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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1982)
Portland Observer, June 3, 1982 Section II Page 3 City provides weatherization loans Putting money back in the pock et* o f P o rtla n d home and business o w n ers is th e a im o f th e C i t y ’ s Energy Saving C e n te r, established in N o v e m b e r, 1980. U sing the 4 M and 8 per cent weatherization loans o ffe re d through the Energy Saving C e n te r, P o rtlan d ers are o fte n able to save enough on th e ir m o n th ly heating bills to pay for the weatheri zation im provem ents they are ad d ing to their homes. O n e satisfied cu s to m e r, O oerge Linn o f N .E . Portland, reports a 35 per cent d ro p in heating bills a fte r he ad ded in s u la tio n , fu rn a c e im provem ents and storm w indow s to his h o m e , using the lo w -in te re s t loan o ffe re d by the E nergy Saving C e n te r. Says L in n , “ T h e results were ju st w h at we had hoped fo r: our house is much m ore c o m fo rta ble and the therm ostat is set low er than before.” T he 4 M per cent loans are a v a il a b le to any P o rtla n d h o m e o w n e r who lives within city limits and has a fa m ily incom e no g reater th an 110 per cent o f median income. F or ex am ple, to q u a lify , a fa m ily o f four can have a m a x im u m in c o m e o f $29,700. Using the 4 M per cent loan, H a r riet and G oeffrey Soentpict o f N .E . P o r tla n d ad d ed sto rm w in d o w s , in su latio n , w eatherstripping and a solar hot w ater heatin g system to th e ir h o m e . “ I fig u re d we co uld never get the m oney fo r less than 4 M per cent interest, plus the $1,000 state tax re b a te fo r th e s o la r sys te m ,” said M rs. Soentpiet W ith six children ranging in age from 3 to 19, the Soentpiets expect to cut their hot w a te r h e a tin g costs by m o re th a n $200 a year. T he U .S . D epartm ent o f Housing an d U rb a n D e v e lo p m e n t has p ro vided the C ity w ith a $556,000 grant to subsidize the low -interest loans. C ity Com m issioner M ik e Lindberg, who oversees P o rtla n d ’s energy pro g ra m , estim ates th a t the grant w ill enable between 500 and 750 house holds to weatherize or install solar. Item s which q u a lify fo r the low - interest loans are ceiling, flo o r and w a ll in s u la tio n , fu rn a c e im p ro v e ments, weatherstripping and c au lk ing, storm windows and doors, and s o lar h o t w a te r and space heating systems. Persons seeking the 4 M per cent loan must arrange for an energy au d it o f their hom e through the E ner gy Saving C enter and fill out an ap p lic a tio n fo rm at the P o rtla n d D e velo p m en t C o m m is s io n ’ s housing o ffic e at 1911 N .E . B roadw ay. The developm ent com m ission s ta ff w ill establish income eligibility and han dle fin a n c ia l arrangem ents fo r a p proved loans. Persons not elig ib le fo r the 4 M per cent loan may quali fy fo r a loan carrying 8 per cent in te re s t. B o th s o la r p ro je c ts and w e a th e rizin g items arc elig ib le fo r loan money. T h e E n e rg y S avin g C e n te r not only helps Portlanders find low-cost fin a n c in g fo r w e a th e riz in g , it also m a in ta in s an in fo r m a tio n c e n te r w ith over 50 pam p hlets on h ow to do w e a th e riz a tio n o f d iff e r e n t kinds. It also arranges free energy audits th at are necessary w hen a p plying for loans. P o rtla n d businesses also have a special lo an p ro g ra m th ro u g h the E n e rg y Saving C e n te r. Businesses located w ithin city limits can obtain HANDYMAN g re a te r d egree o f in d ep end en ce fro m foreign o il, becomes more en ergy e ffic ie n t, and adds to the em ploym ent o pp o rtu n ities o f its w ork force. Business prospers through re duced overhead and increased m a r ketplace a c tiv ity ; in d iv id u a l hom e- owners are able to m ake in fla tio n - fighting investments th at both con serve energy and yield a saving in I repair almost any and everything—oil furnaces, plumbing, electric work, and refrigerators. 287-6075 Ask for John Hartley their personal budgets. zero per cent fin a n c in g fo r energy audits o f their business operations. I f they follow the recommendations o f th e a u d it w ith in one y e a r, the loan is forgiven. Y a w ’ s R estaurant, one o f the first businesses to use the program , reports a 28 per cent drop in energy costs just by follow ing the audit recommendations. I h u u lif y ynur I, 1ATM 4 I IM A M S M A U » FA4MT$ U ,/ ,,ff„ n cu /td d ic tio n und m o lt \Sionut w . Hrvu » in ttnun. BALI BUNDS BALI IS BLIND IMAGINATION. T he Energy Saving Center is oper ated by P ortlan d Energy C onserva tio n , In c ., a n o n -p ro fit corporation established by the C ity C o u n c il fo r this purpose. A t the C e n te r, in te r ested callers (or drop-in visitors) can get in fo rm a tio n , advice or re fe rra l to tech n ical sources as w e ll as the loans. Located at 2755 N .E . Broad w a y , the C e n te r is open w eekdays w ith s ta ff and volunteers ready to assist anyone w ith questions about en erg y c o n s e rv a tio n . T h e p h o n e • Bali Blinds come in 60 hrautifullv different colo n. • Bali Blinds save money Beautifully T h ey cost lest than other types of window coverings. They have a tower hanging cost. They're less expensive to clean A n d they last longer ' • Bali Blinds can also make your u tility hills lixik Bet te r O p en to let the sun’s w arm th in during winter. A n d close to keep it out in the summer number is 248-4636. T h e P o r tla n d p ro g ra m is an ex a m p le o f g o v e rn m e n t and b u s i ness w o rk in g to g e th e r fo r m u tu a l b e n e fits . T h e c o m m u n ity gains a LINOLEUM CITY ACROSS fSOW St AOS Plan for home projects C areful planning may be the most im portant step leading to the success o f an intended home im provem ent project. Y o u r present hom e represents a big investm ent— perhaps the largest o f y o u r life tim e . H o m e im p r o v e ments not only protect th at invest m en t, they can m in im ize m a in te n ance, provide more functional living space, even help cut risin g energy costs. B u t, th e y ’ ve got to be done right! T h e N a tio n a l H o m e Im p r o v e ment C ouncil ( N H I C ) suggests that you consider your needs realistically before starting any p ro ject. Decide w h a t re p a irs are im p e ra tiv e and w h a t im p ro v e m e n ts and c o n v e n iences arc most needed or desirable for your enjoyment o f the home. T o establish your priorities, start fro m o u ts id e y o u r house, ta k in g stock o f its e x te r io r , ro o fin g and even w alkw ays and steps. Proceed giving the same c a re fu l co nsid era tion to each area w ithin your house. In this way yo u ’ll know the jobs that need to be done in order to m aintain y o u r h o m e. It w ill also h e lp you avoid more costly repairs that come from neglect. Thereafter, consider the comforts and conveniences you m ight like to ad d . F o r e xam p le, do you need an area for teen get-togethers? For fo r m al e n te rta in in g ? O u td o o r e n te r taining? A fa m ily room ? A n o th e r bathroom? O n c e y o u ’ ve n oted y o u r needs (preferably in writing) consider how you can most e ffe c tiv e ly and cost- e ffic ie n tly reach y o u r g o a l. C a n a d o rm e r in y o u r b e d ro o m p ro v id e th e q u ie t re tre a t y o u ’ d lik e fo r reading? C an a well-planned fam ily room also serve as an in fo rm a l d in ing room ? F o r p ractical, tim e-an d - m oney-saving hints, N H I C recom mends you consult a reputable con tractor. A re p u ta b le c o n tra c to r can p ro vide you w ith a com prehensive set o f m aterial and labor specifications, care fu lly estim ated costs and a de ta ile d p ro p o s a l c o verin g every as pect o f the jo b , from removal o f ex isting materials through clean-up a f ter the repairs, changes or additions have been made. Regardless o f the size o f cost o f the home improvements you’ re con sidering. careful planning w ill insure th at you kn ow w hat you need, get what you want and enjoy your home fo r years to come. d ur Pacific Power has information to help you save electric energy at home or at work. Ask for a copy of any of these free booklets available at your local Pacific Power office. Thu gardenia was named after a Scottish natural ist, Alexander Garden. THE PEOPLE A T PACIFIC POWER Energy solutions. We can help. c l‘*RI l\i» tit» hasrt «slid I 'phi ».4k O l
