Tips for protecting homes during OR's wildfire season

Wildfires have burned across Oregon this year, but a few tips could help people protect themselves against their damaging impacts.

Fires have burned more than a million acres so far this year, in what has become an annual occurrence for Oregon.

Scott Leonard, a program manager with Energy Trust of Oregon, said smoke from wildfires has consequences for people’s health.

He said it’s important to keep unhealthy air out by closing gaps around windows and doors and sealing around air conditioners.

“People know what it’s like to have a drafty house,” said Leonard. “So if you’re feeling drafts, you can do things like add weather stripping to keep the smoke from drifting into your house, making sure just really that there’s a seal on any kind of crack or gap in the shell of the home.”

Leonard said people can also switch their HVAC systems to fan only to clean up air from the outside, but they should make sure to switch it back to auto once smoke is no longer an issue.

He suggested that people check and regularly change their air filters and also be aware of other sources of unhealthy indoor air, like candles and certain kinds of stoves. These can worsen bad air conditions.

Leonard said people can look into air purifiers as well.

“Consider putting in a portable air purifier or a high-efficiency filter,” said Leonard. “This going to help keep the indoor air clean. And run that purifier as often as possible at the highest fan speed.”

Leonard noted that Energy Trust of Oregon offers instant discounts on air purifiers and incentives for other upgrades that make homes more energy efficient.

He added that moves to make homes more energy efficient can also make them more fire resistant - such as through rigid installation, installing triple pane windows, and sealing attic vents.

“So if you seal your attic vents,” said Leonard, “what you’re doing is you’re preventing any type of wildfire embers that are floating around in the air from being sucked up into your attic and essentially igniting the attic from the inside.”

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