May 2025 Newsletter

The Dirty Cowgirl Saloon has an energy efficient heat pump on the wall.

ODOE Program Supports Energy Assessments for Agricultural and Rural Small Businesses

The Oregon Department of Energy has been awarded a $100,000 Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support energy assessments for Oregon agricultural and rural small businesses.

This is ODOE’s second federal USDA grant for the program. With the additional funding, ODOE will continue supporting business by paying for up to 75 percent of the cost of energy assessments. Oregon agricultural producers and rural small businesses are invited to complete an interest form for energy assessment funding.

From powering irrigation to heating buildings and cooling storage, energy is often a major operational expense. An energy assessment can identify areas to improve equipment and operational efficiency that can reduce monthly utility bills. Energy assessments can help prioritize potential improvement projects based on energy savings, payback period, and other factors.

An energy assessment is often the first step in applying for federal, local and utility funding for energy efficiency improvements, but the cost, ranging from $6,000 to $10,000, can be a significant barrier. With energy assessments complete, businesses know how to improve their efficiency and are prepared to apply for funding to implement efficiency measures.

Since ODOE’s program started in 2021, it has supported dozens of rural businesses with technical assistance and connections to programs for implementing improvements, and provided funding for 15 completed energy assessments. Learn more on our blog.

Homes line up along a street in Monmouth.

ODOE at 50: a History of Home Energy Scoring

2025 marks the Oregon Department of Energy's 50th year serving Oregon. 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.

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.

One 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.

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. 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.

Learn more about Oregon's history with home energy scoring on our blog.

Wind turbines line a field with a sunrise in the background.

Coming this Summer: Draft Oregon Energy Strategy Recommendations

As May came to a close, the Oregon Department of Energy wrapped up a series of Oregon Energy Strategy Working Group meetings that built on technical modeling results to inform discussions on challenges, barriers, and potential policies needed to meet Oregon’s energy objectives. The policy-focused working groups met by topic area, including environmental justice and equity; building efficiency, electrification, and distributed energy resources; developing clean electricity generation and transmission; low-carbon fuels; and transportation electrification. The thoughtful input and analysis in the working groups will help ODOE's energy strategy team turn to developing a set of draft recommendations for Oregon's policy and decision makers to consider.

Be among the first to see the draft recommendations and provide your feedback on them this summer by signing up to receive email notices for the Oregon Energy Strategy effort. ODOE will consider public input on the recommendations as we work to finalize a report to the Governor and Legislature by November 1.

Get up to speed on the Oregon Energy Strategy on ODOE's website, including a set of Key Model Findings linked for each working group.

Exterior of La Plaza Esperanza with solar panels on the roof. — La Plaza Esperanza’s new rooftop solar. | Image courtesy of Carpentry Plus, for Colas Construction

ODOE Grant Program Celebrates Solar on New Latino Network Community Center

Oregon nonprofit Latino Network opened La Plaza Esperanza in spring 2025 as a community center in East Multnomah County’s Rockwood neighborhood. The Oregon Department of Energy was proud to support the project with a Community Renewable Energy Grant.

"La Plaza Esperanza represents a powerful vision of our Latine communities, of a place of hope and safety, a place of powerful transformation of lives and a place of resilience,” Latino Network Executive Director Tony DeFalco said.

Jim Mauceri, Latino Network’s Development Project Manager, added that La Plaza Esperanza was a long-held dream many years in the making. “There’s nothing like it on the eastside at all — not only a hub for social service delivery, but also just kind of a home for Latinos in Portland Metro, especially in east county where there’s a really high concentration,” said Mauceri.

A City of Gresham and Latino Network partnership was the recipient of a $579,841 grant from the first round of ODOE’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program. The funding supported a rooftop solar and a battery backup system for La Plaza Esperanza.

Mauceri said the renewable energy components of the project were DeFalco’s vision, but the ability to add solar was contingent on funding. “He insisted that it be designed to be solar ready in case we were able to find funding and, of course, we did – with ODOE,” said Mauceri.

Beyond the environmental benefits of burning less fossil fuel, La Plaza Esperanza is anticipated to have energy cost savings and will benefit from strengthened resiliency. “If we have a grid failure, an ice storm, a heat wave … we want to at minimum be able to operate our preschool, a few of our offices in the building and at least be able to stay up and running for a few days,” said Mauceri. “The system should, across a year, offset all of our energy needs.”

Learn more about La Plaza Esperanza on ODOE's blog. A fourth round of ODOE grant funding will open soon to support even more renewable energy and resilience projects. Sign up to receive email updates about the program and learn more about the program and requirements.

Rivers and Roads: a 1,300-Mile Visit Across Central and Eastern Oregon

ODOE's On the Road in Oregon blog series continues this month with Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program Member, Sara Lark Millies-Lucke. Sara was joined by ODOE Community Navigator Sarah Moehrke for a 1,300-mile trek in Eastern and Central Oregon.

Sara has spent her RARE time reviewing ODOE's Community Renewable Energy Grant Program and the Grid Resilience Grant program, including analyzing data and conducting in-person interviews with various organizations in Southern Oregon, the Willamette Valley, and on the coast. This month, she headed east to visit the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation as well as organizations in Hines, LaGrande, Enterprise, Pendleton, Echo, Monument, and Madras to learn more about their work and needs.

Despite the diversity of environment and unique stories of interviewees, Sara and Sarah heard clear themes from conversations about how the Oregon Department of Energy can grow its work with rural communities throughout Oregon. Read more in Sara's own words and stay tuned for more information about lessons learned as Sara wraps up her RARE service in July.

Oregon's capitol building with spring blossoms in the foreground.

Update on the 2025 Legislative Session

As we head into June, the 2025 legislative session is winding down — but plenty remains to be seen when it comes to energy, climate, and other bills that may affect the Oregon Department of Energy’s work. ODOE’s legislative agenda has moved as expected through the process and our agency budget bill is up for final consideration very soon.

Overall, the big theme of late session has been a major dip in anticipated state revenues as the national economic forecast has downshifted. This means any new policy and program ideas with a significant price tag are far less likely to pass, including existing state-funded energy incentive programs. That said, there are many energy and climate bills that do not cost much to implement or may move along anyway because of an urgent need for them to pass, such as bills focused on wildfire, utility rates, and grid technologies.

Read more on our blog and keep an eye out for our annual legislative report this summer.

Getting Grounded: Powering Oregon with the Sun

As we mentioned in last month's newsletter, our Grounded Podcast is back with new host Katelyn Jackson.

Katelyn is producing a mini-series called Getting Grounded that focuses on breaking down specific energy topics to build foundational energy knowledge for listeners. In her second Getting Grounded episode, Katelyn talks with ODOE Senior Policy Analyst Rob Del Mar about the benefits of solar power, such as the opportunity to provide backup power to your home, as well as some challenges, like the upfront cost of equipment. But, as Rob points out, once you buy the equipment, the fuel (sunshine) is free!

Listen in on our blog or your favorite podcast app.

Reports from Around the Agency

Join our team! Check out open recruitments on our website and please share with your networks.
We're excited to see the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's electric vehicle rebate programs officially reopen! Learn more about who qualifies for the rebates and how to apply on DEQ's website.
ODOE was proud to sponsor the Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association's Oregon Solar + Storage Conference this month. ODOE Director Janine Benner enjoyed the opportunity to provide a keynote message on the conference's final day, focusing on how the sun can shine on Oregon's energy future.
ODOE Director Janine Benner was honored to join the Civics Learning Project’s 2025 Southern Willamette Valley Law Day, hosted by the University of Oregon School of Law. She joined UO Environmental Law Professor Adell Amos for a conversation with high school students about how laws and policies are made, implemented, and enforced, and how that affects climate change and the environment.
Senior Incentives Analyst Clay Deckert joined an open house on May 15 at the Oregon State University-Cascades campus in Bend. OSU-Cascades is working toward a net-zero energy campus, and received a $100,000 planning grant from ODOE's Community Renewable Energy Grant Program to support that net-zero effort.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's annual Energy Efficiency Exchange conference was held in Portland this month, with more than 600 participants including ODOE team members Kristina Donnelly, Madeline O’Dwyer, David Hutchinson, and Ruchi Sadhir. Ruchi spoke on a panel and provided a state perspective on “Climbing the Energy Efficiency Mountain: Solution-Brainstorming in Times of Change." Ruchi Sadhir serves as the Governor’s representative on NEEA’s board of directors.
ODOE Director Janine Benner and Community Navigator Sarah Moehrke headed south this month to visit with the Cow Creek Tribe of Umpqua Indians to discuss the Oregon Energy Strategy and Building Performance Standards. They also caught up with Douglas Electric Cooperative, where the conversation ranged from wildfire risk to energy efficiency to the importance of customer service. Finally, they visited Southern Oregon University, where they were welcomed by President Bailey and learned about the great work being done by the new Institute for Applied Sustainability. They were pleased to see a large solar array on campus that was funded through the ODOE’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program.
ODOE Energy Security Manager Traci Naile attended a Cybersecurity Summit hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. The summit focused on training and awareness for the various roles state and other officials play in protecting energy infrastructure and advancing national security. Learn more about Oregon's efforts in our Energy Security Plan.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing more than a dozen proposed or amended energy facilities? From wind to solar facilities – to combined wind, solar, and storage facilities – you can learn more about the state's process and how to get involved on our website. You can also sign up to receive a monthly facility siting update showing the latest and greatest.
Oregonians can now search for available renewable energy and energy efficiency incentive programs through ODOE’s Energy Hub for Incentive Programs and Projects in Oregon (Energy HIPPO!). Plug your address into the online calculator along with a few other basic pieces of information, and the tool will show the various programs you may be eligible for. The Energy HIPPO also provides other helpful resources for homeowners, renters, and contractors.