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When the compressor kicks on, refrigerators shouldn’t rumble like 1970s Dodge Challengers. If they do, it’s probably time to buy a new one. The savings in electricity alone could almost pay for a new energy-efficient appliance.
At South Stephens Appliance, up-front costs for energy-efficient refrigerators are very low. Through a partnership with Umpqua Community Action Network and Energy Trust of Oregon Inc., the appliance store is selling 15-cubic-foot refrigerators for $178, 18-cubic-foot refrigerators for $210, and 20-cubic-foot refrigerators for $249, with the presentation of a coupon available through UCAN.
“These are a hot price,” John Wheland, owner of South Stephens Appliance, said.
Through a grant with Energy Trust of Oregon, UCAN is visiting low-income homes by appointment to test refrigerators’ energy efficiency.
A technician plugs an electrical monitor into a socket, then plugs the refrigerator into the monitor to gauge its electricity use.
If the refrigerator shows that it uses up to or more than 1,000 kilowatt-hours in a year, it qualifies the owner for a coupon to buy a new energy-efficient one at South Stephens Appliance.
“Refrigerators over 10 years old almost always qualify for our program,” Chris Shoopman, UCAN’s program manager, said.
In all, Wheland and UCAN hope to deliver and install 350 Energy Star-rated refrigerators to all of those who qualify. On Thursday, Wheland said he had thus far received only 20 orders.
UCAN has a hotline — 492-3534 — for scheduling an appointment to have an old refrigerator checked. To check on income limits for qualifying for a home visit, go to www.ucancap.org.
Old refrigerators draw a lot of voltage with their big compressors, which constantly run when the boxes they cool have leaky gaskets and poor insulation. Wheland said when one of his workers replaced his mother’s 30-year-old refrigerator about three years ago with a new one, the woman noticed $30 in savings each month on her electric bill.
A Star-rated fridge costs about $3 to $4 a month to run. Energy Trust of Oregon would like to see more people able to afford energy-efficient refrigerators so fewer dinosaur coolers are plugged in the grid.
“If you can eliminate 300 of them, that’s a big deal,” Wheland said.
For the price of the new refrigerator, South Stephens Appliance also picks up the old refrigerator, decommissions it, and delivers it to a salvage yard.
Per the contract, the appliance store serves customers in Roseburg and outside of city limits for a 22-mile radius. Shoopman said he hopes to have all 350 refrigerators delivered and running by Sept. 15.
Wheland wouldn’t mind meeting that deadline either. His store is relying on deliveries by volume — not single deliveries — to profit from the package.
“John is very community-oriented, and we appreciate that,” Shoopman said.
In a free program for which all homeowners qualify, UCAN is reviewing Pacific Power’s customers’ homes for energy efficiency. In addition, a home visit warrants eight free compact fluorescent light bulbs and one free low-flow shower head. (However, residents living in trailer parks do not qualify, per the contract negotiations with Pacific Power and Energy Trust of Oregon.)
Tax incentives and rebates are also available for homeowners who buffer their homes with insulation based on a home-energy by UCAN.
“You can significantly lower the cost of weatherization measures for your home if you take advantage of the financial incentives available,” Shoopman said.
UCAN spends as many as two hours for each home review. To set an appointment, call the hotline number: 866-ENTRUST.
“This is not for low-income people,” Shoopman said, “this is for everybody.”
In addition to these programs, UCAN will install six solar-powered hot water heaters for low-income houses, four of which are owned by the agency and two of which are owned by the Umpqua Community Development Corp.
The grant from Energy Trust for the water heaters is worth $51,000. Shoopman described the program as a “first-ever pilot” for UCAN, which could eventually make solar water heaters affordable for many low-income families.
Though a typical water heater can cost about $300, a solar water heater can cost about $8,500, Shoopman said.
However, the heaters work so well, Shoopman said, that during seven months of the year, “You don’t even have to have your hot water heater on.”
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080811 ... 33365/1055 |
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