Excellent reminder from the Salem Public Library

If you live in or near Salem and are served by either of the big private utilities, you are already paying for Energy Trust services with your utility bills -- why not take advantage of them to make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and cheaper to live in?

This is in the current Salem Public Library newsletter's "Questions to the Reference Librarians" column:

Q. I would like to make my home more energy efficient. I have a long list of possible home improvements, but am having trouble deciding what to do first. In addition to doing my bit towards making our world a better place, I want to take advantage of the tax incentives that are currently available.

A. Salem Public Library has several new books that may help you prioritize [sic -- ugh] your projects. Green Sense for the Home: Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green Home Projects by Eric Corey Freed and Toward a Zero Energy Home: A Complete Guide to Energy Self-Sufficiency at Home by David Johnston are just a few.

You might also want to contact to Energy Trust of Oregon for a free home energy review. They will send a trained Energy Trust advisor to your home to assess your energy consumption and will provide you with a prioritized [ack!] list of improvements you can make. To schedule an evaluation, call the Energy Trust at 1-866-368-7878 or go their website at energytrust.org. Another good place to find information about energy-related tax incentives is the U.S. Department of Energy’s website at www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm.