In May 2020, Jessie Miller learned she was becoming a foster mom. She rushed to buy supplies to welcome the foster child into her home. With COVID-19 shutdowns in full effect, finding open stores in Northeast Oregon on short notice was a challenge. Thankfully, her support network came through, and Miller acquired everything she needed in time.
This experience is what inspired Miller to open Sweet Potato’s Closet just one month later, in June 2020. Foster children often arrive with few clothes or personal belongings when placed with a family. The cost of buying new items for every child can add up quickly for foster families. Sweet Potato’s Closet offers a solution by providing these essential items free of charge.
Today, Sweet Potato’s Closet serves over 300 people a month, providing goods such as clothing, bedding, furniture and toiletries. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit grew quickly, moving from Miller’s living room to storage units and then to various short-term storefronts before settling into its current location in 2022.
For Miller, it was clear when Sweet Potato’s Closet moved into one of the original buildings in downtown Hermiston that the HVAC system was near the end of its life. “It was at least 20 years old and was too small to heat and cool the whole space, which is about 3,000 square feet,” she said.
The aging system managed to function for two more years, with fans in the summer and space heaters in the winter keeping the temperature bearable. But when it finally broke down during a heatwave in 2024, Miller had to act quickly to get it replaced so she could reopen. “It was 90 degrees inside the store,” she said.
Miller seized the opportunity to upgrade to an energy-efficient smart thermostat to improve temperature control and minimize operational costs. By purchasing and installing a qualifying commercial smart thermostat, Sweet Potato’s Closet qualified for a $400 cash incentive from Energy Trust of Oregon.
Thanks to their customizable scheduling features, smart thermostats help ensure spaces are at the right temperature at the right time. “Having a comfortable environment in the store is so important,” Miller said. “This is a calm place where people can get what they need, and maintaining a consistent, pleasant temperature, whether it’s cold or hot outside, helps.”
Temperature control is critical for preserving some of the goods Sweet Potato’s Closet stocks. “We must keep the space cool in summer. Otherwise, items like deodorant and soap will melt,” she explained.
With the organization’s low overhead, Miller is always looking for ways to save money. She knew that controlling energy costs was key to keeping Sweet Potato’s Closet running efficiently. To compliment the upgraded HVAC system, Miller needed a way to ensure consistent comfort without overspending on utilities. Installing a smart thermostat helped solve that problem. “The business is now heated and cooled at a lower cost,” she said.
Smart thermostats help minimize energy usage because users can program them to limit HVAC operation to specific timeframes, like business hours. By establishing a set schedule, business owners won’t waste money heating and cooling their space when it isn’t necessary. Through increased management of HVAC operation, Sweet Potato’s Closet’s new smart thermostat helps conserve its budget. “This new thermostat will definitely help,” she said.
This incentive reduced the overall cost of the upgrade, freeing up funds to support the organization’s mission of helping foster children and their families.
“We don’t have a lot of resources to work with, so it means a lot that Energy Trust made me feel supported every step of the way.” – Jessie Miller
Upgrade to a smart thermostat for less with help from Energy Trust. Learn more about cash incentives for commercial smart thermostats and other HVAC incentives by visiting our website or emailing existingbuildings@energytrust.org.