With the objective of eradicating obstacles that prevent widespread adoption of energy efficiency, Multnomah County has helped initiate an innovative new pilot program called Clean Energy Works Portland.
This initiative, which has been lead by the City of Portland in partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon, PGE, Pacific Power, NW Natural Gas, Worksystems Inc. and many others, is aimed at lowering energy bills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and bringing jobs to local communities. With the help of $2.5 million in federal stimulus funds, Clean Energy Works Portland will provide homeowners with home energy retrofits through low-cost, long-term loans.
One arm of this pilot effort is called Changing the Climate in Cully, which will bring energy efficiency improvements to homes in the Cully neighborhood, an area bounded by the Columbia Slough, NE 82nd Ave, NE 42nd Ave and NE 42nd/Fremont to NE 62nd/Prescott.
The kick-off event for Changing the Climate in Cully took place on July 29 with an ice cream social, music, raffle, face painting and other activities. Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen addressed the crowd at the event (pictured above), as did Oregon State Representative Jules Bailey, Green for All’s Jeremy Hays, and Cully Association of Neighbors’ Rich Gunderson. See more photos of the event here.
Residents of the Cully neighborhood who own homes can participate in the Changing the Climate program by first getting a home energy assessment and finding out what steps may be taken to improve its energy efficiency. Then, depending on the results of the assessment, trained contractors arranged Clean Energy Works will make energy-saving upgrades that are financed and repaid via monthly heating utility bills.
Clean Energy Works Portland is currently expanding the reach of its program to become Clean Energy Works Oregon which will deliver energy upgrades to homes in portions of the Portland metro area and select communities in rural Oregon. In April of this year, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $20 million to the City of Portland to ramp up Clean Energy Works to serve homes and businesses outside of Portland.
Find out more about qualifications and sign up for a home energy assessment online. To volunteer for Changing the Climate in Cully, e-mail CullyNeighbors@macg.org or call 503-208-4391.