For Emily Bostian, owner of Jolliffe’s Consignment Shop, a clothing consignment store in Beaverton, Oregon, sustainability is more than a buzzword.
“It’s not just a gimmick for Earth Day,” she said. “The goal is to reduce fashion waste and conserve all the resources that go into manufacturing, shipping and distributing new clothes. There are so many good quality clothes hanging in our neighbors’ closets.”
Bostian first opened her shop in 2024, but after realizing her original location was not financially sustainable, she relocated late last year to a new space with less than half the rent and a better lease.
The new space came with its own challenges. The store’s fluorescent lighting was harsh, which was especially difficult for Bostian, who experiences migraines and light sensitivity. Lamps were not a realistic solution, either, because the building had limited outlets. The shop also had an outdated thermostat that was difficult to program.
For a small business owner working within tight margins, improving comfort while keeping operating costs down was a priority.
Bostian, a Portland General Electric customer, reached out to Energy Trust of Oregon while researching solutions for the lighting issues in her new space. Through Energy Trust’s No-Cost Small Business Lighting offer, she received energy-efficient LED lighting upgrades with luminaire level lighting controls at no cost for her business. Energy Trust also provided a $400 cash incentive that nearly covered the entire cost for a smart thermostat.
That support made a meaningful difference for Bostian, allowing her to improve the space without a major upfront investment. With the no-cost lighting installation and the smart thermostat incentive, Jolliffe’s is expected to save nearly $800 annually on energy costs.
The new lighting immediately changed how the store felt and functioned. With luminaire level lighting controls, Bostian can now dim the lights in the morning when her headaches are at their worst, brighten them later in the day and adjust lighting levels in different parts of the shop depending on the task.
“This is where Energy Trust proved so valuable to me,” she said. “The LED lights are so much easier on my eyes than the terrible old fluorescents, and they’re dimmable, which helps even more, especially on days when the headaches are worse than usual.”
The smart thermostat upgrade also made the space easier to manage by replacing an older non-functioning unit with one she can schedule and control more easily, along with consistent temperature control and less energy usage. Together, the improvements have made the shop more comfortable and more sensory-friendly while saving energy, which is also important to Bostian.
“I grew up with the understanding that we’re supposed to save energy. Everything that takes energy uses resources, and resources are finite,” she said.
With new LED lighting and a smart thermostat, Bostian has created a space that better supports her light sensitivity and migraines while making the store feel more welcoming to customers. The upgrades also showed her how Energy Trust can help small businesses make improvements that might otherwise feel out of reach.
“The HVAC system is older than I am, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will last for a few more years. When it needs to be replaced, I will look up those incentives!”
Learn more about how you can reduce operating costs, lower energy use and access no-cost lighting upgrades with support from Energy Trust. Visit the small business incentives page or get started by emailing existingbuildings@energytrust.org.