President Barack Obama and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced on June 29 aggressive actions to promote energy efficiency and save U.S. consumers billions of dollars per year. Share and Enjoy:

Learning proper techniques for lifting and carrying materials will help to reduce the risk of back injuries. → Read more

Despite a constant projected growth in electricity use over the next decade, the peak power demand in the United States could be held essentially steady, according to a new report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Achieving that feat would involve the widespread use of “smart” meters and utility rates that go up with increasing demand. Share and Enjoy:

Have you looked at doing a lighting retrofit for your building in the past, and decided not to proceed because the rebates were not large enough? It’s time to take a second look. → Read more

The importance of bonding and grounding in commercial, industrial, and solar installations cannot be overstated. → Read more

Here at Harmon Electric Inc. and Harmon Solar, it is required by all our installers, to wear at all times while on the job site, a class ‘E’ hard hat. → Read more

DOE is awarding up to $22 million in Recovery Act funds to 24 projects that will aim to cut the costs of solar cells and modules. The agency will also offer up to $27 million to develop the nation’s infrastructure for solar installation training, with $5 million coming from the Recovery Act. Share and Enjoy:

Here at Harmon Electric in the Estimating department we get to see a lot of different projects that are out for bid, from typical T.I. remodels in strip malls to Medical/Dental facilities with Exam rooms & Patient care areas to Linear Accelerators & CT Scan machines. With this wide array of facilities I have noticed that the specs are calling out for more stringent requirements, from 3/4 “ minimum sized conduit specified, to dedicated neutrals required for all circuits. These requirements can add quite a bit of cost to an otherwise standard project. When the economy is down like it … → Read more

Safety at work is not something any one should take lightly. In years past, employers have had to deal with not only having employee’s getting hurt from unsafe work conditions – but they also dealt with employee’s losing their lives from unsafe working conditions. That was years ago, now we have the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a part of the United States Department of Labor. OSHA was developed to force employers to provide a much healthier and safer work environment for all employees. If you are an employer, you must follow the regulation’s found in the 29CFR Part … → Read more

According to the nightly news, the recession seems to have taken a break for the summer.  Not completely surprising, Arizona is one of the states hit hardest by the recent trends in our economy.  You may think that this is a time where you should be cautious with your money and let the markets calm down.  Let me suggest an alternative.  In this economy, the buyer is in a better position than in many years past.  Any investment dollar you might spend can go much farther than only two years ago.  Industries are hungry for your business and you will … → Read more

DOE will hold the 2009 Solar Decathlon from October 9-18 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Solar Decathlon is a biennial competition where 20 teams of university students develop fully-functional houses that draw all their energy from the sun. Share and Enjoy:

Alternative energy sources are growing. In 2008, for the first time, worldwide investment in alternative energy sources drew more investors than fossil fuels, netting $155 billion in net capital inflows against $110 billion of new investment in oil, natural gas and coal. This is helping to drive the price down for alternative energy systems. Wind power has traditionally been the largest driving force in alternative energy in the United States. Systems can be constructed quickly, but are notoriously expensive. Solar on the other hand is getting cheaper. Some analysts are predicting solar photovoltaic prices could fall as much as 43 … → Read more

Change out your light bulbs with more efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL’s). It’s a simple way to reduce your lighting costs, but is it “Greener”? → Read more