Hey there,
I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. Those who have had enough of the heat will not have long to wait until the winter cold starts to creep in. For those who prefer the heat and are not looking forward to the winter (like myself), well... start preparing your heaters.
I was forwarded an email from my wife, who is a director for
AACI, in which the lady claims that the Electric Company is not honoring it's commitment (by law) to give a 50% discount to senior citizens. The discount was supposed to become effective starting the middle of the month of September 2007, and therefore
it should show up on the bill just sent out. It seems that there are a few cases that have come up so far, where the discount was not given. The email goes on saying that, "Attempts to rectify the situation were first met with a total brush off. Only after an insistent call was placed did they agree to refund the discount, but only on the next bill in two months. That agreement was verbally stated. The Electric Company refused to back up the promise with an e-mail."
I'm not so sure that this whole topic isn't just a glitch in the system, and that the Electric Company won't straighten everything out by the next bill at the latest. All I can suggest is that all those who are senior citizens, or who have parents, friends or relatives that are
senior citizens, take a look at your October bill and see if the discount is included. If you have not received your discount, give the Electric Company a call to find out why. Depending on the outcome, you may just want to wait for your refund to come or maybe register a complaint to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, with a copy to the State Comptroller.
Personally speaking, I think that there is too much noise being made before all the facts are in. But hey...that's just me. :-)
Have a good day.
JZK
|
|
|
Electric Space Heaters
With the winter rolling in, many are already thinking about how they are going to heat their home. Some are fortunate enough to have central heating,
while others will have to rely on other solutions. Even those who use central heating will think twice before turning on the whole system just to heat
up one small room or area. One solution that many people turn to are electric space heaters. For the most part, electric space heaters are cheap, and
efficient solutions. To learn more about the differences between the different types of electric space heaters
continue reading:
"Electric Space Heaters".
http://www.megavolt.co.il/Tips_and_info/heaters.html
Ceiling Fans
Ok. ok. I realize that now is probably not the best time to talk about ceiling fans, although ceiling fans can help a lot in the winter time by bringing
the heat down from very high ceilings to the living area.
"Ceiling Fans" will explain what to look for when buying a ceiling fan, and how to know what size
to buy.
http://www.megavolt.co.il/Tips_and_info/ceilingfans.html
Timely Tips
Avi Goldstein is back with his appliance tip for the month. Want to know how to keep your dryer in good shape? Continue on to
"Timely Tips
#2".
http://www.megavolt.co.il/Tips_and_info/timelytips2.html
New 100,000 hour OLED - to a new 30 year battery - to clothing that will charge our devices
Among the interesting articles that were added to the site this month, are three which I personally will be keeping an eye on.
A company called "Novaled" who have developed an OLED device (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) with an efficiency of 35 lm/W,
and a lifetime of above 100,000 hours. Interested? Continue on to "Novaled Reaches 100,000h Lifetime For A Highly Efficient White OLED"
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory is funding research for a new battery technology that will give us batteries with a lifespan of 30 years. Read all about it in "Scientists Invent 30 Year Continuous Power Laptop Battery".
Imagine being able to use electronic devices by simply plugging them in to your clothing. Well that's what we may have in the near future
if CSIRO have their way. What exactly are they talking about? Read on at: "$4.4 Million for Clever Clothing"
|
HOT OFF THE PRESS
|
| |
Smart car seat detects drowsy drivers
Researchers from the University of Tokyo, Oita University, the Shimane Institute of Health Science and Delta Tooling, an industrial equipment
manufacturer, have developed a prototype smart car seat capable of detecting when its occupant is on the verge of falling asleep. The seat is
equipped with a pair of pulse-monitoring pressure sensors in the seat-back and a set of respiration-monitoring sensors underneath.
Read on...
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/03/smart-car-seat-detects-drowsy-drivers/
Cell Phones Dangerous At !00 Feet !
Those who are interested in the dangers of using cell phones will find this blog right up their alley.
Some excerpts:
Two hours per day on a cell phone, and that side of your brain never cools off.
Every 5-15 seconds your cell phone checks in with its tower, so wherever it is on your body gets a blast of microwaves 4 or five times per minute.
Benign tumors are on the rise and expected to rise dramatically within the next 5-10 years. (Most will be brain tumors)
Your portable phone has similar dangers if it operates in gigahertz frequencies.
Read on...
http://lifetechnologynews.blogspot.com/2007/10/cellphones-dangerous-at-00-feet.html
Brand New Sun in Israel
A unique concept in solar energy, a miniature concentrating photovoltaic (MCPV) unit that captures and concentrates the sun’s light and heat to generate electricity. The genius of this concept is not so much in having invented something new as in having put together a variety of elements in a simple, streamlined system.
http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2007/10/brand-new-sun-in-israel.html
German Scientists Invent Mind-Reading Machine
Researchers at Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience have created the ultimate gadget, a device that can read people's minds. The donut-shaped contraption is basically a souped up MRI that scans the prefrontal cortex region of your brain (which is where decisions are made) and then predicts actions before you make them.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/german-scientists-invent-mind+reading-machine-242008.php
|
TIP OF THE MONTH
|
| |
|
When installing a ceiling fan with a light fixture, it is usually better to install a double switch on the wall to control the fan and light
(even though it may involve adding another wire), rather than use the pull chains, provided on the fan,
constantly. Not only are these switches less convenient
to use, they are usually not as robust as the wall
switches, causing them to wearout/break much easier. Also, the switches
on the fan are usually much harder to find and purchase when it's time to replace.
|
|
|
