Learn how to access GRRP funding and which pathway best suits your project.

NW Energy Collaborative was invited to facilitate a panel discussion workshop at the 2023 Housing Oregon Conference titled “Find the Money: Stacking Incentives Using the Inflation Reduction Act, Energy Trust of Oregon, and More.”

Learn the benefits of using green building certifications to make better buildings and unlock national and local incentives to fund your next development project.

Hiring a third-party green building consultant is a critical step to ensuring your new single-family home, multi-family development, or renovation project is done right. Here’s why!

Properly installed insulation is critical to building construction to ensure long-term energy savings and occupant comfort.

Accessing CPACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) funding can be a game changer for market rate developers seeking to maximize profits and attract environmentally conscious tenants.

As the world's focus on environmental sustainability continues to grow, industries across the board are making efforts to adopt more eco-friendly practices.

An innovative financing tool called CPACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) has emerged, offering a ray of hope for these housing developers in Oregon. CPACE funding not only provides access to affordable capital but also encourages sustainable development practices

Energy efficient mortgage (EEM) is a mortgage product that takes into account the expected monthly utility expenditures of the home, which if the home is more energy efficient, is reduced risk in the eyes of the mortgage lenders. An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) can be used by borrowers to purchase or refinance a home that is already energy efficient, such as an ENERGY STAR certified home, or to finance energy efficient improvements to an existing home.

Haven’t you heard? Heat pumps are now all the rage when it comes to heating and cooling a home. Much of the growing popularity of heat pumps can be attributed to the latest string of heat waves during the summer season. These electrically powered HVAC units are a highly efficient method of heating and cooling a home. When coupled with a home that is well insulated and air sealed, a heat pump provides an excellent opportunity to increase home energy efficiency

A home’s attic serves an important role to you and your family’s comfort and utility cost; yet most of us never look there except to store old boxes, holiday decorations, and that annoying talking dog that your kids will not stop playing! Read and listen to Jonathan and Will as they discuss the importance of attics and how vital they are to your home. Are you afraid of your attic?

Many homeowners have different motivations when considering installing solar panels in their homes. Some folks want to save on their monthly energy costs, others are passionate about independence from the power company. In some cases, homeowners install battery storage-enabled systems. Whether you want to pursue an off-grid situation, reduce energy consumption, or take advantage of selected EV/TOU rate plans, residential solar allows homeowners to pursue and achieve many energy-saving and finance goals.

The Inflation Reduction Act is lengthy. It is written in esoteric, legal language and most people need a law degree to understand it. Here is the most relevant information, which happens to be 9 billion in tax incentives and 4.28 billion in energy efficient home rebates.

There are a considerable amount of new federal tax credits and rebate incentives for property owners, contractors, and property managers. Our goal is to help make sense of these complicated incentives and assist in navigating the most economical path to improve energy efficiency and comfort. In other words, we want to answer the question, “What’s in it for you?” Check out our Podcast if you want to hear it instead of reading!

The Pacific Northwest has been struggling with another week of record high temperatures and let’s face it, you are miserable! You haven’t been sleeping well, and your home is simply hot and uncomfortable. The few comfortable moments you experienced recently were when you went to the freezer section at the grocery store… or maybe when you picked up the kids at the neighbor’s new, swanky air-conditioned house!

It leads to this week’s question…. Should you finally break the piggy bank and get one of those fancy new air conditioners?

Homes and buildings work as a system to provide comfort and energy efficiency. Too much air infiltration leads to hot and cold drafts, insects, and air pollutants such as wildfire smoke and pollen. Too little air exfiltration causes a buildup of carbon dioxide, viruses, carbon monoxide, VOC’s and other air contaminates. Learn about the several different ventilation strategies that builders and contractors can employ to make your home safer, healthier, and save you money on your energy bills.

Do you ever wonder why your home is the uncomfortable and hot in the summer? Watch the NW Energy Collaborative’s William Castrillón, explain how having a professional perform an Energy Audit / Assessment of your home can reveal common problems. William will walk through a case study of a renovated Portland home and point out the most cost-effective ways to elevate comfort, reduce utility bills and lower your carbon footprint.

It’s no secret, that the housing stock of the Pacific Northwest is quite old, outdated, inefficient, and in many cases filled with lead paint and asbestos-filled walls. Many of the homes sold in the Portland Metro area score a 1 out of 10 on the required Department of Energy Home Energy Score Assessments, and due to the lack of knowledge of tax incentives and utility rebates, most of the energy-efficient recommendations made by the assessment go unfulfilled. Despite the uphill battle to renovate and maintain these older homes, in this current housing market, many home buyers are jumping at the chance to get into a home.