Photo courtesy of NeighborWorks Umpqua

Since its founding, NeighborWorks Umpqua has placed residents at the heart of its mission. For 30 years, the organization has provided affordable housing and financial support to the people of Coos, Curry, Douglas and Josephine counties. With over 600 affordable rental housing units, NeighborWorks Umpqua is committed to improving the quality of life for residents across rural southwest Oregon. However, many of the 22 multifamily buildings, constructed in the 1990s, now face the challenges of aging systems.

Primarily funded through donations and grants, NeighborWorks Umpqua continually seeks new funding opportunities to support its mission. To stretch every dollar, enhance energy efficiency and improve resident comfort, NeighborWorks Umpqua got involved in Energy Trust of Oregon’s Multifamily Strategic Energy Management (SEM) offering in 2022.

This decision came during a challenging period for residents of Sunset Apartments, a NeighborWorks Umpqua property in Roseburg, where the summer wildfires created harsh conditions, especially for vulnerable individuals.

“During wildfire season, when it’s hot out, you open a window but are confronted with smoke. The wildfires in Roseburg in 2020 were scary because for many of our older, mobility-limited residents there was no way to escape the dangerous smoke,” said Meredith Howell, resource development officer, NeighborWorks Umpqua.

Through the SEM offering, NeighborWorks Umpqua collaborated with an energy coach – an energy performance expert – to identify energy-saving opportunities and operational improvements at several properties, helping to create a safer, more resilient environment for residents. They engaged in a series of SEM activities aimed at boosting efficiency, including energy “treasure hunts,” property walkthroughs to help pinpoint energy waste and staff and resident education on energy-saving practices.

Photo courtesy of NeighborWorks Umpqua

Since becoming involved in SEM, NeighborWorks Umpqua has completed 110 efficiency-related projects, ranging from adjusting lighting schedules in common spaces to installing weather stripping and insulating hot water pipes. These efforts have not only helped reduce overall energy consumption and operational costs, but they’ve also contributed to improved resident comfort.

In addition to the anticipated thousands in annual energy cost savings, NeighborWorks Umpqua received $48,000 in milestone-based cash incentives for completing SEM action items, which they can use to fund further energy-efficient upgrades.

“Energy efficiency saves us money in the operations of our multifamily buildings. Setting these goals and doing little things to improve energy efficiency like maintaining systems properly add up to create big savings. We either save our residents money on their energy bill or we save money on the properties where we pay the utility bill,” said Howell.

Continuing their commitment to enhancing residents’ experiences, NeighborWorks Umpqua’s SEM energy coach helped their team identify additional upgrade opportunities, including Energy Trust’s no-cost ductless heat pump (DHP) offering for affordable housing providers. As a result, NeighborWorks Umpqua installed energy-efficient ductless heat pumps at no cost, providing safe and reliable heating and cooling to all 31 units at Sunset Apartments.

These new heat pumps not only offer year-round comfort but also contribute to significant energy savings. For residents, this means a more comfortable indoor environment, especially during extreme weather, and fewer health risks from poor air quality due to wildfire smoke. By reducing energy consumption, the DHPs help keep utility costs down, which further supports affordability for residents.

“The heat pumps improve the overall health outcomes of the residents with chronic health conditions. As you look at the environmental justice communities our area fails in health outcomes so the heat pumps will have important benefits, “said Howell.

With energy efficiency and resident well-being as guiding principles, NeighborWorks Umpqua is focused on a sustainable future for its properties.

“We’re now in our third year of SEM participation, and it couldn’t be better. The education, training, and ongoing activities ensure that even as staff changes, we remain on track with our energy efficiency goals.” Meredith Howell, resource development officer, NeighborWorks Umpqua

Learn more about improving your energy efficiency with support from Energy Trust by visiting www.energytrust.org/multifamilySEM. To view available cash incentives, visit www.energytrust.org/multifamily.