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Southern California Edison Offers Tips on Staying Safe Around Electricity at HomePosted on: 2011-05-12
ROSEMEAD, Calif., May 12, 2011 — May is National Electrical Safety Month and Southern California Edison (SCE) and the Electrical Safety Foundation International urge a healthy respect for electricity and increased awareness of electrical hazards.
Annually, nearly 51,000 home fires involving electrical failure or malfunction injure more than 1,400 people in the United States and cause more than $1.3 billion in property damage. Nearly 400 people are electrocuted.
“We’re pleased to be part of the national effort to raise awareness about potential work and home electrical hazards and the importance of electrical safety,” said William Messner, SCE acting director, Corporate Environment, Health and Safety. “We have a tremendous reliance on electricity due to the convenience it offers. But we should be aware of its hazards and how to be safe around it.”
SCE recommends these simple safety rules:
• Put plastic safety caps in unused wall outlets to prevent children from pushing objects into outlet openings.
• Never remove the third prong from a three-pronged plug. The third prong grounds electricity. If you don’t have three-hole outlets, adapters are available at the hardware store.
• Repair or replace damaged or brittle electrical cords. They can cause shorts, shocks or electrical fires. Check appliances to make sure cords are in good condition.
• Use electrical cords properly. To avoid damaging cords, remove them from outlets by pulling the plug, not the cord. Never attach a cord to another surface with nails or staples, which can break the insulation. Avoid kinking, twisting, binding or walking on cords.
• Use ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs, to protect yourself from shock. These special outlets prevent electric shock by detecting electrical faults and shutting off electricity to the outlet when necessary. They are especially important in kitchens, bathrooms and other places where water is present.
• Keep water away from electricity and electrical appliances.
• Know how to safely care for and replace fuses and how to reset circuit breakers.
Information on electrical safety can be found at www.sce.com/safety.
Website:www.sce.com/safetyEmail:sherineely@lagrant.com -
Did you feel that???Posted on: 2005-01-28Think you just felt an earthquake? They happen almost daily-Confirm your suspicions-visit this activity site to find out if you really DID just feel a tremor.Website:www.data.scec.org/recenteqs.html -
Got Traffic???Posted on: 2005-01-28Check out this Sig Alert site to find out if your commute is going to be a smooth ride or a nightmare.Website:www.sigalert.com -
West Nile Virus InformationPosted on: 2005-01-28CA Dept. of Health Services
West Nile Virus Hotline 877-968-2473Website:www.westnile.ca.gov/facts.htm -
ADOPT A HOMELESS PET!Posted on: 2005-01-28This is Scooter, he and many dogs like him are looking for a good home. We have puppies, kittens, and adult animals too. We show our animals in different locations, but about twice a month you can find us at the Pet Pantry in Thousand Oaks. (1760 W. MOORPARK)
Nothing is more rewarding than giving an abandoned pet a good home!
For contact info and a list of pets currently available for adoption, click on the link below.
Website:www.connectapet.petfinder.com -
SCE Offers Ways to Put a Chill on High Summer BillsPosted on: 2011-08-19ROSEMEAD, Calif., Aug. 19, 2011 To combat the bills that accompany the high summer temperatures forecast for the next several days, Southern California Edison (SCE) offers solutions to save energy and money, and help the environment.
Our first priority is keeping our customers safe and comfortable, while ensuring grid reliability during hot summer days, said Gene Rodrigues, SCEs director of Customer Energy Efficiency and Solar. We offer a suite of programs for residential and business customers that can help slash electricity usage, and keep bills down.
One way customers can escape the heat without worrying about running up cooling bills is to come to an SCE Cool Center, open in community buildings during extremely hot days. Cool centers are for everyone, especially those at risk of getting a heat-related illness. More information is at www.sce.com/coolcenters.
SCE, which leads the nation utilities in energy efficiency and is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others for its groundbreaking work, suggests these easy ways to cut electricity usage this summer:
Keep air conditioning set at 78 degrees or higher, cool only the areas in the home that are being used, and turn the AC off when you leave. A 3-ton central air conditioner can cost an average of $80 when running four hours per day. To get the most from your air conditioner, regularly clean or replace the filters. A room will cool considerably when you close the drapes and use a fan.
Swap incandescent bulbs for CFLs and immediately see a savings of 75 percent of your lighting bill. In addition, CFLs hardly emit any heat, and that reduces the temperature inside the home. SCE works with manufacturer to buy down the cost of CFLs in its service territory so that cost wont be an issue. CFLs also now come in many different light qualities and sizes.
Cook outdoors or use the microwave instead of the stove. Youll not only save on electricity or gas, youll also keep the house cooler. The average cost to run an electric stove is $7.23 per day, when running 45 minutes a day; slow-cookers and electric skillets are more efficient options. To maximize your stoves efficiency, match the cookware to the burner size, use tight-fitting lids, and cover pots when you bring them to a boil.
Letting the pool pump run longer than four to six hours per day wont significantly improve the cleanliness of the water, but it will add to your electricity bill. The average cost per month to run a pool pump six hours a day is about $37. Also, older single-speed models can cost more to run. SCE offers rebates up to $200 for efficient pool pumps.
Take an energy efficiency survey for home or business and get customized solutions that can reduce your monthly electricity bill. Visit www.sce.com/survey for homes and www.sce.com/bizsurvey for businesses.
If youre in the market for new appliances and equipment, look for ENERGY STAR-labeled devices. SCE offers rebates on the following (www.sce.com/rebatesandsavings), and you can check with your city or county for additional incentives:
ENERGY STAR-qualified portable room air conditioner ($20).
Energy-efficient evaporative cooling systems ($300).
Refrigerator and freezer recycling program ($50).
Select an ENERGY STAR-qualified refrigerator ($50).
Variable-speed pool pump and motor ($200).
Air-conditioning maintenance and installation services (up to $2,000).
Rebates for businesses include:
Reflective window film ($1.35/per square foot).
Energy-efficient evaporative coolers ($123 per ton).
Package terminal air conditioners through-the-wall, self-contained and two tons or less ($100 per unit).
For more energy-saving solutions, check out www.sce.com/tips or call SCE at 1-800-736-4777.
Website:www.sce.com/tipsEmail:sherineely@lagrant.com -
Los Angeles African American Community Paves the RoadPosted on: 2011-09-15August 11, 2011 - LOS ANGELES, Calif. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), will be co-hosting its Celebration of Safety program in conjunction with the Buckle Up for Life program, at various churches throughout the Southern Los Angeles area.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for African Americans from birth through 14 years of age and the second leading cause of death for African Americans between 15 and 24 years of age, resulting in three times the incidence rates compared to other children. To address this health disparity, Buckle Up For Life was created by trauma specialists at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, and funded through a grant from Toyota. The program is designed to educate both African American and Hispanic families on the importance of keeping their families safe while driving.
We were seeing a disproportionate number of African American and Hispanic children coming into the hospital with severe crash-related injuries and we knew we had to do something about it, said Dr. Rebeccah L. Brown, Associate Director, Trauma Services at Cincinnati Childrens.
Safety is a priority for Toyota, said Pat Pineda, Toyotas group vice president of national philanthropy. In addition to designing and manufacturing some of the safest vehicles on the road today, we are dedicated to supporting education programs that help drivers and passengers develop responsible habits to protect them on the road at every stage of life.
Buckle Up for Life meets African Americans in their communities, delivering information in a faith-based setting. To date, Toyota, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles have joined together with three local African American churches to deliver safety and prevention education to participants.
Building on the programs initial success in Cincinnati and Los Angeles, Toyota announced on June 28 that it has committed $1 million to launch the program in Chicago, Denver and San Antonio in 2011 and 2012.
What we saw when we began Buckle Up for Life in Greater Cincinnati was that, after participating in the program, the number of adults and children using seat belts and car seats more than doubled. When we saw those results, we knew we had found a successful and sustainable model that was meeting the pressing needs of the community, added Pineda.
The congregations of the various churches selected to participate will be required to devote weeks of Sunday school classes and sermons to learning about critical safety behaviors. These events will serve to educate participants on child passenger safety and injury prevention through free car seat inspections, safety demonstrations and informational booths. Families who did not previously own a child car safety seat will be given one, compliments of the program. Festivities will also include live music, food, giveaways and arts and crafts for the children.
Injury and death due to vehicle-related injuries is preventable, said Dr. Jeffery S. Upperman, Director of Trauma at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. If we can save just one childs life, all of our efforts have been worth it.
About Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is one of the nations leading childrens hospitals and is acknowledged worldwide for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is one of only seven childrens hospitals in the nation and the only childrens hospital on the West Coast ranked for two consecutive years in all 10 pediatric specialties in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and named to the magazines Honor Roll of childrens hospitals.
The Saban Research Institute at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is among the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States, with 100 investigators at work on 186 laboratory studies, clinical trials and community-based research and health services. The Saban Research Institute is ranked eighth in National Institutes of Health funding among childrens hospitals in the United States.
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is a premier teaching hospital and has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932.
www.chla.org/injuryprevention
About Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S. News and World Report's 2011 Best Children's Hospitals ranking. It is ranked #1 for gastroenterology and in the top 10 for all pediatric specialties - a distinction shared by only two other pediatric hospitals in the United States. Cincinnati Children's is one of the top two recipients of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. It is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. Additional information can be found at: www.cincinnatichildrens.org
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants, including one under construction. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.
Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than half a billion dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S.
For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.
Media Contacts:
Tamara Hatcher (Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center)
(513) 636-5638
Tamara.Hatcher@cchmc.org
Zoe Zeigler (Toyota)
(212) 715-7492
zoe_zeigler@tma.toyota.com
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Southern California Edison Helps Spring Cleaning Efforts with $50 for Refrigerator RecyclingPosted on: 2011-04-19ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 30, 2011 — Spring is in the air. The old energy-hog refrigerator is in the garage. To help customers save energy and money on their electricity bills, Southern California Edison (SCE) offers $50 and free pickup to recycle inefficient refrigerators and freezers.
“We’ve helped Southern Californians recycle nearly a million refrigerators. It’s one of the easiest ways to help the environment and to help keep costs down,” said Gene Rodrigues, SCE’s director of Energy Efficiency and Customer Solar. “An extra, old fridge uses twice the energy as a newer model and can waste about $180 a year keeping a six-pack of soda cold.”
Smart shoppers can couple the $50 recycling incentive with SCE’s $50 rebate for buying a new ENERGY STAR-qualified refrigerator. The $50 recycling incentive also can be donated to SCE’s Energy Assistance Fund, which provides grants to customers who are having trouble paying their bills.
Refrigerator Recycling Facts
• A refrigerator uses about 19 percent of a household’s electricity, more than any other appliance.
• A refrigerator or freezer bought before 1993 can use up to 50 percent more than a new Energy Star-qualified model.
• Replacing a 10-year-old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR-qualified model saves enough energy to light the average household for 45 days.
• Disposing of refrigerators in landfills is against California law; proper recycling of the foam insulation and refrigerant in the cooling circuit can prevent the equivalent atmospheric release of of up to five tons of carbon dioxide. Nearly all refrigerator parts and fluids can be recycled.
For more on how to recycle your refrigerator or freezer, and how to get the $50 rebate for buying a new ENERGY STAR-labeled unit, please visit www.sce.com/save or call (800) 810-2015.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/socaledison.
Website:www.sce.com/save -
Why NOW is the Time to Put Your Portfolio in CheckPosted on: 2011-04-07Why NOW is the Time to Put Your Portfolio in Check
Are you still waiting on the sidelines to invest? Have you stopped putting money into your companys 401(k) plan or pulled it out all together based on your best friends advice? Stop listening! With some stock funds up as much as 30%, non-taxable municipal bond funds paying dividends, and many other funds with no front load fees (no upfront commissions), there is no reason to be sitting on the sidelines. Yes, there are fears of rising inflation, but thats all the more reason to invest. Think about, if the commonly accepted historical 3% rate of rate inflation (according to inflationdata.com) is eating away at your savings, how much more sense would it make to invest in mutual funds*. According to data gathered by Essex National Securities, an independent broker dealer, bonds have averaged 5% per year, and stocks have averaged 10% since 1926. So, it's not so hard to see why proper investing can usually beat inflation.
For those who choose to wait or are just too tightfisted to jump back into the market, here are some reasons why hesitation will cost you. Failing to contribute to your companys retirement plan has at least three very negative consequences. First, you lose the battle against inflation in that your current savings will be worth less in the future than it is now. Second, youre missing out on a tax deduction because each dollar you contribute to your retirement is usually pre-taxed so that every dollar you contribute is subtracted from your income reported to the IRS. If your company has a ROTH 401K, you may make post tax contributions in which you still gain the advantage of tax-free withdrawals at retirement. The third reason to contribute is matching employer contributions. Often called Free Money, employer contributions are an excellent way to build your portfolio. While some employees negotiate employer contributions within their individual employment contracts, often times employers will match their employee's contributing funds up to a certain percentage with other variables to consider (salary amount, years with company, etc.).
For the entrepreneurs, who must count on themselves for retirement, starting your own company retirement plan may be very beneficial. In some cases, you may be able to contribute as much as $49,000 per year in certain retirement plans for small business. Also, retirement contributions can be tax deductible for you and your employees. To figure which plan is best for your company, you should always consult a Financial Services Professional and an Accountant.
The best step to take right now is contacting a licensed Financial Services Professional for a review of your finances in order to develop the right portfolio for your individual needs even if your company does offer a retirement plan. Don't let misinformation stop you from putting your portfolio in check.
By Walter Hines,
CEO, Bison Business & Technology Solutions
For more info, you may contact Walter Hines at walter@bisonbiz.com
Walter Hines, Registered Representative of and securities offered through Symetra Investment Services, Inc., DBA in the state of CA as SIS Financial & Insurance Services, 777 108th Avenue NE, Suite 1200, Bellevue, WA, 98004. PH. (800) 469-7667. Bison Business & Technology Solutions is not a subsidiary or an affiliate of Symetra Investment Services, Inc. or SIS Financial & Insurance Services.
*You should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. A prospectus which contains this and other important information about the mutual fund may be obtained from the mutual fund company or your financial professional. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
Website:www.bisonbiz.comEmail:walter@bisonbiz.com -
Southern California Edison to Install Smart Meters in Gateway and South Bay CitiesPosted on: 2011-04-19ROSEMEAD, Calif., April 7, 201l – Southern California Edison (SCE) has started installing smart electric meters in select Gateway and South Bay cities as part of the Edison SmartConnect program. SCE customers are receiving new smart meters that will allow them to take advantage of new programs and services enabled by the meters in the near future.
Communities in the upcoming installation phase include: Compton, Carson, Gardena, Torrance and a small cross-section of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Edison SmartConnect meters are digital, secure, two-way communicating devices that will replace traditional mechanical meters and provide a key step in transforming the electric system to a smart grid. Smart meters measure electricity usage in 15-minute increments for business customers and hourly increments for residential customers.
“Over the past several years, we have focused on developing an industry-leading smart meter program, including extensive testing of our smart meters and associated systems to ensure their quality and performance,” said Ken Devore, director of SCE’s Edison SmartConnect program. “Smart meters will empower our customers to become better managers of their electricity usage through new tools, programs and services that will help them save energy, money and the environment.”
As a next step, SCE will begin providing information on energy usage back to customers, enabling them to make better-informed decisions about their energy use. For example, customers may sign up to receive alerts on a computer, cell phone or other electronic device to track how much energy is being used and how much it costs.
When advanced features are fully activated in the coming years, the meters will be able to communicate with the next generation of smart thermostats, appliances and other devices.
For more information, please go to www.sce.com/smartconnect
Website:www.sce.com/smartconnect. - Southern California Edison Highlights Women in EngineeringPosted on: 2011-04-19ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 30, 2011— She once dreamed of being a commercial pilot, but Ewurabena Mensa-Wood has found her passion as a mechanical engineer at Southern California Edison’s San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, or SONGS.
The Ghana native, who works in SCE’s Plant Engineering group at San Onofre, says airline industry changes after 9/11 led her to reassess her career goals.
“I wanted to be an airline pilot, but my mother guided me toward engineering as a backup profession, because I was good at math,” Mensa-Wood says.
A graduate of London's Queen Mary and Westfield College, and Cal Poly Pomona, Mensa-Wood began working at SONGS in 2002 and hasn't looked back. Working in a male-dominated field is “not a big issue,” she says, and being a minority “is not a hindrance.”
“Men are respectful when women are around and women bring a fresh perspective to the field,” she explains.
As SCE celebrated Women’s History Month in March and now Diversity Month in April, Mensa-Wood has been cited as an outstanding woman engineer and a role model for young women aiming for careers in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.
“Ewurabena Mensa-Wood exemplifies the benefits of a strong education in math and science,” said Veronica Gutierrez, SCE vice president, Corporate Communications. “We hope she inspires a new generation of girls and young women to follow in her footsteps. And to help them achieve their goals, we remain committed to offering educational grants that focus on STEM fields, which will help recruit our workforce of the future.”
Southern California Edison and parent Edison International support educational initiatives that focus on increasing math, science and technology-literacy skills, at the K-12 and college levels. The Edison Scholars program, funded by Edison International, offers up to $10,000 in scholarships in support of the study of math, physics, chemistry, engineering, materials science, computer science or information systems.
For the first time, the number of awardees has been expanded to include students in the 14 states where the company generates and distributes electricity. Requirements also have been changed so recipients may attend any accredited U.S. university.
Mensa-Wood, who regularly tutors high school students in math, has this bit of advice for girls and young women aspiring to be engineers: “I would tell them what my mother told me, ‘You can be whatever you want to be if you put your mind to it.’ Stay focused.”
After all, staying focused helped her achieve a lifelong goal.
“I still followed my dream of flying and got my private pilot’s license,” she says.
For more information about SCE’s commitment to diversity, visit the “community” section on www.SCE.com.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
Website:www.sce.com/community
