Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
A9
GROW
Save money by spreading
energy use throughout the day
Hardscaping can be easy
Blue Mountain Eagle
achieve your outdoor vision.
Voluntary OTEC
program rewards
those who use
less capacity
Hardscaping doesn’t have
to be hard at all. In fact, with
a little creativity and sweat
equity, hardscaping can be
an enjoyable experience that
adds serious style points to
your home’s outdoor areas.
So what is hardscaping? It
involves all of the design el-
ements on your property that
aren’t plants, grass or lowers.
This sector of your landscap-
ing strategy includes retain-
ing walls, ire pits, decks,
fences, paved walkways and
sculptures.
Many hardscaping-specif-
ic specialty stores and con-
tractors have popped up in
recent years, as the practice
has become big business.
And because so many proj-
ects involve factors that can
effect yard slope, water drain-
age and electrical add-ons, it
may be your best bet to hire
an accredited professional to
help safely and compliantly
Do It Yourself
If you’re feeling handy
and conident in handling
certain projects, you can
certainly save some mon-
ey in your budget by doing
the work yourself. If you do
decide to go the DIY route,
there are some things to re-
member as you prepare.
Research is key. Watch
tutorials, talk with trained
professionals, ask your hard-
ware specialist – feeling
comfortable scouting out a
project will help you cover
your bases before you jump
in.
Also, check with your
municipality to see if you
need a permit and to ensure
By Sean Hart
Blue Mountain Eagle
If you can keep from using
a lot of electricity at once, you
might be able to save money
through a new alternate pilot
program offered by the Ore-
gon Trail Electric Co-op.
OTEC is conducting a
volunteer study to determine
whether charging customers
based on the capacity of en-
ergy used, rather than just the
total amount, will inluence
energy usage, General Man-
ager Werner Buehler said.
The program charges a
lower base monthly rate and
about half as much for each
kilowatt-hour used with an
additional capacity fee based
on how many kilowatts were
needed during the highest 15
minutes of usage during the
billing period. If people can
spread their energy usage
throughout the day to min-
imize the amount needed at
any given time, they would
be rewarded with a lower bill.
Buehler compared energy
capacity to that of a vehicle
engine: People pay a premi-
um for an engine with the ca-
pacity to quickly accelerate
up to 80 mph when passing,
even though most of the time
at 65 mph that capacity is
not used. Similarly, he said,
it costs an electricity com-
pany more to supply a high
capacity to you — and your
neighbor and the rest of the
block during peak hours —
because of increased infra-
structure costs.
By not running, for ex-
ample, an air conditioner,
a dishwasher and an elec-
tric dryer at the same time,
customers can reduce their
needed capacity, which re-
duces the capacity needed to
energize the rest of the block
and the need for expensive,
new transmission lines. This
program provides an incen-
tive for users to reduce their
capacity with a lower elec-
tricity bill.
“With this voluntary pilot
program, there will be an op-
portunity — other than saving
kilowatt-hours — to separate
demand for capacity into an
optional rate schedule, giving
members an opportunity to
identify and shift their use of
capacity and potentially save
money on their electric, bill,”
he said.
The program will not be
a great it for all households,
however, so OTEC will work
with customers to analyze
their last 12 months of energy
usage and model how the al-
ternate program would affect
their bill, he said. Knowing
they are being charged for ca-
pacity, customers can modify
their electricity usage to save
more.
“We want them to be suc-
cessful,” Buehler said.
The program requires a
12-month commitment from
customers and must be initi-
ated in 2016. Only 100 cus-
tomers will be allowed to
participate in the study, and
about half of the slots are al-
ready filled.
For more information
about the program or to
check whether it might be a
good fit for your household,
contact the local OTEC of-
fice, 541-575-0161, 400
Patterson Bridge Road, John
Day.
Cater to the Space
Do you live in a country
setting with ample space for
outdoor additions? Or is your
living situation more sub-
urban with a limited yard?
Either option can be greatly
enhanced with strategically
added touches.
Outdoor kitchens, family
rooms, barbecue areas, ire
pits and greenhouses can all
be awe-inspiring additions, if
space allows. Smaller quar-
ters may require only a stone
walkway or outdoor sitting
area to spruce things up.
Analyze your space to
make an educated decision
on your hardscaping plans.
Build a Better
Summer
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