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Liz Paradise — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:19:59 +0000

In a world of smart technology you are now able to control your lights from anywhere using your smartphone, stream music to a speaker using Alexa (or Google Assistant or Siri), and even automate and control small applications throughout your home. Smart upgrades make your home not only more convenient but more efficient as well.

Selecting the right products to create your own "smart home" doesn't have to be overwhelming or intimidating. Your home too can be full of cool gadgets just like the Jetsons' family home.

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Liz Paradise — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:58:20 +0000

5 Easy Ways To Make Your Home Smarter

Selecting the right products to create your own "smart home" doesn't have to be overwhelming or intimidating. Your home too can be full of cool gadgets just like the Jetsons' family home.

Here are 5 simple upgrades to make your home smarter

Smart Thermostat

Although thermostats have been around for ages, it was only a matter of time before we had smart thermostats on the market.

You can now increase the comfort of your home while also saving energy with smart thermostats. Most smart thermostats can be controlled from anywhere using your mobile device or other Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets.

LED Downlight

A downlight that does it all is exactly what you need in your home. A smart downlight will allow you to have total lighting control including dimming, tunable color temperature and programming to set a scene or mood. And if that wasn't enough, you can upgrade to a voice control speaker downlight with Alexa Built-In where you can stream your favorite music, and control any smart home device that works with Alexa. These downlights have so much to offer and will be a great solution to create your smart home ecosystem.

Smart Dimmers

Dimmers are a crucial component of any well-planned lighting plan. A smart dimmer switch allows you to adjust the level of brightness of the lights in any room at any time and can create the ambiance you desire. Most smart dimmers can be controlled directly and remotely when properly paired.

Plug-In Outlets

With a smart plug in outlet you can control your small applications from anywhere. You can manage them individually or as a room with a single button push. Create schedules, scenes and customize your experience as desired. Take it one step further and add an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant device to use voice commands like, "Alexa, turn the floor fan on".

Smart Home Monitor

When upgrading your home, we continue to search for more ways to keep tabs on our home activity and how to save money. Adding a smart home monitor will do just that. This type of device will help you keep tabs on your home by alerting you when electrical applications are on or off in the home, as well as monitoring home energy in real time.

Benefits to making your home smarter

A fully integrated smart home is easy to achieve with connected home products. In addition to offering convenience and flexibility, they have several long-term advantages as well.

Some benefits include:

A smart thermostat allows you to increase the comfort of your home from wherever you are and also helps you to save energy.
Smart downlights offer you total control over lighting from dimming to tunable color temperature to setting a scene.
Smart dimmers are a crucial upgrade to making your home smarter. Smart dimmers allow you to adjust the level of brightness of the lights in any room at any time.
Smart plug-in outlets make managing small applications easier than ever. By using these devices you can control individual applications, schedule them, and turn them on and off with a single button press.
With a smart home monitor, you can take control of your energy usage through the integration of smart devices.

There are numerous benefits to making smart upgrades to your home that will make pay off in the long run. Want to get started on making your home smarter but not sure where to start? We've got your back. Check out our suggested products to get you started.

Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI)

Colin — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 15:24:22 +0000

The Copper Monthly Metals Index (MMI) picked up by 12.6% for this month’s reading, as the copper price surged to a 10-year high last month.

The MetalMiner Best Practice Library offers a wealth of knowledge and tips to help buyers stay on top of metals markets and buying strategies.

Copper price rise

The copper price picked back up in February after China’s Lunar New Year celebration (a traditionally slower time of year for economic activity in the country).

The LME three-month price surged to $9,563 per metric ton, reaching an approximately 10-year high. Since then, however, the price has pulled back. The three-month price closed Thursday at $9,048 per metric ton.

“This is a classic overbought market in which traders sought to take some profits,” MetalMiner CEO Lisa Reisman explains. “With the exception of tin, all of the non-ferrous metals traded down. And though nickel looks weaker (as does lead), most of the non-ferrous metals remain in their uptrend, as does the ferrous metals complex.”

Earlier today, MetalMiner’s Stuart Burns touched on the trajectory of oil prices. As readers of our Annual Outlook — for which we released our March update earlier this week — know, oil prices are a key economic factor MetalMiner considers when analyzing commodities markets.

“Copper has taken much of its cue from oil prices, which remain at or around $65/barrel along with strong demand buoyed by the stimulus package just passed in the US House of Representatives,” Reisman adds. “Moreover, copper has very strong fundamentals — strong demand and not as much supply — which forms the basis of the copper narrative.”

Copper mine production slips 0.2%, supporting copper price

Last month, the International Copper Study Group reported global copper mine production fell by 0.2% through the first 11 months of 2020.

Concentrate production rose by 0.4%, while solvent extraction-electrowinning dropped by 2.2%.

Chile, the top copper producer, saw its output relatively unchanged from the previous year.

Peru, meanwhile, the No. 2 copper producer, saw significant impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic earlier in the year. Peruvian copper mine production dropped by 13.5% during the first 11 months of the year.

Refined copper production, however, rose by 1.8% during the aforementioned period.

As the rest of the world ramps up its economic recovery, demand for copper will only increase (as its strength over the last year is in large part derived from China’s economic recovery).

According to consulting company GlobalData, however, copper mine production will likely bounce back this year. In turn, this could depress the copper price.

GlobalData forecast copper production to rise by 5.6% in 2021, in part due to growth in Chile, Peru, Australia, Indonesia and the US.

In Peru, the pandemic disrupted activity at the Antamina mine, which sat in active during April and May. Production at Antamina fell 23.6% year over year during the first nine months of 2020, GlobalData reported . Meanwhile, Freeport-McMoRan idled the Cerro Verde mine for nearly three weeks between March and April.

Glencore copper output flat; BHP forecasts tight market

Meanwhile, miner Glencore reported its 2020 copper output would have been flat when excluding its Mutanda operation, which it placed on care and maintenance.

In total, however, Glencore’s copper output reached 1,258.1 kt, or down 8% year over year.

“Own sourced copper production of 1,258,100 tonnes was 113,100 tonnes (8%) lower than 2019, mainly reflecting Mutanda being on care and maintenance in 2020 (partly offset by Katanga’s successful ramp-up), with Covid-19 related suspensions being a much smaller factor,” Glencore said.

Elsewhere, miner BHP last month released its fiscal year 2020 economic and commodity outlook. The miner expects the demand-supply balance for copper to remain “relatively tight.”

“The storyline for copper in the first half of calendar 2020 was a balanced blend of industry specific fundamental factors and swings in broader macro sentiment,” BHP’s outlook notes. “The second half was less balanced, with specific fundamental factors taking a relative back seat to general macroeconomic tailwinds.

“Copper demand trends in China (roughly half of refined demand) have been starkly different to the rest of the world. Chinese semis demand was flat in calendar 2020, while ex–China markets declined by –9 per cent.”

Actual metals prices and trends

China copper scrap fell 0.6% month over month to $5,929 per metric ton as of March 1. China primary cash copper rose by 16.1% to $10,466 per metric ton.

The LME three-month copper price surged by 15.8% to $9,121.

Copper producer grades 110 and 122 rose by 12.1% to $4.92 per pound. Grade 102 rose by 11.5% to $5.14 per pound.

5 Easy Ways To Make Your Home Smarter

Elizabeth Barrera — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 20:20:04 +0000

Selecting the right products to create your own "smart home" doesn't have to be overwhelming or intimidating. Your home too can be full of cool gadgets just like the Jetsons' family home.

Here are 5 simple upgrades to make your home smarter

Smart Thermostat

Although thermostats have been around for ages, it was only a matter of time before we had smart thermostats on the market. You can now increase the comfort of your home while also saving energy with smart thermostats. Most smart thermostats can be controlled from anywhere using your mobile device or other Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets.

Benefits to making your home smarter

A fully integrated smart home is easy to achieve with connected home products. In addition to offering convenience and flexibility, they have several long-term advantages as well.

Some benefits include:

A smart thermostat allows you to increase the comfort of your home from wherever you are and also helps you to save energy
Smart downlights offer you total control over lighting from dimming to tunable color temperature to setting a scene
Smart dimmers are a crucial upgrade to making your home smarter. Smart dimmers allow you to adjust the level of brightness of the lights in any room at any time
Smart plug-in outlets make managing small applications easier than ever. By using these devices you can control individual applications, schedule them, and turn them on and off with a single button press
With a smart home monitor, you can take control of your energy usage through the integration of smart devices

Featured Products

LUTRON®
Smart Thermostat

JUNO®
LED Downlights

LEVITON®
Smart Dimmers

LUTRON®
Smart Dimmers

LEVITON®
Smart Outlets

SQUARE D™
Smart Home Monitor