Energy Trust evaluations and research support continuous improvement 

One way Energy Trust works to improve our programs and better serve customers is through ongoing evaluations and research activities.  

Energy Trust is required by the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) to conduct regular evaluations of our programs. Evaluations provide accountability, ensuring our programs use utility ratepayer funds wisely and verify the savings and generation results we claim and report publicly. 

There are other benefits of this work. Through evaluations and research projects, we learn and improve so that we can adapt our programs to better serve customers and the market. We survey customers to ensure they are satisfied with Energy Trust programs, have positive experiences with our staff and receive valuable services that help them reduce energy use and generate renewable energy. And we present our findings so others can benefit from what we learn.  

What types of evaluations and research does Energy Trust do? 

Energy Trust does different types of evaluations for different purposes. In most cases, we contract with independent, third-party evaluators to provide objectivity in their assessment and leverage their experience from evaluating other programs. They bring a variety of expertise, from evaluation design, project management and engineering to statistical analysis, in-depth interviewing and surveying. 

• Impact evaluations. These are intended to verify the energy savings and generation results Energy Trust reports to the OPUC and the impacts of individual projects that receive program services or incentives. Results help us be more confident in our results claimed and reported. 

• Process evaluations. These ensure Energy Trust programs are operating efficiently and effectively, serving the market well and that program changes have their intended effects. Results help us understand how our programs can be refined and improved. 

• Customer surveys. Surveys of recent program participants help us assess customer satisfaction with program services and interactions with staff. We also do regular surveys of eligible customers to track customer demographics, awareness of Energy Trust, and participation levels to identify underserved groups.  

• Technology-specific and customer-specific research. These are focused on specific technologies or customer groups and conducted less frequently. Technology-specific research helps Energy Trust better understand how certain types of equipment are used, how the market for that equipment works and the energy impacts of that equipment. Customer-specific research helps us understand the needs, awareness and behaviors of different customer groups. 

How we share our results  

Evaluations and research projects are not complete until we respond to and share the results in:  

• Presentations. We make presentations and hold listening sessions to share findings and recommendations with our staff, board of directors, advisory councils and other stakeholders. These provide an opportunity for us to make sense of findings and ensure those audiences are aware of results and implications for programs and can provide input on next steps.  

• Staff response memo. Evaluations by third-party contractors are accompanied by a staff response memo that gives our takeaways and next steps resulting from the findings and recommendations.  

• Reports posted publicly on our website. All final reports, along with their staff response memo, are posted on our website (with the exception of confidential material). 

• Public webinars. We hold quarterly webinars to present evaluations and research of general interest. These are open to the public; the recording is posted to our website for later viewing.  

• Conference presentations and external meetings. We contribute to the regional and national community of energy program evaluators by presenting what we have learned so that others may benefit from our work.   

Learn more about our evaluations and research activities.