Chuck Ross » Feature writing

A More Direct Approach

Administrator — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:31:49 +0000

With new generation capacity becoming both more difficult to get approved and expensive to finance, electric utilities are looking at more creative strategies for squeezing inefficiency out of customer-side distribution systems. One idea gaining attention—direct current (DC) distribution—actually represents a step backward to practices common during the days of Thomas Edison. However, new standards and products now under development could bring such designs back into a range of commercial facilities. This article ran in the April 2010 issue of Electrical Contractor magazine.
A More Direct Approach

Onsite Power

Administrator — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:59:16 +0000

The next big idea in renewable energy: Small-scale installations producing power that can be used onsite. Building-integrated systems are evolving from promising to practical, and standards developers are creating the necessary specs required for distributing onsite-generated electricity to specific building systems. This article ran in the March 2010 issue of Architectural Products magazine. The link leads to the magazine’s online reading tool – click the “Enlarge” link under each page to display a full-size page.
Onsite Power

Thinking Outside 40 Acres and a Box

Administrator — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:48:44 +0000

They may seem like one-off luxuries in these economic times, but specialty K-12 schools are becoming a more important component in school planners’ portfolios. Read about the educational opportunities – and design challenges – in this feature that ran in the Jan/Feb issue of Architectural Products magazine. (The link leads to the in the magazine’s online display tool – click on “Enlarge” to view each page full-size.)
Thinking Outside 40 Acres and a Box

Growing Pains – And Gains

Administrator — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:29:47 +0000

It’s the stuff of nightmares for every child of an elderly parent – the phone call in the middle of the night or the middle of your work day: “Your father fell. Your mother’s just not quite right. We think there’s something wrong.”
And suddenly, there you are, with a parent who needs a new home – possibly yours.

This story was a very personal one to report on and write – I received one of those phone calls myself in March 2008. It was written for HomeStyle, a nationally syndicated newspaper feature section produced by Content That Works.

Growing Pains – And Gains (pdf)

Kathy Ireland: Making Time for Christmas

Administrator — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:24:53 +0000

Kathy Ireland spent years as a red-carpet regular during her career as a fashion model and film actress. But during the holiday season, this highly successful businesswoman turns her own spotlight on her family, and she urges other moms – and dads – to do the same.

This profile of how Kathy Ireland has developed her own family holiday traditions will appear in 100-150 newspapers across the U.S. during the 2009 holiday season. It’s the cover story of Holiday Decorating, a feature section syndicated by Content That Works.

Kathy Ireland: Making Time for Christmas

Design/Building Green

Administrator — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:33:32 +0000

Sustainable design and the design/build approach seem to be a match made in an environmentally friendly heaven. Sustainable design is built on the premise that a building is a holistic system, not merely a collection of products and technologies, while design/build emphasizes the importance of working together in teams that incorporate all the knowledge that will go into the structure’s eventual construction. Bringing both philosophies together seems only natural.

This article originally ran in the September 2009 issue of Electrical Contractor magazine.

Design/Building Green

Smarty Plants

Administrator — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:40:49 +0000

Approximately $4 billion of this year’s stimulus package will be dedicated to smart-grid technology deployments and demonstration projects. Of course, $4 billion is only a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of billions needed for a total system overhaul. But this plan could help utilities better understand roadblocks they might face when following through with an effort that some equate with Eisenhower’s interstate highway system plan.

This article, one of the bimonthly Utility Business columns I write for Electrical Contractor magazine, originally ran in July 2009.

Smarty Plants

Fire Sale

Administrator — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:07:06 +0000

It doesn’t take a roomful of economists to make the point that the retail and mixed-use construction markets have, in a word, tanked in the last 12 months. The resulting decline in design demand has left architectural firms scrambling.

This article originally ran in the July 2009 issue of Architectural Products magazine.

Fire Sale

From Chaos to Coccoon

Administrator — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:48:33 +0000

Combat bedroom clutter with 7 tried-and-true secrets from the professionals.

This article ran originally in HomeStyle, a home-and-garden feature section syndicated to 100-150 newspapers across the U.S.

From Chaos to Coccoon

Financing the Future

Administrator — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:13:57 +0000

Renewable-energy technology is advancing at a rapid clip. What’s not widely known is that financing options for those who wish to own/operate solar, wind and other energy-generating equipment are evolving just as quickly. Making sense of your financial choices takes some homework, though, and likely more than a few phone calls, including at least one to your accountant.

This article is one of a continuing series in the Electrical Design Library published by the National Electrical Contractors Association.

Financing the Future