On the rooftop of a strip mall near Hollenbeck Street and the 10 Freeway, burglars stripped six air conditioners of their copper coils in recent weeks. Then they returned to pull apart three more air conditioning units.

Although the thieves may have made about $900 for two nights' work, businesses like World Gym, Dental Fun Zone and several others were left sweltering - and facing an estimated $100,000 in damage, said one expert called in by the West Covina police.

"We have a rash of copper thefts - and not just in our city," said Cpl. Rudy Lopez.

Thefts of copper, aluminum and other metals have increased in recent years as the materials' value has soared, but their worth to the burglars is still far less than the damage done to the victims, authorities said.

The nighttime game lights are dead at Little League fields in Montclair and Hacienda Heights because of copper stolen in the past two weeks.

Watsco, Incorporated Earnings Conference Call (Q4 2007)

Watsco, Inc., along with its subsidiaries, distributes air conditioning, heating, refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies in the United States. Its products primarily comprise residential central air conditioners; light commercial air conditioners; gas, electric, and oil furnaces; commercial air conditioning and heating equipment and systems; and other specialized equipment. The company also offers various parts, including replacement compressors, evaporator coils, motors, and other component parts; and supplies consisting of thermostats, insulation material, refrigerants, ductwork, grills, registers, sheet metal, tools, copper tubing, concrete pads, tape, adhesives, and other ancillary supplies. Watsco operates through approximately 380 locations in 32 states. It distributes its products to contractors and dealers who service the replacement and new construction markets.

Homes blend eco-friendliness, unique design

Theres been quite a buzz around town lately about energy and water conservation practices, and for years so-called green building has been a hit.
However a few homes in Truckee were built eco-friendly, not just to save heat and money, but because theyre just plain interesting.

One with the Earth
Sue and Jeff Cauhape have been living in their Tahoe Donner, earth berm home for 12 years. The couple maintains that, despite being for-the-most-part covered in dirt, their home is very bright and inviting.
Its not dark inside at all; we were surprised by how much light there was, Sue Cauhape said. We tried to sell it for two years, but I dont think a lot of people get the concept. Its odd, but weve been very comfortable here.
Comfort inside the home can be attributed to its thermal mass the walls absorb and retain heat, so the house requires neither heater nor air conditioner.

Businesses left sweltering, paying big for copper thefts

On the roof of a strip mall near Hollenbeck Street and the 10 Freeway, burglars stripped six air conditioners of their copper coils in recent weeks. Then they returned to pull apart three more.

Although the thieves may have made about $900 for two nights' work, businesses like World Gym, Dental Fun Zone and several others were left sweltering - and facing an estimated $100,000 in damage, said one expert called in by police.

"We have a rash of copper thefts - and not just in our city," said Cpl. Rudy Lopez.

Thefts of copper, aluminum and other metals have increased in recent years as their value has soared, but their worth to the burglars is far less than the damage done to the victims, authorities said.

The nighttime game lights are dead at Little League fields in Montclair and Hacienda Heights because of copper stolen in the past two weeks.

Samsung eyes 22 pc of Indian AC market this year

NEW DELHI: Korean consumer electronic major Samsung is gearing up for the upcoming summer with plans to corner about 22 per cent of the expected 2.25 million home air conditioners market in India.

Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd, the subsidiary of the Korean firm today announced its foray into the capacity segments like 0.8T and 1.6T in split ACs and 1.6T in window ACs by launching a new range comprising 10 different star rated AC models as part of its strategy.

"We expect our split AC volumes to grow from around 50 per cent contribution level witnessed last year to around 58 per cent of our total AC volumes this year," Samsung India Deputy Managing Director R Zutshi said in a statement.

The total AC market in India last year was around 1.8 million units, which is expected to cross over 2.25 million units by the end of this year.

Renault targets ambitious growth in the GCC

The car-maker unveiled its latest product range at the Dubai Motor Show, which took place recently. 'More than 10 new models will be introduced across the region over the next three years,' said Mohamed Bennani, Managing Director of Renault GCC. 'Each model will be fully tested locally and will be adapted to local driving conditions and customer expectations. Reliability and quality of the cars will be of the highest possible standards and effective immediately, our warranty will be extended to three years/ 100 000 kilometres.' Renault, thanks to its alliance with Nissan, is the 4th largest automotive group in the world. With 6m cars sold in 2006, the Renault-Nissan alliance has a 9 per cent market share worldwide. New product line-up Starting in 2008, Renault's new line-up will cover each product segment from Sports Limited Editions, to SUV, to Coupe convertible sedans, including highly reliable MPVs and Sedans.