Energy Trust will expand its support for energy-efficient, affordable housing thanks to $15 million from a major new federal grant.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded a $197 million Climate Pollution Reduction grant to Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality to help lower greenhouse gas emissions across the state.
To lower emissions in homes and buildings, $15 million of Oregon’s grant will go toward expanding cash incentives Energy Trust offers to developers of affordable housing. These incentives lower the cost of including energy-saving features like better insulation, efficient lighting, efficient heating and cooling, and solar with battery storage.
Along with saving money, these features create safer, more comfortable homes that can better cope with things like extreme temperatures and smoke from wildfires.
The funding will also expand community outreach and incentives for families with lower incomes to offset the costs of energy-efficient upgrades in existing homes. Adding insulation and other weatherization work, for example, could save families hundreds of dollars each year on their energy bills.
“Energy Trust is thrilled for these federal grant funds to flow to the state of Oregon. As an implementation partner, we are eager to get to work to distribute $15 million of the grant for projects that reduce people’s utility bills and contribute to the state’s emissions reduction goals,” said Mark Wyman, Energy Trust innovation and development senior program manager.
“These funds will be paired with the programs we currently administer, ensuring more people receive weatherization and to construct the next generation of highly efficient, affordable new homes that our state desperately needs.”
The Climate Pollution Reduction grant is the latest federal funding opportunity created by the federal Inflation Reduction Act to reach Oregon. It follows an $86 million Solar for All grant announced earlier this year. Oregon Department of Energy, Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Energy Trust will use that funding to make rooftop and community solar more accessible for families with lower incomes.