Page A3
October 17. 2007
«
S ustainable L iving
E nergy A wareness
Cold air from
a leaky door
frame is
sealed up
with caulking.
Weatherizing My
Old, Drafty Home
A clean air filer makes a furnace work better and saves on energy costs
Heating Tips to Save Money
According to many meteorolo­ dirt, replace it immediately since the
gists, Oregon is expected to have a m inim al cost o f a new filter will
cooler than normal fa ll and winter quickly be paid back thanks to re­
meaning people will face higher duced energy bills.
2. Have your duct work scaled.
heating costs. Increasing your heat­
ing system's efficiency can dra­ Leaky ductw ork can result in heat
matically reduce your expenses loss o f up to 50% into your attic
and your carbon dioxide contri­ and/or craw l space. A rebate from
butions to global warming.
the Energy Trust o f O regon and an
1. Check your air filter. Dirty
filters are one o f the biggest causes
o f inefficient hom e heating sys­
tem s since they reduce airflow
through your furnace. M ake sure
to check your filter every month. If
it show s any buildup o f dust and
O regon incom e tax credit are avail­
able to offset much o f the cost o f
the sealing.
3. Install storm w indow s and
drapes. Standard w indow s provide
very little insulation w hile storm
w indow s (even a layer o f plastic)
C O M M U N IT Y
ENERGY
PR O JEC T
and drapes seal out drafts and block
significant heat loss.
4. C o n sid er w eath er-strip p in g .
M any h o m es have d rafts com ing
th ro u g h d o o rs an d w in d o w s.
W e ath er-strip p in g will cut dow n
on co ld air in filtratio n reducing
the am o u n t o f h eatin g w ork y o u r
fu rn ace has to do. A lso, you will
feel m ore co m fo rta b le w ithout
co ld d rafts b lo w in g th ro u g h your
h o u se .
5. Get a qualified technician to
inspect your furnace or boiler. A
technician from your local heating
com pany should inspect your heat­
Celebrating 28
years of serving
Portland!
Empowering People - One Home at a Time
You have the power to change that.
• Free Weatherization Workshops and free conservation kit for income-qualified
participants.
• Free In-Home Weatherization for low-income seniors and people with disabilities
• Free In-Home Safety Repairs for low-income seniors and people with disabilities in
the city of Portland
503.284.6827 CommunityEnergyProject.org
422 NE Alberta Street, Portland Oregon
___________________________________ _________________________________________________________ /
Add Some Green to Your Business
Save energ y and m oney w ith
help fro m Energy Trust.
If you’re considering improvements to your
business, consider making energy efficiency
a priority. Energy efficient lighting, heating and
other equipment can reduce your operating
costs and make work spaces more comfortable.
Cash incentives from Energy Trust— plus
tax credits— can offset your costs so your
investment pays off quickly. We also offer
free technical advice to help you choose
improvements that make sense for your
business.
»
Get to the green. Call today.
1-866-368-7878
e n e rg y tru s t.o rg
Energy Trust programs serve Oregon
customers of Portland General Electric
Pacific Power. N W Natural and Cascade
Natural Gas
»
lines, I was able to take a w eather­
ization kit worth $150 hom e for
free. I blo ck ed o u r fireplace,
weatherstripped ourdoor, blocked
the hole u n d er the sink, and
caulked the windows. Me. the
person who ca n 't figure out how
to set up a VCR!
We co u ld n 't believe the differ­
ence. W hen som ebody w ould
com e hom e, they'd say "H ey ...
som ebody leave the heat on?"
instead o f "H oly cow , it's no
w arm er than outside!" which was
a welcom e change.
As an intern I also went out
with CEP staff and volunteers to
weatherize homes for low-income
seniors and people with disabili­
ties who c a n 't make it to a w ork­
shop. It was a great experience to
make the hom es o f others more
livable, ju st as I did my own.
F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n on
W eatherization W orkshops, In-
Home W eatherization, and vol­
u n te e rin g
v is it
Com m unity Energy Project.org or
call503.2S4.6827
Energy Assistance
Keeps Heat On
O regon HEAT, the state's largest nonprofit organiza­
tion providing energy assistance to low -incom e O rego­
nians partners with 34 local com m unity service agencies to
distribute assistance to families in crisis, targeting Oregon's
most vulnerable citizens: theelderly,disabled and families
with young children.
Last year, O regon H EA T spent over $2.74 million to
provide crisis help to nearly 9,4(X) households across the
Drafty Home? High Energy Bills?
\
ing system to ensure that is safe
and operating at m axim um effi­
ciency. R em em ber that faulty heat­
ing equipm ent and poor installa­
tions can cause carbon monoxide
to leak into your hom e leading to
headaches, drow siness and even
death.
6. Add insulation. Heat leaks out
when a house is poorly insulated.
You can rep lace the lost heat
th ro u g h ru n n in g y o u r fu rn ace
longer or buying a bigger unit. But,
it’s much more cost-effective to
add insulation to stop the heat from
leaking out.
Last year I was renting an old,
drafty home. You know the k in d -
light shining like an aura around
the door, keeping you w ondering
“ W h ere is that d raft co m in g
from'?”
W hen the gas heater would
kick on we were nice and w arm ...
for all o f 7 m inutes. Then the heat
was gone. And the bills! We did
everything... we wore layers, blan­
kets, and snuggled every pet in
the house, and still our gas bill
was often hovering near $200. Not
to mention the light bill.
W hat were we supposed to do?
W e co u ld n 't afford the bills, but
we d id n 't w ant to freeze to death,
either. We tried those kits where
you take the hairdryer to the plas­
tic and it shrinks u p ... w hich
worked okay but were fragile.
After I got an internship with
C om m unity Energy Project, and
attended one o f their W eatheriza­
tion W orkshops. I learned about
w here to find air leaks and how to
stop them.
Because 1 met the income guide­
EnergyTrust
of Oregon, Inc
state.
T he dem and for critical energy assistance continues to
increase to unprecedented levels. In ju st one year, the
num ber o f eligible households in Oregon has spiked from
4l9,000to428,000.
O regon H EAT is an independent organization founded
in 1989 to help low -incom e O regonians becom e more
energy self-reliant.
Oregon HEAT’s prim ary program objective is to prevent
disconnection of utility service by providing bill paym ent
assistance to low -incom e households in em ergency situ­
ations.
T o donate or learn m ore about Oregon HEAT: visit
oregonheat.org; call: 503-612-3790: or write to Oregon
H EA T.P.O . Box 12 7 ,Tualatin. OR 97062.
Rain Jar Saves
Water Resource
The Woodlawn Community Garden in
northeast Portland has installed a Thai
Jar Cistern to collect 800 gallons of rain
water and help maintain a healthy
ecosystem for water quality.