PORT TOWNSEND — A home can be said to be a family’s most important asset. An exposition from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday is designed to show how to take the best care of this valuable possession.
The 2014 Home and Garden Expo is set at Mountain View Commons, 1925 Blaine St.
“If you don’t take care of your home, it will cost you more in the long run,” said Lizanne Coker, director of the Jefferson County Home Builders Association, which is sponsoring the free event.
“There are things that you can do to save money and extend the life of your home, and we will have presentations about many of these.”
Among improvements homeowners can make are painting the house every few years to preserve the wood and installing a 50-year roof.
Money-saving projects
“If you put in a more durable roof, you’ll never have to worry about it again,” Coker said.
“There are a lot of projects you can do to save money.”
The expo will occupy two areas. In the gymnasium will be more than 20 exhibits and booths. Seminars will take place in the multipurpose room.
Fourteen sessions each lasting 30 minutes will be presented consecutively, giving attendees the opportunity to absorb as much or as little as they choose.
Coker acknowledges that the presentations will be a lot to take in, so she plans to post a summary of each presentation and links to the presenters following each event.
Vintage Hardware owner Ken Kelly will talk about new lighting technologies, comparing induction and LCD bulbs and discussing the advantages of each new process that will eventually replace the current incandescent and florescent bulbs.
Both new technologies cost a little more to accommodate but last a lot longer and generate far less pollutants, Kelly said.
He said the additional costs are in the bulbs. No new wiring is required.
“When you install this, you can expect 100,000 hours,” he said, pointing to an induction fixture.
Kelly said he has no vested interest in either technology and will talk about the advantages and drawbacks of each during his presentation.
Both incandescent and fluorescent bulbs “will be outlawed,” and homeowners will need to choose one of the two new options, he said.
Another new technology that will be demonstrated comes from EcoloBlue Inc., which sells a machine that captures moisture from the air and turns it into filtered drinking water, according to its blog at www.ecoloblueblog.com.
Presentations all day
Here is the schedule of presentations.
■ 9:30 a.m. — “Crops in Pots!,” Washington State University Master Gardener Mike McFadden.
■ 10 a.m. — “Water Out of Thin Air: Atmosphere Water Generation,” Douglas Davis from EcoloBlue.
■ 10:30 a.m. — “Composting 101,” Dana Ecelberger, Jefferson County Conservation District.
■ 11 a.m. — “Run on Sun: Economics of Solar and Electric Vehicle Charging,” Hans Frederickson of Frederickson Electric Inc. of Port Townsend.
■ 11:30 a.m. — “Thermography & Blower Door Presentations,” Orlando Talamante, certified building analyst professional.
■ Noon — “County Building Codes for 2014,” Carl Smith, director of Jefferson County Department of Community Development.
■ 12:30 p.m. — “Beyond Curb Appeal,” David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth, authors of What’s Wrong With My Plant (And How Do I Fix It?).
■ 1 p.m. — “Funding Your Dream Space,” Brenda Thornbrue, renovation specialist of Shelton.
■ 1:30 p.m. — “The Lighting Dilemma: Choosing the Best Technology for Each Space,” Ken Kelly of Vintage Hardware.
■ 2 p.m. — “Solar Economics: What’s the Bottom Line? Solar Incentives and Financing for Grid-Tied PV,” Power Trip Energy Corp., Port Townsend.
■ 2:30 p.m. — “Vertical Gardening,” Barry Truscott, landscaper.
■ 3 p.m. — “Age at Home: What to Do When the Unexpected Happens,” Celia Frye and Lynn Meyer.
■ 3:30 p.m. — “Living a Healthier, Greener Lifestyle,” Jim Gillilan of the Hydration Station.
■ 4 p.m. — “Water Out of Thin Air.”
For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/PDN-Home-Show.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
