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We hope you enjoy our monthly newsletter as much as we enjoy making it available to you. We look forward to sharing stories and ideas that promote our customers, their businesses and how we all work together to come up with solutions to the challenges we face together. We also look forward to hearing from you with your comments, feedback or story ideas to make our newsletter more valuable to you.

Barbara Ragsdale, CFO & Editor

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COMMERCIAL/WINERIES
Night Air Cooling Systems

Long hot days and cool night air are unique climate conditions in the Sonoma and Napa wine regions that help produce world-class wines during the growing season. Cool night air can also be used to keep stored wine at the proper temperature during the hot weather. Night air cooling systems have become a popular alternative to expensive refrigeration systems.

Chateau Diana?s 5000 square foot case good storage building with 2 sets of louvers that open to pull in cool night air.

Chateau Diana's 5000 square foot case good storage building with 2 sets of louvers that open to pull in cool night air.

Gable exhaust fan lets out warm air and shuts when thermostat reaches desired temperature.

Gable exhaust fan lets out warm air and shuts when thermostat reaches desired temperature.

With proper insulation and night air cooling system, Chateau Diana can store wine cases stacked to the ceiling where gable exhaust fan (center) pulls warm air out.

With proper insulation and night air cooling system, Chateau Diana can store wine cases stacked to the ceiling where gable exhaust fan (center) pulls warm air out.
"You could spend $20,000 for refrigeration plus the power to run the system," says Corey Cleland, project manager for Cary & Associates Builders, Inc., referring to a 5,000 square foot case good storage building they recently completed for Chateau Diana in the Dry Creek Valley. The night air cooling system cost much less to install and the long-term power savings will be considerable.

This night air cooling system consists of 2 sets of louvers that open when the outside temperature is lower than the inside temperature of the building. A thermostat setting activates the motorized louvers to open and cooler air is pulled in with exhaust fans. A gable exhaust fan moves warmer air out. The coolest air is captured at night from nearby canyons and retained inside the building with cost-effective fiberglass insulation. Knights' Electric designed and installed the controls for the night air cooling system along with the building lighting and electrical power. Knights' Electric has worked with Cary & Associates Builders, Inc. on other night air cooling systems, including Brown Estates Winery.

In winery barrel rooms a humidifier is linked to the night air cooling system to control evaporation. The humidifier switches off when the fans are on, bringing the room temperature down, and the humidifier then switches on when the desired temperature is reached. A case good storage room does not require a humidifier. When the wine is in the bottle, as opposed to a barrel, conditions are more stabilized, "If the wine in the bottles is 60 degrees and the room reaches 70 degrees during the day, the wine might reach 62 degrees," explains Cleland. Night air cooling systems save money, energy and the wine.
 

RESIDENTIAL
Matt Sweeney ? Knights' Electric's Residential
Project Manager

Matt Sweeney, Knights' Electric Residential Project Manager

Matt Sweeney,
Knights' Electric Residential Project Manager

 
In his career Matt Sweeney figures he has wired 1,000 homes. Early on he was racking up about one per day when he worked for a company that wired tract homes in subdivisions, "It's gone from one a day to more like one a year," jokes Sweeney, not that he's slowed down that much, it has more to do with the nature of the work he now supervises for Knights' Electric's residential department . Upscale, one of a kind, custom homes. Knights' Electric forged a reputation in Marin at exclusive addresses that include Belvedere, Ross, Tiburon and Stinson Beach.

Sweeney, who has 16 years experience in the industry, has been with Knights' Electric for 9 years. Since Knights' Electric ceased work on tract homes, the past seven years have been focused on interior ambient lighting, automated home systems and landscape lighting in pools, waterfalls and trees at exclusive residential homes. "We are continuing to do more and more work in Sonoma County," adds Sweeney.  Knights' Electric has worked on a number of projects in Shiloh Estates.

Master bedroom with cove ceiling lighting and chandelier.

Master bedroom with cove ceiling lighting and chandelier.

 
Sweeney considers himself "very consumer orientated" and often works with the homeowners as well as architects and designers. Many homeowners see these projects as their "dream home" and so they tend to have more input towards the details of design and features. Sweeney feels that Knights' Electric always offers the best choices of top of the line fixtures and products to their customers.

Sweeney also feels that Knights' Electric has a competitive edge in the exclusive custom home market because of their experience and expertise. Sweeney, along with Knights' Electric Vice President Art Knight, is a certified Lutron HomeWorks contractor. Sweeney also attends PEP classes in his continuing professional education but also adds, "Most of my training has come on the job." This has served him well when working with architects on lighting plans, "Typically, an architect has expertise in structural detail and I am able to work with them to produce a lighting plan that compliments the structure." Many times this results in a design/build approach that simplifies and streamlines the plan and the budget.