The Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon (FCCO), a Portland based non-profit, helps improve the welfare and reduce the population of feral and stray cats through their spay and neuter program. Founded in 1995, they have helped over 135,000 feral cats across Oregon, a feat made possible by volunteers, generous donations and passionate employees like Executive Director Karen Kraus.
As a non-profit organization that is reliant on donations to fund their care efforts, the FCCO must save money wherever they can. A major challenge they faced was hefty monthly utility bills. Kraus and her team were determined to slash energy costs, allowing more donations to be allocated to other essential needs for the cats.
“Every dollar that our organization receives is because somebody is moved and cares about cats. So, every dollar that we can put into helping cats and growing the number of cats we can help is truly a value to our organization.”
– Karen Kraus, Executive Director
During their search for a solution to costly energy bills, the FCCO enrolled in PGE’s Energy Partner Smart Thermostat program, which allowed them to install five smart thermostats at no cost. Not only did these smart thermostats save them nearly $350 a year on energy costs, but they have also helped optimize their energy use during drastic temperature changes in the summer and winter months.
Building on the success of the smart thermostat upgrades, Kraus learned about Energy Trust of Oregon’s cash incentives for energy-efficient upgrades in 2024 and reached out about upgrading their lighting. The project involved replacing their old, florescent lighting fixtures with new LED lighting fixtures throughout the building. They received $4,800 in cash incentives for the lighting upgrades and are expected to save nearly $1,000 on energy costs each year.
In addition to saving money and energy, the FCCO is committed to reducing their environmental impact. Kraus and her team witness firsthand the impact of severe weather on animals in the community. She emphasized the importance of reducing energy use noting that while it “might lower our individual cost, every time we reduce our energy use, it benefits greater community.”
“Because the animals that we care for are only outside, they really deal with the highs and lows of our climate and climate change, so it’s important that we do everything that we can to reduce that footprint,” said Kraus.
With more upgrades on the horizon, the FCCO is enthusiastic about continuing their efforts to reduce their energy usage and improve the well-being of feral cats in Oregon.
To learn more about how your organization or business can save energy and money with support from Energy Trust, visit our cash incentives page here or email existingbuildings@energytrust.org.