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P age B2
O ctober 25, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
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Energy Efficiency Fuels Oregon Prosperity
uel they're
they're se
llin g or
«
No matter what fuel
selling
what conservation programs they’re offer­
ing, major energy suppliers and energy
organized the Energy Awareness W o r ld » » .
i xganized the Energy Awareness Wiirking
G n iup U i take dial message t( i Oregi mians. "
offices in the suite have joined forces to
a agency are Northwest Natural Gas, the
O regon Oil Heat Comm ission, Pacific
prom ote energy efficiency in October, na­
tional Energy Awareness Month.
Oregon Department o f Energy head
John Savage cited Lfie r< ile of energy conser­
vation in protecting natural resources and
fueling economic prosperity.
"The first step toward an energy con­
servation ethic begins at home,” said Sav­
age. "The Oregon Department o f Energy
Participating in the group with the stale
Power, Portland General Electric and the
city o f Portland.
“I com m end these corporations and
organizations for working together to raise
awareness in Oregon o f the benefits o f
energy efficiency,” said Savage “In this
time o f intense competition in the energy
marketplace, the group is proof that energy
.« .« » „ ie d » » .
—
e I ficiency is al ways good busi ness and good
for the consumer.
Among the groups accomplishments
is a public service campaign promoting
home energy efficiency on KGW -TV, a
home energy supplement in the Oregonian,
news coverage on home weatherization
techniques, cnergy-sav ingsappliances,hi m e
S av ag e a ls o re c o g n iz e d each
(xganizati in’s achievements in energy effi­
ciency.
Nc nth west National Gas provided free
water and energy saving showerhead kits to
more than 133,000 o f its residential water
heating customers.
The Oregon Oil Heat Commission
provides a $3(X)cash incentive for property
energy-saving tips on grocery bags, installa­
tion o f weatherization measures for low-
ownerstoconservefuelbypurehasinganew
high-efficiency oil furnace.
inet ime Pi irtlai k I households and an energy
lair at the new City Life development in
Portland.
Pacific Power has saved 125 million
kilowatt hours since 19 9 0 by helping build-
ing owners and architects incorporate en­
ergy efficient technologies intdcommercial
and industrial structures.
Portland General Electric has worked
with property owners and contractors to
build ' ‘Earth Smart' ’ homes and commercial
facilities that are resource-efficient and have
healthy indoor air.
has weatherized 12,000 apartments and
1,780 low-income homes.
Savage pointed exit the state’s own
achievements in improving energy effi­
ciency.
"W e estimate that our programs and
activities save enough electricity to elimi­
Ific City o f Portland Energy Office
nate a power plant and enough natural gas,
oil and other fuels to heat 250,000 homes a
sponsorsapnigramtoidentifyandcomplete
energy savings projects at city facilities and
is helping businesses save energy, water,
ergy costs for Oregon businesses, house­
holds and public agencies by nearly $200
waste and transportation costs. Thecitv also
million a year.”
year,” Savage said. "These savings cut en­
House Of Horrors, A House Of Hazards
C a rb o n m o n o x id e c o m in g from
the fu rn ace; rad o n se e p in g in from
the b a sem en t; fo rm ald e h y d e o o z in g
out o f p re sse d w ood fu rn itu re; dust
m ites cra w lin g in y o u r bed; a sb esto s,
anim al d a n d e r, m ode, an d p esticid es.
If it so u n d s like a bad m o v ie ju s t
released in tim e for H allo w een .
B ew are! T h is h o u se o f h o rro rs
co u ld be y o u r ow n hom e! T h e se are
th e gh o stly e n titie s that are lu rk in g in
m any h om es, h au n tin g the h alls, p e r­
m e atin g th e a ir in ev ery ro o m , in
ev ery house.
T h e O reg o n S tate P u b lic In ter­
est R esearch G ro u p (O S P IR G ) s p o n ­
so red its se c o n d annual H o u se o f
H o rro rs last T u esd ay to d e m o n stra te
the w ays a ty p ical h om e can be h au n t­
Bob Hardies (from left), Audrey Sauders, Tom Markham, and Brent Warren enjoy the festivities Saturday
duhng the grand opening of the Habitat For Humanity's Home Building Center. The non-profit group
remodeled the former Shag’s arena at Northeast 15th and Killingsworth to house its Portland
headquarters. The effort was made possible with the help of several banks, foundations, building
contractors and other volunteers. Habitat is an organization that builds homes with volunteer labor and
donated materials which are sold with no profit and no interest to families who invest “sweat equity" into
the construction.
(Photo by Michael G. Halle)
LISCENSED IN OREGON SINCE 1975
Singles & Seniors. I can help youi
“1st Class Guarantee”
George A. Hendrix
MBA, GRI, Broker
Realty J nc.
300 NE Multnomah, Suite #27
Portland, Oregon 97232
b re a th e .”
A s w e p re p a re o u r h o m e s for
w in ter, w e u n w ittin g ly seal in the
s p e c te r o f in d o o r air p o llu tio n q u ie t­
ly h a u n ts us d ay and n ig h t, ta k in g the
fo rm s o f n o x io u s fum es, in v isib le
c h e m ic a ls and d e ad ly g a s e s .”
T h e m ain so u rc e s o f in d o o r air
p o llu tio n are rad o n , c a rb o n m o n o x ­
ide a n d se c o n d -h a n d sm o k e. T he
E n v iro n m e n ta l P ro te c tio n A g en cy
e s tim a te s th at rad o n , an o d o rless,
c o lo rle s s an d ta ste le ss ra d io a c tiv e
g a s, c a u se s 14,000 d e a th s p e r year.
I he risk of g e ttin g lung c a n c e r e x p o ­
su re is se c o n d o n ly to sm oking.
S ec o n d h and sm o k e is m o st d a n ­
g e ro u s to c h ild re n , w h o se lu n g s are
still d e v e lo p in g and w h o a re m o re
ed by the g h o sts o f in d o o r air p o llu t­
s u s c e p tib le to lung and re sp ira to ry
in fe c tio n s a g g ra v a te d by to b a c c o
ants. O S P IR G w as jo in e d by a panel
o f e x p e rts w ho w ork in the field o f
in d o o r air q u ality .
sm o k e. C a rb o n m o n o x id e claim ed
a b o u t 4 ,0 0 0 in ju ries in 19 9 4 , m ain ly
d u e to im p ro p e rly v e n ted fu rn aces,
“ W e sp en d ab o u t 90 p e rc e n t o f
o u r tim e in d o o rs, and you w ill be
su rp rise d to learn that the a ir inside
y o u r h o m e m ay be m o re p o llu ted
than the air o u ts id e :n an industrial
sto v e s an d sp a c e h eate rs.
“ L ack o f v e n tila tio n is w h a t
b rin g s th ese d e m o n s to life,” said
C u lb e rso n . “ It m ak es th em d e a d ly
h a z a rd s in stead o f sim p ly the a ir we
d e a d ly h a zard s in o u r a tte m p ts to
se a l o u r Ja c k F rost.
B ut sim p le ste p s can be tak en to
re d u c e th e hazards.
T h ey in c lu d e c h e c k in g y o u r fu r­
n ace and o th e r c o m b u s tio n a p p lia n c ­
es a n n u a lly fo r c ra c k s , so o t b u ild u p
an d p ro p e r flam e a d ju s tm e n t to d e ­
c re a s e c a rb o n m o n o x id e.
T e stin g y o u r h o m e fo r rad o n
c an be d o n e w ith a $ 7 k it fro m the
N a tio n a l S afety C o u n c il by c a llin g
1 -8 0 0 -5 5 -R A D O N .
R esid e n ts are e n c o u ra g e d to use
n o n -to x ic h o u seh o ld item s w hen p o s­
sib le a n d p u rch ase o n ly w h at y o u can
use in a sh o rt p e rio d o f tim e. T o x ic
item s sh o u ld be p ro p e rly d is p o se d o f
by c a llin g M etro at 7 9 7 -1 6 5 0 .
T o g e t a f r e e “ H o w H e a lth Y
is th e A ir in y o u r H o m e ? ” b r o ­
c h u re ,
sen d
a s e lf-a d d re s s e d
s ta m p e d e n v e lo p e to O S P I R G A ir
B r o c h u f e , 1 5 3 6 S .E . 1 1 th , A v e .
P o r t la n d , O R 9 7 2 1 4 .
Fireplace Comfort With Safety
T h ere are few things m ore likely
to arouse w arm , co zy feelings than the
scent o f a w ood fire in O cto b er. T h at
is, o f co u rse, as long as the sm o k e is n 't
filling y o u r den.
ÎTOE
QUIZ
A-ZEBRA
flMts
c it y ,’ sa id O S P I R G ’s C o n s u m e r
A d v o c a te L a u ra C u lb e rs o n . “ T he
(NAPS)—Here’s a short quiz to test your knowledge of how safe
your records and valuables would be if-a fire were to break out in
yo u r home.
(503) 230-1399 • (Res.) 287-6837
A u tu m n is w hen ev en the m ost
c e reb ral h o m e o w n e rs roll up th eir
sh irts le e v e s and en g ag e in the an cien t
o p en ed .
C h ip B rpw n, the o w n e r o f P ip e
D ream S to v e and C h im n e y S h o p in
art o f b u ild in g a fire in th e ir living
A sh fo rd , C o n n ., said that w o o d -b u rn ­
ing sto v es sh o u ld be c h e c k e d fo r leaks
q u arters.
S o m e q u ick ly su c ceed , an d , after
se e m in g ly little e ffo rt, rep o se in the
g lo w o f a c ra c k lin g scarlet blaze. O th ­
ers a re n ’t so lucky.
S o m e e x h a u st e v ery c o m b u stib le
m aterial w ith in reach ju s t to get it
going. S o m e su c c e e d only to find that
a fam ily o f n estin g sq u irrels fled the
c h im n e y but left th eir h o m e behind.
O th ers g et the bad n ew s ev en so o n e r
w hen they realize th ey fo rg o t to open
the d a m p e r.
P eo p le m ak e fires in th e ir h o m es
for all so rts o f reaso n s. S o m e ev en use
them fo r heat. H e re ’s h o w to keep
o r cra c k s at jo in ts and fo r w orn g a s ­
kets on the d o o r. G lass firep la ce d o o rs.
B ro w n said, sh o u ld a lso be ch e c k e d
for g ap s an d leaks w h ere the fram e
m eets the hearth.
A nd w h e th e r y o u r co m b u stio n
c h a m b e r o f c h o ic e is a sta n d a rd fire ­
p lace o r a w o o d -b u rn in g sto v e, it is
im p o rtan t to burn o n ly “ se a s o n e d ”
w ood. It lig h ts easier, b u rn s b etter an d
m a k e s less nasty c reo so te.
“W o o d u sed fo r b u rn in g sh o u ld
be cut, split an d stack ed fo r a y e a r,”
said S cott A R o b in so n , m a n a g e r o f
N o rd ic W o o d sto v e & F ire p la c e in
O ld G re e n w ic h , C o n n . “I f it h isses
A Veterans Day Celebration
y o u r h o m e fires b u rn in g - and w hy
d o in g it right m ig h t even sav e you
In recognition of all
Active Duty, Reserve and Retired
Military Service Personnel
so m e m oney.
B u t first th in g s first.
“ C le a n y o u r c h im n e y ! ” sa id
W a lte r W illia m C a rlso n , the o w n e r o f
W .W . C a rlso n C h im n e y R ep air in
w et." R o b in so n also said that w ood
sto red o u tsid e sh o u ld be p ro te c te d
from rain an d sn o w . “ B ut c o v e r only
the to p and leav e the sid es o p e n ,” he
said. “P eo p le
N e w to w n , C o n n . B eliev e it o r not,
th ere is ac tu a lly s tu ff in y o u r ch im n ey
that can b u rn . I t’s ca lled cre o so te - the
black , flu ffy su b sta n c e that a c c u m u ­
lates on the
c o v e r the w hole w o o d p ile w ith
th o se big b lue ta rp s and th ey create a
1 The average home fire rais­
es the te m p e ra tu re to 400
degrees F. (a) True (b) False?
'^Dress, jn TjnuC.
j[
2 An “insulated” metal box or
file cabinet will keep important
records safe from fire (a) True (b)
False?
Saturday, November II, 1995
in sid e of a c h im n e y o r sto v ep ip e.
C re o so te is w hat rem ain s o f w hat
Annie Pearls’ Restaurant & Lounge
320 SE 2nd
w as su p p o sed to g o up in sm oke. If
en o u g h a c c u m u la te s, it can ca tc h fire
in all the w ro n g p lace s and m ake life
d o w n rig h t m iserab le.
(B e tw e e n O ak and Pine S treets)
8:00 PM to 2:00 AM
Food
Fun • Raffle • Fashion Show
No Host Bar
Music Provided by:
The Man In Motion ” - Aaron Pruitt
Fashion Show
Doris Rush displays her Signature Io Class
Tickets: $12.00 in Advance; $15.00 the day of the event!
Sold at all G.I. Joes TicketMaster outlets
Dress in a tune era o f your choice',
C ivilians are invited to help celebrate this one-of-a-kind event
3. The documents most com­
monly stored at home are insur­
ance policies (a) True (b) False?
4. A UL-rated fire-safe securi­
ty chest can protect contents at
temperatures up to 1550 degrees
Fahrenheit (a) True (b) False?
A nsw ers
,
,
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p|noA\ a p ts u i s ja d ß d a q j p a jjn a a o a j y a j j a s j u j (q j -g j i a q u a j q s j
s a a j S a p j ç j , j b u j n q o j s j j b j s u a d B d a |i q M ‘ j s a a j 8 a p 0 0 6 I
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E x p e rts like C arlso n re co m m en d
a p ro fe ssio n a l ch im n e y -c le a n in g each
y e a r b efo re the first fire.
W ith th e rig h t e q u ip m e n t, o f
co u rse, in d u strio u s h o m eo w n ers can
p ro b ab ly clea n th eir ch im n e y s th e m ­
selves. (W ith the right eq u ip m en t, they
co u ld p ro b ab ly clean th cirsep tic tanks,
too. B ut w h o w ould W an t to?)
“C le a n in g an o rdinary c h im n ey
c o sts ab o u t $ 7 5 ,” C arlso n said , a d d ­
ing that h o m e o w n e rs w ho insist on
stre tc h in g th eir luck should at least
look up (o r d o w n ) the c h im n ey to see
if b ird s o r sq u irre ls have m ade nests
w hen it’s b u rn in g , th a t’s a sign it’s too
g re e n h o u se e ffe c t in th e re ."
M ost e x p e rts ag re e th at the best
w ood fo r b u rn in g is “an y th in g th a t’s
h a r d .’ M a p le a n d o a k a re g o o d
c h o ice s, they say, as are w aln u t, ap p le,
ch erry and ev en p o p lar. A v o id c e d a r -
it b u rn s ea sily w ith m uch no ise and
p retty flam es, but it also c re a te s lots o f
c re o so te and m a k e s sp ark s that can fly
ac ro ss the room . A lso , th o se fak e logs
are all rig h t fo r fire p la c e s b u t sh o u ld
not be used in w o o d sto v es - th ey need
lots o f a ir to b u rn p ro p erly .
N ow , fo r the hard part - ig nition
Ju st a b o u t a n y o n e w ho h as e v e r tried
to build a fire in a firep la ce has asked
the q u estio n : “ H ow d o fo rest fires
start w hen I c a n ’t ev en get a d rie d -o u t,
six -y e a r-o ld log to b u rn ? " T h e trick, it
seem s, is to sta r, sm all.
Robinson o f Nordic W oodstove said
that a layerol small, dry twigs on topof some
crumpled-up newspaper should be topped
with another layer o f slightly largerpiccesof
inside o v e r the su m m er.
wixxl and lit from the bottom. Once the fire
A t the very least, su ch an in sp ec­
tion w ill insure that the d a m p e r g ets
starts, he said, largerpiecesofw oodcan be
ad d ed .