Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Pima County Sheriff's Department safe Halloween event for kids

According to a news release from the Pima County Sheriff's Department;

Join the department's 16th annual "Safe Nights for Kids" from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday at Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way.

Admission is free. Pizza, soda, games, contests, a haunted house, puppet show and lots of candy will be on hand.

For more information, contact Sgt. James Odgen at 351-4679, Sgt. George Reis at 351-6979 or Sgt. Gerard Moretz at 351-6164.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Save money by turning off home / office electronics

Heard a quick story on the radio this morning, and did a little research on the internet. Did you know 3/4 of the power used by home and office electronics are used when the devices are turned off? Here is some information we collected from Wikipedia and the U.S. Department of Energy website

Heard a quick story on the radio this morning, and did a little research on the internet. Did you know 3/4 of the power used by home and office electronics are used when the devices are turned off? Here is some information we collected from Wikipedia and the U.S. Department of Energy website

In the U.S., nearly 4.2 million people worked from home in 2000, up from 3.4 million in 1990. Working from home saves energy and time by cutting out the commute, but it may increase your home energy bills a lot unless you use energy-saving office equipment

Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off. These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.

There are a few simple methods to reduce standby power. The easiest way to do that is to simply unplug the unused devices. Replacing battery powered devices, such as cordless phones or rechargeable razors with corded alternatives not only cuts down on the standby power required to charge the battery, but also reduces energy lost in battery charging and discharging inefficiencies.To switch off several devices that are often used together such as a PC, a monitor and a printer it is advisable to use a switchable power bar or surge protector with multiple sockets.Timers can be used to turn off standby power to devices that are unused on a regular automated schedule.

Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.

There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.

Common misconceptions sometimes account for the failure to turn off equipment. Many people believe that equipment lasts longer if it is never turned off. This incorrect perception carries over from the days of older mainframe computers.

Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.

http://www.free-pc-help.com/Articles.php?action=detail&g=content1224678566

Friday, October 10, 2008

Home and Garden Show

Brought to you by the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association

October 10, 11 & 12, 2008
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
Admission tickets are $8 and half price for 50 and over on Friday. Military discounts will be available all days. Children 12 and under are free. For under 50 on Friday and for admission Saturday and Sunday, $2 off admission coupons are available at sahbahomeshow.com and all local Circle K Stores.


The Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) welcomes you to visit Arizona’s largest home show. With over 350,000 square feet of exhibit space and 450 merchants under ONE roof at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 South Church Avenue, you’ll discover thousands of exciting ideas for your home! And because this is your local, home town home show, you have the confidence of knowing that the business will be here to deliver the services and products.

SAHBA home show

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

New Residential Trash and Recycling Schedule

Effective November 10, 2008, Environmental Services (ES) will be implementing a new collection schedule. The new schedule will affect residential and commercial customers with plastic container service for trash and/or recycling service, including shared alley containers. The schedule is being changed in order to maximize the efficient use of collection equipment and staff. Trash and recycling will no longer be collected on Saturdays, except during holiday weeks. ES expects the new schedule will result in increased quality of service. Due to the schedule change, customers with plastic containers may see a change in their collection time. To ensure service, containers should be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on collection day.


If you have questions, please contact Customer Service at (520) 791-3171.




New Residential Trash and Recycling Schedule
http://www.tucsonaz.gov/esd/newcollect.html

New geothermal assessment of U.S.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey released the first national geothermal resource estimate in more than 30 years.

The results of this assessment show that the United States has an estimated 9,057 Megawatts-electric (MWe) of power generation potential from domestic, conventional, identified geothermal systems, 30,033 MWe of power generation potential from conventional, undiscovered geothermal resources, and 517,800 MWe of power generation potential from unconventional (high temperature, low permeability) Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) resources.

Arizona is shown as having only 0.29% of the currently identified geothermal assessments, 3.47% of the unknown resources, and 10.56% of the enhanced geothermal resource potential identified.

http://arizonageology.blogspot.com/2008/10/new-geothermal-assessment-of-us.html