Less energy is consumed if you leave your lights on rather than turning it off and on several times.

Truth - Leaving a lamp on consumes more energy than turning it on and off, as needed.

If the bulb is on, it is using electricity, and if it’s off, it isn’t. It doesn’t take any more electricity for a light bulb to turn itself back on. If you really want to save energy and money, make it a habit to turn off your lights, when not needed.

Energy Saving Myth #2 Turning your computer on and off wastes energy

Truth - Today’s computers are more energy efficient than ever before, and by turning them off when not in use, you can save a great deal of energy and money.

You can also take advantage of built-in energy-saving features such as the “sleep” function that essentially puts your computer to sleep when not in use and wakes it when you go back to it. Again, this saves what would otherwise be a lot of wasted energy.

Energy Saving Myth #3 Electronics do not consume energy when they are switched off

Truth - It is a good habit to switch off your electronic appliances like TV, video games, etc. when not in use. But, to believe that this will save energy over leaving them on is really not true.

These devices continue to suck power from your outlets when they are off in the form of ‘standby power’, which allows the device to power up again quickly. Always unplug the appliances when not in use to avoid this hidden energy consumption.

Source: Clearline

Improve ironing efficiency by use the permanent press feature on your washer and dryer. Removing clean laundry promptly from the dryer, and fold immediately - many items will require no ironing, or just a quick press.

• Iron large batches of clothing at one time to avoid wasting energy reheating the iron several times.
• Switch your iron off just before you are finished and complete the ironing on stored energy.
• Prevent scorching and wasting energy by not over heating the iron.
• Be sure to turn your iron off if you are interrupted whilst ironing.

Washing machine

• Buy a washing machine, which offers a variety of water temperature settings and use the lowest temperature you need.
• A front loading washing machine uses less water and costs less to operate even though the purchase price may be higher than a top loader.
• Use warm and cold water setting as much as possible in order to cut down on energy needed to heat the water.
• Take advantage of special features on your washer that can save money. For example, soak cycles remove stubborn stains in one wash cycle.
• The automatic washing machine uses the same amount of electricity for a full load as it consumes for a single item. Save dirty clothes until a full load has accumulated.
• Never overload your automatic washing machine. Overloading will reduce the cleaning action. (Varying the size of garments in a full load improves the cleaning action by allowing free circulation).

Tumble dryer

• Clean the lint filter on the dryer after each operation to maintain full air flow and to maximise the drying efficiency.
• Dryers equipped with an electronic humidity control are the most efficient because they automatically shut off the drying cycle when the clothes are dry. Other models are equipped with electric timers which, allow you to select the length of the drying cycle. Here it is important not to overestimate the length of the drying cycle.
• A permanent press cycle with a "cool-down" period saves energy and dries efficiently.
• Compact dryers are economical provided that you only have small amounts of clothes to dry. Never overload a tumble dryer but avoid under-loading as well.
• Use correct temperature settings to minimise the amount of electricity consumed.
• Over-dried clothes feel harsh and waste energy. Experiment to find the right setting. Some natural materials such as cotton and wool should retain some moisture to avoid wrinkling.
• Clothes should never be placed in the tumble dryer dripping with water. They should have as much moisture removed beforehand and they should never be folded before being placed in the dryer.
• Dry clothes in consecutive loads where possible. The dryer will be warm already and will save on initial energy consumption.
• On sunny days take advantage of good weather and dry your clothes outside.

Source – www.eskom.co.za

• The wattage of a bulb is not a measure of the amount of light it gives, but rather the energy it uses. For instance, a 100 watt bulb gives 50% more light than four 25 watt bulbs.
• Fluorescent lamps give five times the light and last up to 10 times as long as ordinary bulbs.
• Fluorescent lighting is more economical - Watt for Watt than incandescent bulbs. They use less energy and can last about 10 times longer. (Image on Slide: Use Electricity Wisely - In the Bedroom)
• Never confine lighting to one part of the room. Avoid heavy contrast by using lamp shades that direct light both up and down.
• Try not to install multiple lights (lamps or lighting fixtures) on a single switch. Above all, turn lights off whenever possible because, they use electricity while they burn.
• Clean your lamps and bulbs regularly, because dirt decreases the amount of light given out.
• Dimming switches allow you to regulate the light level and reduce electricity consumption to some extent.
• Use lampshades with a white liner. Liners should be sufficiently dense to hide the bulb but should transmit soft, even light.
• Use low energy lamps for exterior lighting.

Air conditioning

• Air conditioning circulates the air and makes your home more comfortable. It maintains the temperature at a suitable level, dehumidifies, and removes dust and particles from the air, Here are some ways to increase its efficiency:
• Clean and inspect filter screens regularly. This will keep electricity consumption at its best and eliminate dust and pollen from conditioned air.
• Use light coloured curtains to reflect sun and heat outward.
• Set the air conditioning unit to re-circulate cool air instead of drawing in warmer outside air.
• Protect the outdoor cooling units from the sun. Place them on the south or shady side of your house.
• Be sure your television, radio and stereo are off when no one is watching or listening.
• Generally, you should turn your heating/cooling system off when the space in unoccupied. You can use a time-clock to turn them on prior to occupancy again if you like. Do not heat storage and unoccupied areas, like the basement or garage.

Source – www.eskom.co.za

In the 19th century, spectrometry and photography became the new tools for lightning research, but was replaced in the 1970s when electric and magnetic field measurements began a new era in lightning research. Lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon that has been studied extensively, however many questions remain unanswered. Extensive research around the globe has resulted in answers to many of these questions and provided insights into the science of lightning.

South Africa made significant contributions to the field of lightning research with names like Schonland, Anderson, Proctor, Eriksson, Malan and Geldenhuys being internationally recognised for their contributions to the field.

Early lightning research was conducted at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which also operated a network of about 400 lightning flash counters. The data from these lightning flash counters were used to produce the first lightning flash density map of South Africa which could be used to get an idea of the distribution of lightning across the country and was used up until recently for lightning safety standards. The CSIR also operated a 60m high lightning research mast in Pretoria for 15 years from which direct measurements of lightning discharges could be made.

Eskom, the major power utility of South Africa, operated a network of six Lightning Position and Tracking System lightning sensors that was mainly used for the monitoring of power lines and the correct distribution of the infrastructure.

It was not until 2005 that the South African Weather Service installed a state of the art lightning detection network (SALDN) across the country, which enabled South Africa to detect cloud-to-ground lightning with great accuracy for the first time. This new lightning detection network can detect 90% or more of all cloud-to-ground lightning and accurately position a lightning stroke within 500 meters. This new network of sensors paved the way for new lightning research in South Africa.

Source: http://www.lightningsa.org.za

Lightning is the sudden discharge of a large amount of electrical energy that needs to go somewhere for equalisation and your electronic appliances are usually the equaliser. Large electrical surges, or ‘spikes’ are sent into the electrical appliances, which cannot withstand the electrical surge and basically ‘burn out’.

There are numerous ways that lightning can get into electrical appliances:

* Lightning can strike the air conductors directly and surge voltages, even from kilometres away, can enter into your installation. This surge voltage is then passed to ground through your equipment which can lead to damage or complete destruction of your equipment.

* When lightning strikes an object, (a building, tree or pole etc.) high currents at fast wave fronts occur causing large electromagnetic fields which are then induced into your electrical and data communication cabling. Equalisation then occurs which could cause damage to your equipment.

* When lightning strikes a structure, (a building, tree or pole etc.) a high voltage potential exists for the duration of the strike at the point of contact of the structure to the ground. Due to resistivity of the earth, decreasing voltage potentials will be experienced along the current paths moving away from this point. Should you have electronic equipment referenced to different earth systems while connected to each other via copper cables, equalisation will tend to occur via the copper cables resulting in equipment damage.

Luckily for you, Clearline is continually adapting and developing new products for affordable lightning and power surge protection, and power conditioning, so you can rest assured that your appliances will be much safer when lightning strikes!

Please note that for the next week, our telephone lines will go down intermittently as Telkom is doing maintenance of the lines.

Please contact us on 084 541 6053.

Showcasing one hands-free advancement after another, VXi Corporation will embody the theme of TEAM Polycom 2015: “Go Beyond.” With the industry’s best noise canceling, built into practical, Polycom-tested products, VXi is setting new standards in the Unified Communications, Contact Center and Office markets. 

All of us at Starbase send you warm regards!

VXi have launched professional Bluetooth headsets that can be used in the emergency services (fire, ambulance, police) and couriers industries. Please have a look at this short video for a brief overview of these state-of-the-art headsets.

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Should you require any information or pricing on our range of headsets, telephone accessories, lightning protection, ringers or music-on-hold hardware, please contact us on +27 11 804 1727+27 11 804 1727 or email info@starbase.co.za.

Warmest Wishes

The Starbase Crew

All of us at Starbase send you warm regards!

Any purchase of lightning protection between the 5th-24th December 2014 will qualify for a 7.5% discount.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your valued support throughout the past year.

We look forward to being of assistance to you in 2015.

Starbase Telecoms will be closing between Christmas and New Year. Our last day will be the 24th December 2014 and we will re-open on the 5th January 2015.

Wishing you all a happy and safe festive season!

Warm regards

The Starbase Crew