Edison Rewards Risk of Sweat
Southern California Edison has a program that allows customers with central air conditioning to receive a break on summer electricity bills.
It’s officially known as the “residential air-conditioning cycling program.” Customers who enroll permit Edison to electronically turn off their air conditioner for up to six hours when hot weather creates an excessive demand for electricity. In return, these customers get a break on their bill, whether or not Edison turns off their air conditioners.
How much of a break depends on the size of the air-conditioning unit. The average homeowner would realize a monthly savings of $22, or $88 for the four summer months, said Edison spokesman Kevin Kelley.
Edison attaches a device to the air-conditioning unit, which allows the utility to turn off the air conditioner by remote control. It doesn’t affect any other electrical devices.
Edison doesn’t promote the program--which has been offered since 1983--for good reason: The last time it needed to turn off air conditioners was in 1990.
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Now that’s Juras-sick: McDonald’s restaurants are offering dino-size meals as part of a promotional tie-in with the summer blockbuster film, “Jurassic Park.” The meal includes a triple cheeseburger, a generous helping of fries and a 16-ounce Coke.
The challenge is how to eat like a dinosaur without ending up looking like one. The dino-size meal contains 1,250 calories--about 530 calories each for the triple cheeseburger and fries and an additional 300 for the soda.
How much is that? It’s nearly 60% of the calories women should consume daily, and 40% of what is recommended for men.
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It’s your bucks, not Starbucks: In its summer catalogue, the Seattle-based coffee company is selling a “CARE sampler” for $18.95.
“Every time one of these unique samplers is purchased,” the catalogue states, “two dollars goes directly to CARE,” the international relief organization. “Together with our annual grant, your two dollars will help to fund vital programs for children’s health . . . and education.”
In the catalogue, Starbucks offers three other samplers for $16.95 each. A Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed the donation to CARE accounts for the $2 price difference from the non-charity samplers.
The spokeswoman said the coffee company is rewording the text in its upcoming catalogue to make it clear that the customer, not Starbucks, is making the donation.
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Getting de-listed: A state law that took effect Thursday allows Californians to have their names removed from marketing and “preapproved credit” lists generated by credit bureaus.
To get your name removed from the list, call or write one of the three major credit bureaus: TRW, Equifax or Trans Union. The law requires the credit bureaus to establish an 800 number for this purpose, said Beth Givens, project director of the Privacy Rights Clearing House at the University of San Diego.
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Odds and ends: Sprint has started providing bills in Spanish, becoming the first long-distance phone company to do so. . . . Americans are expected to consume 75 million pounds of beef on July 4, 20% more than on an average day, the National Cattlemen’s Assn. said.
