Oregon Department of Energy Seeking Additional Regional Administrators for Community Heat Pump Deployment Program
Media Contact: Jennifer Kalez
Program Contact: Email
SALEM – The Oregon Department of Energy will soon reopen its application for eligible regional entities to administer the agency’s Community Heat Pump Deployment Program.
The program allocates grant dollars to eligible regional and tribal entities that will then provide financial assistance for the purchase and installation of heat pumps and related upgrades in Oregon homes.
Heat pumps, which move heat rather than create it, are becoming more popular in Oregon homes thanks to their efficient heating and cooling and lower energy use. In heating mode, heat pumps collect heat from ambient outdoor temperatures, concentrate it, and transfer that heat inside the building – yes, even on cold days. In cooling mode, heat pumps operate like regular air conditioners, moving heat from inside the building to outside.
Eligible regional entities include federally recognized Tribes, local governments, housing authorities, electric utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others. Grants may be allocated to one eligible entity for each region and one eligible entity for each federally recognized Tribe. The regions are the economic development districts in Oregon, as designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce (see map).
ODOE published an Opportunity Announcement with details for potential regional administrators and will soon reopen its application portal. In the first round of applications earlier this year, ODOE awarded grants for six of the 11 regions and for one Tribe. The agency is still seeking regional administrators for the South Coast, Southern Oregon, North Coast, Greater Eastern Oregon, and Northeast Oregon regions. ODOE also hopes to partner with administrators for the Burns Paiute Tribe; Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw; Coquille Indian Tribe; Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians; Klamath Tribes; Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians; Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation. Eligible entities may partner with other entities to complete program planning and outreach, and to administer grant funds in their region. Selected administrators work with contractors in their regions to support heat pump installations for homeowners.
Applicants will be competitively scored and will earn points for connections to Tribes, experience with program development, organizational capability and capacity, strength of the proposed program and the financial plan, and the potential outcomes and benefits. More information for potential regional administrators is available in ODOE’s program Opportunity Announcement.
“As we head into the heating season, installing energy efficient heat pumps in homes means Oregonians will be safer and more comfortable with extreme weather,” said ODOE Director Janine Benner. “The Oregon Department of Energy looks forward to partnering with additional regional administrators to serve even more Oregonians across the state.”
The Community Heat Pump Deployment Program was created by the Oregon Legislature in 2022, and program funds must be expended by December 30, 2025.
Applications from eligible regional entities are due by January 12, 2024 and will be checked for completeness before going through a competitively-scored review. The agency encourages written questions from potential applicants by December 15, 2023; ODOE will post responses online with a final Q&A posted by December 20.