Solar Electric Companies Show You How To Save Some Coin
September 25, 2009
By John Kitts, CityScoop Staff Writer
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For all of you that are looking to save some serious coin and haven’t thought about installing solar electric panels, now is the time. The prices are dropping, the technology is getting better, and the results are starting to show for others who jumped on the band wagon a while ago. As they say, the proof is in the pudding.
Here are a few points to consider about Solar Electric installations:
The PROS:
Its getting cheaper. The technology is becoming more widespread and there’s less consumer dollars being spent on R & D (research and development). This translates to a cheaper price for the consumer, more competition in the marketplace, and ultimately a better end product.
The technology is through the roof. Or perhaps I should say in the roof. In the early days of solar you had to have a small space ship and landing dock attached to your roof to lure in the rays of the sun. Now the technology has gotten so advanced, now it’s in the roof, literally. They have solar integrated roof tiles that are like mini little solar panels. They provide shelter and energy all in one. From the top you can tell there are special roof tiles on the houses that feature them, but from the ground and from the sides it looks like a regular roof. Pretty slick. I’ve even heard that companies are developing an exterior paint that has solar qualities which can absorb and conduct energy. Amazing!
There’s nothing better than “stickin it to the man.” By stickin it to the man I mean the power companies. Instead of paying that 200 dollar energy bill to your power company, what if you spent that extra money on groceries?
The CONS:
It takes time to pay off the investment. And indeed it can take a while. But in most cases it evens out for the first 10 years or so depending on your package and household energy consumption level, and then starts to pay off. Typically, the money you are saving from your power bill goes into paying for the solar installation, meaning financially you’re breaking even. But after the number of years it takes to pay off your solar loan or investment costs, then you start to profit. Then you’re free from the man!
Haven’s Solar and Electric are professional electricians in San Jose, CA. They author the CityScoop column in San Jose, CA for electrical news. You can visit their CityScoop column by clicking the link below:
Solar Electric Company San Jose, CA
There’s No Easy Answer When It Comes To Family Law And Divorce
September 23, 2009
By John Kitts, CityScoop Staff Writer
When it comes to divorce, family legal issues, child custody matters, spousal and child support, property division, prenuptial agreements, etc, there rarely is a simple answer to any question. You might have one of the follow questions that you really need answered:
How long will my divorce take?
How much money will my spouse receive?
How much money will I receive?
Do I get custody over the children if I earn the most money annually?
These are all very good questions that you might want answered right away. But the problem is that there just isn’t an easy and simple answer. Each situation is different and needs to be addressed individually. It is essential for a divorce lawyer to sit down with each individual and get to the root of the issue. Questions need to be asked by your family law attorney before any initial assessment can be made. And that’s the catch 22, if you will. You want to do some research and get some numbers before you hire a divorce lawyer. But you can’t do that without answering some questions that your divorce attorney will need to know.
That’s why some select divorce attorneys offer a free initial consultation. A good divorce attorney can get a general idea of your case in your first half hour with him or her–either in person or sometimes over the phone. And then, from there, you can make a better decision about who you want to represent you.So do yourself a favor and arm yourself. While your attorney is interviewing you, interview him or her. Find out how long they have been practicing law. Ask about the facts of your case. Google them! Because this is a big decision that you don’t want to make lightly. You want a good lawyer for a good price who cares about your case and is thorough.
And if you’re in the Walnut Creek, CA area or anywhere in Contra Costa County, I know of a divorce lawyer who is solid, respected, thorough, experienced, fair and reasonably priced. His name is Duane Henry and he’s been practicing family law for many years. Prior to practicing family law he was in-house counsel for AT&T handling their litigation and negotiations. Needless to say, he really knows his stuff. But don’t take my word for it. Visit his site and see for yourself…
Duane Henry is a CityScoop local expert and he publishes information at his CityScoop website. He authors the local family law column for Walnut Creek, CA, and all of Contra Costa County, which you can visit by clicking the link below:
Family Law Divorce Attorney In Walnut Creek, CA
What Does A Health And Wellness Nutritional Consultant Do, Really?
September 14, 2009
By John Kitts, CityScoop Staff Writer
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Some people simply have no idea what a health and wellness expert can do for you. Many people don’t have a personal nutritionist to give them advice on how to maintain the most healthy and energized life as possible. Really, most of the people that have personal nutritionists are movie stars and rich people. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to be a millionaire to have a personal nutritionist too.
But some people simply don’t even get that far. And you may be part of the gang. You might say, “Why would I need a nutritionist? I already eat healthy.”
And that’s because some people get confused with what exactly a nutritionist does. For example, here are a few questions that you might not have considered that would warrant a consultation with a professional nutritionist:
- Do you drink coffee every day to give you that very much needed energy boost?
- Do you drink caffeinated soda every day?
- Do you drink alcohol to calm yourself down? To go to sleep?!
- Do you feel like you don’t get enough sleep every night?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then you might want to consider talking with a nutritionist or health and wellness expert. The answers to your “problems” might be more simple than the coffee, sodas, energy drinks and alcohol you use to address these issues. You might just need a small lifestyle change in order to get that extra energy you crave.
So if you want to find out why you never have enough energy, feel terrible everyday or are missing out on sleep, give Gerrie Tribble a call for a personal consultation. She might be able to fulfill what you’re craving and missing.
Gerrie Tribble is a CityScoop expert. She authors the nutrition column for Danville, CA and provides people in the Tri Valley with information and discounts on her services. You can visit her CityScoop website by clicking the link below:
Health and Wellness Nutritional Consultant In Danville, CA
What’s The Secret To Mystery Shopping Anyway?
September 11, 2009
By John Kitts, CityScoop Staff Writer
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What is Mystery Shopping, aka Secret Shoppers?
Some people know about secret shoppers but in asking around I’ve found that many don’t know what exactly a secret shopper is or does…
Well, a secret shopper is pretty much what it sounds like. Secret shoppers come in to a business an anonymous shoppers in secret, with the reason being to assess a business’ customer service relations. It’s an employee auditing service. If you want to find out how your employees are treating your customers you can find out easily.
Service Quality is a company that specializes in customer service auditing. They can help you assess and address your customer service issues from the root of the problem. They can bring in secret shoppers to get a true assessment of you business’ customer service satisfaction level. The secret shopper comes in randomly and acts just like any other customer. Except they aren’t. They are evaluating your customer service the whole time. And you might be surprised to find out what your customers think of you. It may not be what you expect…
Here’s an example:
One particular story jumped out at me that you should know. There is a story of a business owner who was also the main employee of the business, working on the front line with all of his customers. And when asked about his customer satisfaction level he thought it was through the roof, sighting that nearly all of his customers were more than happy with his customer service. He said that he didn’t need an customer loyalty assessment because he knew his customers all personally and was positive that everyone was happy. So Service Quality offered a small challenge…a free customer service audit.
The results were probably what you were expecting…nothing what the business owner had expected. In fact, many of his customer were less than happy and some thought customer service was poor! How can this be if the business owner was so sure that his customers were very happy?
The answer is sometimes our customers tell us one thing when they feel another way. But wouldn’t you just want to know what your customers want and then be able to deliver exactly that. Service Quality helps you get to the bottom of things and solve those internal issues which you may, or may not know, exist.
Service Quality is a CityScoop local expert and they publish information about Mystery Shopping, secret shoppers, customer loyalty and more at their CityScoop website. You can visit their CityScoop website by clicking the link below:
Secret Mystery Shopping Bay Area, CA
Looking For A Residential Real Estate Agent, Relocation Specialist In Alameda, CA?
September 8, 2009
By John Kitts, CityScoop Staff Writer
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Have you just moved to Alameda, Ca, or are thinking about relocating to the East Bay Area? If you are, you should give Frank Trotter a call. He specializes in all things related to residential real estate, including REOs (Real Estate Owned properties), short sales, homes for sale and more.
Originally from Oregon, Frank Trotter spent many years in real estate selling homes to families in the Eugene and Portland areas. Now he has moved down to Alameda, California to continue to help families find their dream homes. And Alameda just might be the city that has your dream home.
Alameda has a lot of water front property, good schools, a naval base and a lot more. It’s a great place to get stuck in. And here’s what I mean by stuck…
Before the age of information, GPS, iphones, blackberries, etc, we had to use old fashion methods of getting directions. And before I had my own GPS I used to get stuck in Alameda all the time. The reason is because Alameda is an island. There are 3 bridges and a tunnel that transport people in and out of Alameda. And if you’re not familiar with the area you can get lost.
I’ve been “lost” in Alameda before and all it did was help me discover how nice, quaint and cute the town can be. You’ve got golf courses, waterfront property, boutiques downtown and a whole lot in between. So if you’re looking for a relocation specialist in Alameda, CA, call up Frank Trotter and he can show you around town. You might find that you want to get “lost” in Alameda indefinitely…
Frank Trotter is a CityScoop local expert. He authors the column for residential real estate in Alameda, CA. You can visit his CityScoop website for more information by clicking the link below:
