Dealership touts solar setup

King Windward Nissan expects a new rooftop solar electricity-generating system to save about $30,000 on its electric bill annually. The 100-kilowatt system, designed and installed by Sunetric, will produce an estimated 362 kilowatt-hours of electricity each day, offsetting 6,620 barrels of oil that would have otherwise been imported to Hawaii and burned for electricity over the next 30 years, the dealership said. King Windward Nissan will be among local Nissan dealerships selling the first Leaf electric vehicles scheduled to arrive in Hawaii early next year.

Be alert for common scams

Opportunities to be swindled abound during the holiday season, as frenzied shoppers look to snag the hot new toy or show their generous spirit.

To ensure that nobody’s festivities are ruined, the Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers to watch for these common scams:

» Fake shopping websites: If prices on a site you’ve never heard of seem too good to be true, do your homework before entering credit card information.

» Fishy online sellers: A hot toy or gadget is sold out, but you find it for sale on a site like Craigslist. To prevent being taken in by scam artists, the BBB suggests arranging the transaction in person.

» Bogus charity pleas: Scammers tug on heart strings during the holidays to elicit donations for their own profit. Before making a donation, be sure you’re familiar with the organization.

» Phishing e-mails: These are e-mails sent by hackers seeking personal information, such as bank account passwords, usually under the guise of a legitimate organization. Some common phishing ploys to watch for around this time of year include holiday e-cards and messages pretending to be from companies such as FedEx with links to package tracking information.

» Identity theft: It’s easy to misplace belongings when you’re out and about and juggling multiple shopping bags. But losing your credit and debit cards can lead to the prolonged headache of identity theft. To save yourself the grief, make sure your wallet is tucked away in a secure place before you head out.

Total recall

About 36,000 stainless steel carafes imported by J & H International of Morris Plains, N.J.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the handle can come loose from the body of the carafe and cause liquid to spill, posing a burn hazard. The carafes were sold under the Kitchentrend brand at Macy’s and Macys.com from September through October.

Details: By phone at 800-770-3214 or on the Web at www.cpsc.gov.

Retailers optimistic about weekend sales

NEW YORK » Holiday spending appears to be off to a respectable start, with Black Friday shoppers crowding stores in bigger numbers than last year and maintaining steady traffic the rest of the weekend.

Add in strong spending earlier in the month and robust sales online — a more than 14 percent increase from Thanksgiving Day through Saturday, according to IBM’s Coremetrics — and retailers are feeling encouraged. The question remains how many dollars shoppers are prepared to spend before Dec. 24 in an economy that’s still bumpy.

On Friday, retailers at shopping malls eked out a 0.3 percent increase to $10.69 billion, according to preliminary figures from the research firm ShopperTrak.

The National Retail Federation trade group estimated yesterday that 212 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 195 million last year.

A fuller picture will come Thursday when retailers report November revenue figures.