ODOE at 50: a History of Home Energy Scoring
2025 marks 50 years of Oregon Department of Energy public service. As we continue leading Oregon to a safe, equitable, clean, and sustainable future for the next 50 years (and beyond!), we’re taking time to look back and reflect on what got us here.
Cars line up at a Portland gas station during the 1973 oil crisis.
The United States faced significant energy crises in the 1970s, during which political events in the Middle East led to major disruptions in global oil supply, significant price hikes, and gasoline rationing. Following these crises, leaders across the U.S. recognized the need to focus on home-grown energy, conserving energy, and increasing efficiency in the energy space. In fact, in 1975 the Oregon Legislature created the Oregon Department of Energy in response to the 1973 oil crisis and noted that continued growth and demand for non-renewable energy poses a serious and immediate – and future – problem. “It is essential that future generations not be left a legacy of vanished or depleted resources, resulting in massive environmental, social, and financial impact," read the statute that created the agency. It also declared a goal that ODOE promote the efficient use of energy resources and develop permanent energy resources.
Want to learn more? Check out ODOE’s Energy 101 about home energy scoring from the 2024 Biennial Energy Report.
A focus that emerged and evolved in the decades following the energy crises is energy efficiency at home. The 1970s brought forth a concept of Home Energy Rating Systems that could provide a standardized way to assess a home’s energy efficiency. Early programs created a pass/fail system for homes, while today’s modernized home energy scoring systems provide more nuanced analysis, recommended improvements, and payback periods for potential actions.
The U.S. Department of Energy launched its official Home Energy Score program in 2012 to help build market value for energy-efficient homes. Developed in partnership with national laboratories, home energy scores provide homeowners, homebuyers, and renters with information about a home’s energy use, similar to fuel mileage ratings for vehicles. A simplified 1 to 10 rating gives someone an idea of how energy efficient a home may be – and potential actions to improve a score.
Oregon has long been an energy leader and quickly joined the U.S. DOE’s energy scoring movement. In 2013, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 2801, which directed the Oregon Department of Energy to adopt, by administrative rule, a home energy performance score system to evaluate energy conservation and efficiency in homes. ODOE created a Home Energy Performance Score Stakeholder Panel the following year to discuss which home energy scoring systems should be approved for use in the state, and the agency filed its administrative rules in July 2014. In 2019, ODOE selected Earth Advantage to serve as the statewide implementer for the state’s home energy scoring system.
A sample home energy score from Hillsboro.
Over a decade after HB 2801 passed, home energy scores in Oregon are going strong. In 2019, ODOE earned an Innovation Award from the U.S. DOE for implementing creative strategies to support home energy scoring programs. In 2024, ODOE was recognized again by U.S. DOE with a Home Energy Score Partner Award, recognizing the agency for “steadfast efforts to bring Home Energy Scores to Oregon residents.” To date, statewide Home Energy Score programs have resulted in more than 40,000 scores generated, helping homeowners and prospective homebuyers around the state make informed investment decisions.
In addition to a statewide program, Oregon cities can use the scoring framework developed by ODOE to design and implement their own local home energy scoring ordinances. Portland, Milwaukie, Hillsboro, and Bend have instituted mandatory ordinances that require a publicly available Home Energy Score on all residential property listings. The four cities cover more than 20 percent of Oregon’s population. Eugene and Salem have expressed interest in developing similar policies as part of their energy and climate action plans.
Moving forward, ODOE will continue to focus efforts on supporting more Oregon cities looking to adopt mandatory programs, as well as strengthening energy scoring opportunities for rental properties across the state.
Renters – which represent nearly 39 percent of Oregon households – do not currently have access to home energy scores. On average, Oregon renters have higher housing costs and incomes of less than half that of homeowners. The ability of renters to compare energy costs across different homes would allow them to make informed housing choices that could have a dramatic effect on their cost of living. The U.S. DOE is currently adding functionality to its calculator to assess the energy footprint for multi-family and manufactured homes. ODOE and our partner, Earth Advantage, are working with cities and with rental property owners to show them how the program could work for rental homes, the energy savings information it can provide, and how they can share Home Energy Scores with their tenants.
Additional Links:
2022 Grounded Podcast with City of Hillsboro staff
2017 Grounded Podcast with City of Portland staff