BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
Return from remote work provides energy-saving opportunities
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
As businesses reopen,
extend their hours or bring
workers back to the offi ce
for the fi rst time since the
pandemic began, Energy
Trust of Oregon is remind-
ing them it is a good oppor-
tunity to examine their
energy usage.
“Smaller changes that
wouldn’t be noticeable to
employees working in the
space or customers can
make a big diff erence,” said
Susan Jowaiszas, market-
ing lead for Energy Trust of
Oregon.
She said businesses can
think about how they’re
using their buildings, and
pull back on heating or
cooling areas that aren’t
being used, for example.
That practice has been
a focus for Blue Mountain
Community College.
Dwayne Williams, facili-
ties director for BMCC, said
his department has asked all
staff to provide a schedule
of when they will be in their
offi ces or classrooms so that
they can plan heating, cool-
ing and lighting accord-
ingly. If no one is going to
be in a certain room or sec-
tion of the building, the
temperature will be allowed
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald, File
Blue Mountain Community College sits nestled in the hills above Pendleton. The college is
trying to save energy by scheduling heating and cooling rooms by when staff actually will be
present.
to drop or climb, depending
on the season.
“We’re doing out best to
try and conserve as much
energy as we can while still
keeping everyone comfort-
able,” he said.
The HVAC systems
across BMCC’s campuses
can be controlled remotely
from Pendleton, as can
much of the lighting, which
is also attached to motion
sensors.
The college is part of
Energy Trust of Oregon’s
Strategic Energy Man-
agement program, which
provides a free year-long
training and cash incen-
tives for businesses and
other organizations look-
ing to save money on
energy. Williams said
BMCC has saved thou-
sands of dollars through
simple management prac-
tices, and been able to fun-
nel that money back into
things like new equipment
for groundskeeping staff .
In 2019 they had a contest
Record-breaking heat wave
predicted for Hermiston
By JADE MCDOWELL
NEWS EDITOR
Hermiston-area residents
should brace themselves for
a record-breaking June heat
wave next week, as tempera-
tures are forecast to stay in
triple digits for more than a
week.
Friday, June 25, is
expected to see highs of 101
degrees in Hermiston, peak-
ing at about 113 degrees on
Monday, June 28, before
eventually dipping back
down below 100 degrees on
Sunday, July 4.
According to the National
Weather Service, the highest
temperature ever recorded in
Hermiston was 113 degrees,
in 1961. The highest June
temperature
previously
recorded was 111 degrees.
Air conditioning units
can struggle to keep up
during the heat, as can elec-
tric utilities, so Energy Trust
Of Oregon recommends
people do what they can to
reduce the strain.
Their tips include:
• Unplug devices that
suck up electricity and
generate heat when
they’re not in use, and
avoid using appliances
like dishwashers or ovens
as much as possible.
• Turn off lights when
not in use and swap out
traditional light bulbs for
LED ones that use less
energy and generate less
heat.
• Close your blinds and
curtains when the sun is
shining into that side of
your home.
• Open your windows in
the evening and morning
when it is cooler outside,
and use a fan to move
Getty Images
cool air inside.
• Seal up cracks around
windows, doors and other
openings that are letting
cool air escape.
• Check your fi lters on
your HVAC system or
window unit and clean
them if they’re dirty. Also
look for nests and other
things that may be block-
ing airfl ow.
• Turn your thermostat
up a few degrees when
you’re not home so your
air conditioning isn’t
working so hard to cool
an empty house.
Health experts are also
warning that heat waves can
be dangerous to humans and
animals.
According to the Mayo
Clinic, a person is experi-
encing heatstroke and needs
immediate medical attention
when their body tempera-
ture reaches 104 degrees.
Signs can include altered
mental status, such as con-
fusion or dizziness, nausea
or vomiting, rapid heartbeat,
rapid breathing and fl ushed
skin that is hot and dry to the
touch.
If someone is experienc-
ing heat stroke, call 911 and
in the meantime work to
cool them down by what-
ever means possible, includ-
ing bringing them indoors,
removing clothing, dousing
them with cool water, put-
ting ice under their armpits
or covering them with a wet
towel.
The Mayo Clinic recom-
mends that in excessive tem-
peratures, people keep them-
selves cool in the following
ways:
• Avoid strenuous activ-
ities, or exercise during
cooler hours.
• Stay hydrated with
plenty water.
• Avoid alcohol, which
can interfere with your
body’s ability to regulate
temperature.
• Dress for the heat with
loose-fi tting, lightweight
clothing.
• Protect against sun-
burn by applying sun-
screen generously every
two hours outdoors and
wearing a wide-brimmed
hat and sunglasses.
• Never leave anyone in
a parked car, even for a
few minutes in the shade.
Also lock vehicles and
other places where chil-
dren might crawl inside
and get overheated.
Reporter Bryce Dole con-
tributed to this story.
Hole in Highway 207 delays traffi c
HERMISTON HERALD
Traffi c on Highway 207
northeast of Hermiston is
undergoing some disrup-
tion due to a hole in the
road.
According to Oregon
Department of Transporta-
tion Region 5 spokesperson
Tom Strandberg, a section
of asphalt caved in where a
culvert under the road rot-
ted away.
The stretch of road
shortly before Highway
207 joins Highway 730
was closed Sunday morn-
ing, June 20. As of June
21, commercial truck traf-
fi c has been directed to take
an alternate route, while
local traffi c is being routed
through a single lane of
traffi c using an automatic
fl agging system to signal
which direction traffi c is
fl owing.
Strandberg said he didn’t
know yet exactly when the
road will reopen fully, but
the lane closure was “hope-
fully just for this week.”
between buildings owned
by the college. The building
that saw the most energy
savings over the course of
a month got $1,000 for staff
in that building to use on
something that would help
them save energy, such as
lap blankets. Williams said
that small activity provided
a good reminder for peo-
ple to get in the habit of
thinking about their energy
consumption.
“People would walk by
and turn the lights off if no
one was in the room,” he
said. “We did actually see
some pretty good savings.”
In addition to being stra-
tegic about heating, cool-
ing and lighting schedules,
Energy Trust of Oregon rec-
ommends businesses think
about the air they’re using.
Jowaiszas said with the
focus on airfl ow in prevent-
ing the spread of COVID-
19, many businesses are fol-
lowing recommendations to
pull in 100% of the air com-
ing through the HVAC sys-
tem from outdoors instead
of recirculating the same air
inside the building.
While that is a good prac-
tice to help protect people
from airborne viruses, she
said, pulling hot air in from
outside takes more energy
to heat, so businesses keep-
ing their HVAC system on
to some extent in their off
hours could consider recir-
culating air during times no
one is in the building.
Keeping blinds closed
when hot sunlight is pour-
ing in during the summer
and opening them to let
sunshine in during the win-
ter can also help, she said.
So can keeping thermostats
at a more moderate level,
sealing up cracks with caulk
and using weatherstripping
under doors.
If a business is opening
up their building after a long
period of employees work-
ing from home, she said,
they should be especially
careful to check that fi lters,
heat pumps, vents and other
parts of their HVAC sys-
tems are clean.
“It’s not uncommon
to fi nd birds’ nests, rac-
coon leavings, beehives,
and things like that inside,
which can hinder airfl ow,”
she said.
When it comes to equip-
ment, starting up large
items on a staggered time-
table instead of all at once
can help prevent a surge to
the system. Jowaiszas rec-
ommend people also do
their research on energy rat-
ings and available incen-
tives when purchasing new
appliances or other equip-
ment for their business.
“When people are look-
ing at purchasing equip-
ment, they need to look
at not just what the equip-
ment costs upfront but also
what it will cost to run over
time,” she said.
The cheapest energy is
the energy we as a society
never have to produce, she
said, so Energy Trust of Ore-
gon is here to help people
save as much power as they
want to.
Local pools up and running
after struggle to fi nd lifeguards
said.
Artz said about 86% of
the pool’s staff is new this
year compared to roughly
40% new staff members in
a traditional year.
“We have a lot of peo-
ple to train and not very
much time to do it,” he
said.
Key in trying to fi ll
those spots was reaching
out to potential employ-
ees through social media
and off ering incentives
to returning staff to bring
on their friends or others,
said Artz.
Among those incen-
tives were items such
as sweatshirts or other
apparel to help encourage
returning staff to fi nd new
hires.
“It’s kind of a sigh of
relief right now,” he said.
“We have the staff we
need, let’s get this season
rolling.”
Despite some Oregon
By BEN LONERGAN
STAFF WRITER
Hermiston Recreation
Supervisor Brandon Artz
says he is fi nally feeling
like he has enough life-
guards to operate the pool
after telling the Herm-
iston Herald just more
than a month ago that he
had about half of the 100
staff necessary to open
the Hermiston Family
Aquatic Center.
“It was a real strug-
gle, but we’ve had some
good kids get trained and
apply and come through,”
he said Monday, June
21. “I think we’re pretty
much set for the rest of the
season.”
Artz said he usually
starts recruiting lifeguards
in January so they can get
trained and hired before
summer starts.
“We were kind of run-
ning down to the wire,” he
pools needing to close
down this month due to
a chlorine shortage, Artz
said the Hermiston Fam-
ily Aquatic Center has the
supply to keep going.
The Pendleton Fam-
ily Aquatic Center is also
up and running, despite
a struggle fi nding life
guards.
Jeff Hamilton, a recre-
ation supervisor with the
city of Pendleton, said
lifeguard
certifi cations
last two years, meaning
many of the guards he cer-
tifi ed in 2019 would need
to be recertifi ed this year
due to last year’s closure.
Hamilton said the facil-
ity usually starts the sea-
son with about 40 life-
guards, a number that has
dropped to 34 this year.
“I’m kind of close to
what I want, but if we’re
fully ramped up I could
probably use a few more,”
Hamilton said.
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