One hot product

CENTRAL POINT — Ray Ogden wishes he had thought of it first.

A Central Boiler is a simple, low-tech device connected to more complex household heating systems.

Ogden first saw a Central Boiler unit at a renewable energy fair in John Day a decade ago. The device is housed in a shed-like structure, has a firebox surrounded by a water jacket. A water line feeds heated liquid into the residence where it is hooked up with water heaters and heating systems.

"The way heating bills are going up, the time has come for something like this," says Ogden, who now sells the Minnesota company’s products.

The Grants Pass man will be among more than 300 exhibitors displaying their wares today through Sunday at the 24th Annual Southern Oregon Home Show at the Jackson County Expo.

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The event begins at noon today and 10 a.m. Saturday, ending at 7 p.m. both days. On Sunday, the hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the Home Builders of Jackson County’s spring event is $3.

Central Boiler first went on the market 22 years ago. Ogden sells units that produce 150 and 250 gallons of liquid for circulation to houses, pools and spas. Fires, burning small chunks of wood, are controlled to go out once the anti-corrosive fluid is heated to a specified temperature.

"You load it with chunks of 4- or 5-inch wood two or three times a week," Ogden says. The wood is typically fed in 2- to 4-foot lengths.

The 150-gallon units sell for $5,195, and the 250-gallon models go for $7,400. Installation costs another $2,000.

Gary Thomas, a solar energy contractor, whose monthly gas bill at his 1,500-square-foot home typically runs $100 to $150, saw a steep decline in his costs burning scrap wood from his work.

"My bill was $130 a year ago and would’ve been $150 last month," said Thomas, who had a unit installed three months ago. "The gas bill was $75 two months ago and $5 last month."

The spring home show has grown from 37 booths and a few hundred visitors during its debut at the old Holiday Inn convention center in 1983. Booth reservations begin 11 months before the event and there are about two dozen would-be exhibitors on a waiting list.

"Last year was our biggest show and we’re hoping to duplicate that," says Judy Gauderman, HBJC executive vice president. "The weather is supposed to be good all weekend and that will allow us to add things outside."

She says there were about 10,000 paying customers last year and another 7,000 took in the fall home show.

The event caters to a diverse range of building, remodeling, decorating and landscaping interests. Sometimes that means cutting off entries in certain categories.

"We’re not a spa show, a door show or a window show," Gauderman says. "We want a good mix."

Reach reporter Greg Stilesat 776-4463 or e-mail business@mailtribune.com.