SILVER CITY, NM – The “Hot Air Panel” (passive solar free heat) workshop, hosted by Habitat for Humanity Gila Region, scheduled for Saturday 1:30 – 4:30 at the ReStore, is filled to capacity with a waiting list of 15!  A second workshop will be announced soon, and those folks will get the first notice.
 
The workshop will teach how to design and demonstrate how to construct and install a “passive solar” (low technology) “hot air panel” which can provide free heat for a building.  Properly designed, a twenty-square-foot panel can harvest up to 1/2 million BTU's of free energy each month!  That's enough to easily heat a room with more to share with the rest of the house!
 
The Habitat Board and employees are thrilled by the community's response.  A typical comment from those registered is, “This is exactly what we need more of in the world today – using the free energy of the sun!  It's about time!”  More workshops will soon be announced, teaching about both Hot Air Panels and solar water heaters.
 
The workshop will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, from 1:30 – 4:30 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (after the ReStore closes).  The address is 704 W. Market Street (at the corner of Black) in Silver City.   Interested media can expect a hot air panel to be constructed by mid-afternoon and installed by late afternoon.  The installation will take place on the south side of the ReStore building, immediately adjacent to Market Street.
 
The workshop will be taught by solar designer Asher Gelbart of Green Energy Now.  More information can be found at his website, https://sites.google.com/site/ashergen.
 
The sliding scale fee, from $5 and $20, determined by each participant, serves Habitat for Humanity's mission to make affordable housing accessible to everyone.  The class is limited to the first 20 to register, and is full.
 
For more information, call Jean Eisenhower, Executive Director, today, Thursday, 9-3, at 538-9540; or on Friday or Saturday call Chelsea Bush, ReStore Manager, at 313-1408.  (Eisenhower's office hours are normally Monday – Friday, excepting this week.)