Energy:
Bills aim at capturing heat
to keep homes warmer longer
By MIKE McLAIN
Of the Emerald
SALEM — Eighty per cent of the homes in
Oregon are insufficiently insulated. While estimates
vary, the amount of heat escaping into the state's
cold winter sky may represent the amount of energy
produced by at least one thermal nuclear generating
plant.
Concern over this waste energy has produced a
bevy of bills in the Legislature.
Gov. Bob Straub has introduced bills aimed at
providing free insulation for the poor and elderly.
But the bulk of Oregon's energy consuming—
and wasting — occurs in homes owned by middle
-income households. The majority of the bills are
aimed at providing motivation for these people to
adopt greater energy efficiency systems in their
homes.
Walt Pollack of the Department of Energy's
Conservation Department (DOE) told the House
Energy and Environment Committee last week there
were too many bills dealing with the same thing and
they may be wasting energy holding hearings on
each one.
Pollack promised the committee that he would
prepare one bill combining the major features of the
numerous incentive bills. Most of them would provide
tax credit for the cost of insulation, the cost of a solar
heating system or the expense of the wind generat
ing facility.
Much of the debate on these bills has centered
around the amount of the credit.
The bills with the largest credit, $500, are being
attacked in committee because estimates show they
could deplete state revenue by as much as $250
million. With the school finance issue still attracting
attention, the legislators are reluctant to take money
that could be used there and put in another area.
Other legislators are suggesting a credit of
$100.
Pollack indicated his measure would provide
credit "predicated on 25 per cent of the cost up to an
upper limit."
Another concern Pollack said he would address
is that a rapid move to insulate the state could result
in people being ripped off by fly-by-night insulating
companies. Pollack proposed that the DOE be
charged with the responsibility for coming up with
state-wide standards to be followed by insulating
companies.
Another problem with the incentive bills, particu
larly one that would exempt solar heating systems
from property taxation, is that it is difficult to define
the cost or value of energy efficiency systems
The taxation bill would run into problems be
cause the architectural design of the building can be
an integral part of a solar heating system, making it
difficult to classify what should or should not be ex
empted. Pollack promised to give careful thought'
to that issue.
Along the same line, he promised to provide the
committee with specific definitions of weatherization,
solar heating systems and wind and geothermal sys
tems.
Pollack will probably return with his proposal
sometime this week.
Rise up and make your plans now to attend
the University's Summer Session. Pick up
your free copy of thy Suuatner Session
catalog now in the Registrar^ Office or
Room 64 Prince.Lucien Campbell Hall.
Classes will begin on June- 21 with eight
week classes, workshops, and seminars. AJ1..
students pay resident tuition, and "formal
admission is not required Call ext 3475 or
stop by the Summer Session Office to get
“Oregon ued for this summer.
Page 6
Advisers aid utilities
with saving programs
ay o. jtt-r i-umizmah
Of the Emerald
Both the Eugene Water and
Electric Board (EWEB) and the
Springfield Utility Board (SUB) re
cently hired consultants to serve
business and the community as
energy conservation advisors.
Jack Smutz, spokesperson for
EWEB, said, "We ve been in the
conservation business for a long
time. We re not advocating ration
ing, we simply want people to use
the technical resources wisely
Earlier EWEB announced that
representatives will individually
help each of the 5,000 commercial
and industrial customers to find
ways to improve energy and water
efficiency.
The two new persons hired by
EWEB, Miller Evans and Don
Robinson, are retired EWEB emp
loyes with long backgrounds in
energy use and conservation
Their job will be to insure the
energy conservation programs at
EWEB are kept rolling
Some of the EWEB programs
include:
•Co-generation—a system of
using wasted industrial steam to
generate electricity-producing
turbines.
•Solar heat collecting panels —
an experiment in solar energy to
determine its viability in Oregon
•Dump hydro—a program insti
tuted to help peak-shaving efforts,
where more water is let pass
through the hydro turbines to in
sure enough energy during peak
user times
•Building award — a program
implemented last fall as an incen
tive for builders and consumers to
meet higher insulation standards
when constructing homes and of
fices
If consumers have questions
regarding energy saving tips they
should contact EWEB and ask for
the customer service repiesenta
tive
For persons living in Spring
field, the new energy consultant is
Dave Coon, who along with the
EWEB advisors also has been in
volved In Lane County utilities for
a number of years
Along with working as a consul
tant to industry, Coon will also be
available to speak at schools and
other meetings Coon views
energy alternatives and conserva
tion as major community con
cerns, and he said those topics
would make up his lectures.
Concerned customers can
reach Coons at the Springfield
Utility Board.
Energy experts predict
smaller cars, bathtubs
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ameri
cans could find themselves ba
thing in form-fitting bathtubs in the
near future as the nation seeks
ways to conserve its dwindling
energy supply, three energy ex
perts say.
Supermarkets and throw-away
packages may disappear. Houses
and cars will be smaller, the ex
perts say.
These were some of the ideas
three energy conservationists
predicted for the future as the na
tion becomes energy conscious.
When the changes will occur,
and whether they will be voluntary
or by government decree, is less
clear, they said in interviews.
“There are three things that
Americans do to waste more
energy than any other people on
earth, said Dr. Bruce Hannon of
the University of Illinois. “They eat
big steaks, drive big cars and live
in big houses. All of that must
change."
Hannon, University of Illinois
researcher Seichi Konzo and
John Muller of the Federal Energy
Administration said insulation of
homes probably will be the first
major step to save energy
Standard attic insulation may
be 12 inches thick instead of six
Windows may have three panes
of glass instead of one or two,
holding more heat inside the
house.
New houses will likely be smal
ler, they say. Each room will have
its own thermostat Older houses
may be divided into multifamily
dwellings.
Supermarkets may be
abolished, replaced by com
puterized food warehouses. Con
sumers would telephone orders to
a clerk and deliveries would be
made door-to-door by a regularly
scheduled truck, eliminating the
need to drive to a supermarket.
The end of the supermarket
would also mean an end to im
pulse buying and that itself is an
energy saver, said Hannon.
Americans may be forced to eat
(Continued on Page 7)
Monday, March 7, 1977