start in the home—with real people and not vague corporate or government entities. Involve real people in energy efficiency, and we will start to get real results.

by Steven Castle

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/why_energy_efficiency_starts_at_home/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – ”We may be a few dollars more than the competition, but we are a million times better”.

Posted in Automation, HAI, lighting control, Lutron Radio Ra II, News, Structured Wiring, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


LED TVs Are Taking Over

C.I.S. is the Carolina's #1 Authorized Samsung LED Dealer

Custom Installation Services is the Carolina's #1 Authorized Samsung LED Dealer

Look for rapid growth and falling prices in LED display market, report says.

Think you’re seeing more LED TVs today? You’ve seen nothing yet, according to the latest Quarterly LED Backlight Panel Shipment and Forecast Report by DisplaySearch.

LCD TV panel makers are targeting aggressive growth for LED panels, with Samsung and Sharp aiming to ship more LED-based LCD TVs than CCFL panels in the fourth quarter of this year, states the report. And prices will continue to drop.

Manufacturers of LED panels plan to reach 40 percent LED penetration in the fourth quarter this year (see table below), and to exceed 50 percent in quarter two of 2011, adds the report. Penetration is highest among leading LCD TV panel makers, including Samsung, LG Display, AUO, Sharp, and Chimei Innolux. Sharp is the only one focusing on direct-type LED backlights, as opposed to the more common edge-lit structure.

“LCD TV panel prices fell quickly in Q3’10 due to oversupply and inventory adjustments downstream. However, LED panel prices are falling even faster than CCFL,” notes David Hsieh, Large-Area LCD Research Team Leader and Vice President of the Greater China Market for DisplaySearch. “Panel makers are expecting to grow their shipments through the end of the year as LED panel prices and end-market retailer prices of LED LCD TVs fall rapidly.”

DisplaySearch also found that many system integrators or brands that have their own LCD module assemblies are also buying LCD cells from panel makers such as Chimei Innolux and AUO, and then assembling the LED backlight with their own design. The backlight, module, and system integration business models of leading manufacturers are helping to drive rapid LED penetration.

The Quarterly LED Backlight Panel Shipment and Forecast Report also examined LED panel shipment and penetration in desktop monitor and notebook PC panels. LED penetration for desktop monitor panels shipped in the second quarter of 2010 was 13.1 percent, and panel makers have set targets to exceed 30 percent by the end of the year. LG Display, AUO and Chimei Innolux are leading in LED monitor panel shipments. In terms of notebook PCs, LED penetration soared to 92 percent in the second quarter.

by Steven Castle

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/led_tvs_are_taking_over/news_tvs

Custom Installation Services, LLC – ”We may be a few dollars more than the competition, but we are a million times better”.

Posted in 3d movies, Flat Panel TV's, Home Theater, LED, Media Rooms, News, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


Onkyo Adds 3D-Ready Pre-Pro, Blu-ray Player with Blockbuster VOD

Charlotte's #1 Authorized Onkyo Dealer is CIS!

CIS is Charlotte's #1 Authorized Onkyo Dealer.

Onkyo will ship three THX-certified components in September 2010.

Onkyo will ship three new THX-certified components in September 2010, including its first multichannel preamp-processor that is also 3D-ready, a 150-watt nine-channel amplifier, and a next-generation Blu-ray player.

The flagship PR-SC5508 ($2,199) is a THX-Ultra 2 Plus certified, network-capable, 9.2-channel audio-video controller that is 3D-ready with an HDMI 1.4 interface. The PR-SC5508 also features:

-HQV Reon-VX video processing and 1080p upscaling
-ISF Video Calibration
-DLNA 1.5 and Windows 7 compatible connection to PC audio and Internet radio
-Pandora, Rhapsody, Mediafly, Slacker, Napster, VTuner, and Sirius Internet Radio

Connectivity on the PR-SC5508 includes 8 HDMI inputs, dual USBs, two balanced line-level XLR audio inputs, and nine XLR preamp outputs.

The matching PA-MC5500 ($1,699) nine-channel power amplifier is THX-Ultra2 Plus certified and is 8-ohm rated at 150 Watts per channel, and up to 400 Watts dynamic power into 3 ohms. It features Onkyo’s WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) design for “low negative feedback, low distortion, extended frequency response, and a power supply with high instantaneous-current capability.”

Other features of the PA-MC5500:

-A three-stage inverted Darlington circuit to remove distortion
-Balanced line-level XLR inputs
-Anti-resonant chassis and gold-plated inputs and outputs
-Multi-zone and bi-amp capability

The Onkyo BD-SP808 ($599) is a THX- and DLNA 1.5-certified Blu-ray player that offers Blockbuster On Demand, Marvel Qdeo video scaler and Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio sound.

The Profile 2.0 BD-SP808 has an Ethernet port for BD-Live features, including picture-in-picture and web-based firmware updates. There’s an SD card slot for playback of downloaded web content, and HDMI Source Direct mode outputs video signals in their native resolution.

by Steve Crowe

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/onkyo_adds_3d-ready_pre-pro_blu-ray_player_with_blockbuster_vod/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – ”We may be a few dollars more than the competition, but we are a million times better”.

Posted in 3d movies, Audio Systems, Blu-ray, Home Theater, Media Rooms, News, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


Custom Installation Services, LLC | P.O. Box 132 Matthews, NC 28106 | 704-400-8701 | dmiller@cis-nc.com
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