Blue Planet Foundation said it is partnering with California-based Bidgely and Hawaiian Electric Co. to offer free energy-monitoring kits to 750 homes on Oahu.
Blue Planet Foundation said Monday it will schedule and provide free installation of the energy kit, a device an electrician will hook up to circuit breaker boxes to allow participants to see the energy they consume, broken down by appliance.
“We’re making the invisible visible,” said David Aquino, director of innovation at Blue Planet Foundation. “Many residents get a $200 energy bill at the end of the month and have no idea how, when or where that energy was used. They have no idea how much went to their water heater or their refrigerator, or what ‘energy monsters’ are running up their electricity bills. This program shows them, down to the appliance level, where that energy is going and specific actions they can take to reduce their energy use.”
Bidgely’s HomeBeat app will display the energy use on participants’ smartphones or online.
Blue Planet Foundation is accepting reservations for the free kits. Visit blueplanetfoundation.org/powerchallenge to schedule an installation and learn more about the program.
Annual business reports can be filed online
The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Business Registration Division (BREG) is reminding Hawaii businesses to file their annual business reports.
Annual reports due in the third quarter (July-September) can be filed online at hbe.ehawaii.gov/annuals and must be filed with BREG by midnight Sept. 30. Payments can be made online via credit card, eCheck or through an eHawaii.gov subscriber account.
Annual reports can be filed at any time during the quarter in which the annual filing is due. The annual report filing period is related to the business entity’s registration date.
If the annual report was due in a previous quarter, the filing can be submitted online with a $10 late fee. Any filing more than a year overdue can be filed by mail, email, fax or walk-in with a late fee of $10 per year. Filings can be mailed to P.O. Box 40, Honolulu, HI 96810; emailed to breg-doci-filing@dcca.hawaii.gov; faxed to 586-2733; or hand-delivered to the BREG office at 335 Merchant St., Room 201.
For filing-related questions, visit businessregistrations.com, email breg@dcca.hawaii.gov or call 586-2727. For technical questions, contact eHawaii.gov at info@ehawaii.gov or 695-4620.
iPhone update adds organ donor sign-up
SAN FRANCISCO >> Apple wants to encourage millions of iPhone owners to register as organ donors through a software update that will add an easy sign-up button to the health information app that comes installed on every smartphone the company makes.
CEO Tim Cook said he hopes the new software, set for limited release this month, will help ease a critical and long-standing donor shortage. He said the problem hit home when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs endured an “excruciating” wait for a liver transplant in 2009.
Jobs died of complications from pancreatic cancer in 2011, two years after receiving a liver transplant in Tennessee that was credited with extending his life. He enrolled in that state’s registry after doctors advised him the lengthy waiting list in California meant he wouldn’t live long enough to get one in his home state.
Tax reduces junk food purchases by poor
MEXICO CITY >> Mexico’s 8 percent tax on high-calorie snacks has reduced junk food purchases, but only by a small amount and only among poor and middle-class households, a study said Tuesday.
The report published in the online journal PLOS-Medicine showed an average reduction of 5.1 percent in purchases of items subject to the tax, which was implemented in 2014. The reduction equaled only about 25 grams (0.88 ounces) per month per person.
Poorer households bought 10.2 percent less junk food, while medium-income households bought 5.8 percent less, according to bar code analyses based on consumer-tracking data. Higher-income shoppers showed no impact at all from the new tax. The tax applies to processed food having more than 275 calories per 100 grams of product.
The study did not indicate whether families reduced calorie intake, bought healthier food or simply switched to cheaper street food — important factors for Mexico, which is plagued with high obesity rates.
On the Move
District 49 Toastmasters in Hawaii has appointed the following officers for the term that started Friday and ends June 30:
>> Rose Kirland is the new program quality director. She will be responsible for all aspects of education and training within the districts, including supporting quality club programming efforts; promoting the Distinguished Club Program; promoting and supporting club quality and member retention; and organizing, planning and executing the district conferences. Kirland originally joined Toastmasters in 2010 and is a member of the Nuuanu Toastmasters Chapter.
>> Kenn Nishihira is the new club growth director. He will be responsible for creating and overseeing the District Marketing Team, which will be building new clubs and helping existing clubs to sustain their membership. Nishihira originally joined Toastmasters six years ago and is a member of the City and County of Honolulu Toastmasters, Liliuokalani Toastmasters and Na Hoku Kai Toastmasters. He also previously served as a Division D director.
