Pima County, Ariz.(Nov. 21, 2011) – Why does the early morning sky look hazy, now that cooler weather is here?

Meteorologists call this phenomenon a temperature inversion. It’s what happens when early morning temperatures fall, trapping pollutants in the chilly air. Warm air above the cool air traps the cooler air below, and keeps it from rising.

That’s what causes the haze, as airborne pollutants hang closer to ground level. But as the sun rises and the cool air warms, the hazy air begins to rise, carrying airborne pollutants with it. The hazy air moves higher and higher, dispersing as it goes, and improving visibility.

This often yellowish-brownish haze occurs mostly in winter, when nights are longer and the air stays cool until the sun rises in the sky.

Tucson is surrounded by mountains, and they contribute to the winter inversions. The mountains cause an overnight downward flow of cold air onto the desert floor and that cold air can increase the strength and duration of these morning temperature inversions.

What this means is that air quality can be poorer in winter as pollutants from motor vehicles, industry and fireplaces remain trapped longer in the air we breathe.

People can help reduce winter air pollution levels by driving less often, limiting idling our vehicles to a minute or less, and reducing our use of fireplaces.

Fireplaces are inefficient sources of heat. When you have the option, choose natural gas, electric or solar-powered heat or a wood stove certified by the Environmental Protection Agency.

To reduce the use of polluting fossil fuels, carpool or take the bus if you can, and do more than one errand while you’re out, to reduce the number of trips you make. And, if you can, drive a vehicle powered by an alternate energy source, such as electricity.

For more on local air pollution levels in Tucson, including particulates, ozone and carbon monoxide readings, go to www.AirInfoNow.org.  Also, call Pima County’s Department of Environmental Quality air pollution hotline: (520) 882-4AIR or (520) 882-4347.

Beth Gorman

Pima County, Ariz. (Oct. 4, 2011) – Pima County and the City of Tucson’s chief building officials are proposing that their separate Building Codes Boards of Appeal be combined to hear appeals of code interpretations.

They are also proposing that joint building, electrical and mechanical/plumbing code committees be consolidated into a single joint building-code committee/Board of Appeals.

The joint city-county Outdoor Lighting Code would remain intact  to fulfill the city’s and county’s joint mission of protecting dark skies as a cultural and economic resource, said Yves Khawam, Pima County’s chief building official in the Pima County Department of  Development Services.

Khawam said a consolidated building code model has been working well around the country and is recommended by the International Code Council, http://www.iccsafe.org. The organization publishes updates to the model codes on a three-year cycle as the building industry changes and codes must be redrawn.

The proposed committees are:

Building Code Committee/Board of Appeals: This panel would propose updates to the building-related codes as well as hear appeals on code interpretation.

Outdoor Lighting Code Committee: This panel would continue to update the Pima County and City of Tucson outdoor lighting code.

Each committee, as proposed, would have seven voting members. Members would be jointly appointed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council.

Names of appointees would be solicited from professional organizations, including the Arizona Builders Alliance, International Dark-Sky Association, American Institute of Architects and American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers.

A resolution that would affirm these changes will be considered by the Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council sometime in the next eight weeks.

Pima County, Ariz. – (July 6, 2011) Pima County’s department of Development Services now provides a new solar calculator, a one-of-a-kind spreadsheet tool devised to ease and speed the Building Code Review process.

The new calculator, created by Pima County’s Development Services staff, in a Microsoft Excel format, makes it quicker and easier to get a permit from the county for a photovoltaic installation.

The solar photovoltaic calculator is available at the county’s Development Services website, http://www.dsd.pima.gov/building/ under the heading: “Forms & Calculators.”

The calculator provides a formula for determining the proper specifications for submitting a successful permit application to the county for photovoltaic installations that will provide solar energy.

The solar calculator was created to meet the needs of those seeking county building permits for solar installations, said Yves Khawam, the county’s chief building official in the Development Services Department.

Khawam said the calculator was devised to address inconsistencies and errors in submittals for these solar permits. The solar calculator is in the form of an Excel spreadsheet and allows the user to fill in the blanks.

The calculator application is unique and not available in commercial software, Khawam said. Using it speeds the process for approval of a county solar installation permit, he said.

The spreadsheet allows clients to design their photovoltaic systems and ensure the systems comply with county codes and procedures.

The calculator helps each county client to check precisely the structural and electrical loads, ratings and sizes of equipment, devices, conductors and conduits for compliance with Pima County codes and procedures. The calculator makes it possible for clients to plan for electrical lines that will be compliant with county codes.

The availability of the solar calculator should limit permitting and processing costs to a maximum of $150 per residential install, which is just six percent of the national average, Khawam said.

The cost can be reduced further by using the Pima County Development Services’ online permitting process. Information on the online permitting process is at: http://www.dsd.pima.gov/Documents/Building/General%20Information.pdf

The solar calculator allows clients to print out and then submit to the county the proper electrical line drawings that will comply with Pima County codes. Submittal criteria, standard operating procedures, and all online permitting information, are available at www.dsd.pima.gov/building.

To find the calculators, click on Building Permitting.

Go to: “Checklist/Process,” “Design Guidelines,” “Online Permitting,” and then, “Forms & Calculators. There you’ll find the two versions of the photovoltaic calculator.

Here are the direct links to the calculator, which is provided in a standard and micro application:

Standard inverter:

http://www.pimaxpress.com/Documents/Building/PV%20calculator-standard%20inverter.xls

Micro inverter:

http://www.pimaxpress.com/Documents/Building/PV%20calculator-micro%20inverter.xls

The creation of the solar calculator marks another phase of county solar-permitting process improvements that got under way in 2006. That is when Pima County Development Services devised a method for setting up solar equipment on existing roofs without requiring engineered analyses.

The new solar calculators were introduced to electricians and others at a Regional Solar Permitting Workshop held on June 29, 2011 for the industry. The workshop was organized by Pima County Solar One Stop, http://www.solaronestopaz.org/. This website, funded by a U.S. Department of Energy grant, provides solar energy information to residents, visitors, business owners, developers, architects, construction companies and solar installers.