Making Sure Your Dollars Help Heat Your Home - and Don’t Fill State Budget Holes

You’ve heard time and again from us about the importance of energy efficiency. You’ve read over and over how important those investments are to ratepayers. You’ve heard about how critical we think the work of Energy Trust of Oregon is to ensuring we continue to get savings from energy efficiency in order to keep rates under control and reduce carbon emissions.

But it’s not only us that’s saying it. A few weeks ago, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) released its “State Energy Efficiency Scorecard,” which showed that Oregon is number 3 in the nation for energy efficiency investments (up one spot from two years ago - when the last scorecard was released – behind California and Massachusetts). As the executive summary of the report, which also looks at energy use in the transportation sector, noted, “Governors, state legislators and officials, and citizens increasingly recognize energy efficiency - the kilowatt hours and gallons of gasoline that we don’t use thanks to improved technologies and practices - as the cheapest, cleanest and quickest energy resource to deploy.” Sound familiar?

It’s the time of year, as cooler weather sets in, when more people start thinking about ways to make their homes warmer and more comfortable…and save money on their utility bills to boot.  But we want to make sure you’re also thinking about energy efficiency come January when the legislature gets underway. Why?  Because there’s a very good chance that the next legislative session will try to re-direct ratepayer money dedicated to energy efficiency to fill holes in the state budget.

We’ve seen it before. Back in five special sessions in 2002 and the regular session in 2003, CUB members and other allies fought off many attempts by the legislator to use “public purpose” dollars - money that is collected from ratepayers specifically to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Most of these dollars are administered (very well, we might add) by the Energy Trust but some also goes to weatherizing low-income homes and schools.

Not only is it problematic when the legislature tries to re-direct energy efficiency money to other purposes, it’s also not their money to allocate in the first place.  Public purpose dollars are ratepayer funds, not taxpayer funds. That means that the money is collected in rates from the consumers of two electric utilities (Portland General Electric and Pacific Power) for a specific purpose (ie. - energy efficiency and some renewable investment). The money is not tax dollars collected to meet the general needs of the state.

We’ve managed to fend off these attempts in the past (most recently in 2007 when the legislature tried to help the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) pay off a state loan, which the governor vetoed) but the state budget is a real mess. Legislators will literally be looking for every dime that is not nailed down. And the recent elections definitely made the situation more complex by having split representation in the House and a very narrow Democratic majority in the Senate.

No matter what, we fully expect several attempted raids on the public purpose funds. And we’re going to need CUB members to be willing to call, e-mail and talk to their local legislator about the need to continue these needed investments in energy efficiency and how it’s improper (and probably illegal) to re-direct public purpose dollars. You can be sure to hear a lot more about this as 2011 dawns.

Until then, here are several no-cost and low-cost ways, suggested by the Energy Trust, that can help you save money and stay warmer this winter.

No-Cost Solutions

* Unplug! From battery chargers to kitchen appliances, you can save money by unplugging them when not in use.
* Check out a Kill A Watt® energy monitor from a participating library to see where you can cut back on your electricity.
* Turn off lights! When you leave a room, flip the switch.
* When possible, use a countertop convection, microwave or smaller electric appliance, instead of a full-size stove.
* Turn down the thermostat to 65 - 68 degrees during the day and 58 - 60 degrees at night during cooler months. If you have a heat pump, turn the thermostat down no more than 10 degrees at night.
* Wash and rinse laundry with cold water, and run full loads.
* Clean lint filters after drying each load of clothes.
* Use the water-saver washing and energy-saver options on your dishwasher.
* Check to make sure refrigerator and freezer gaskets seal tightly.
* Close fireplace and wood stove dampers when not in use, but wait until several hours after the fire is out and the ashes are cold.
* Recycle your old refrigerator or freezer. Energy Trust will pick it up for free and send you $50 cash now through December 31, 2010!

Low-Cost Solutions

* Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
* Install water-saving showerheads and faucet aerators.
* Clean or replace filters before and after heating season to help your furnace or heat pump work at peak efficiency.
* Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat.
* Caulk small holes and cracks around plumbing pipes, exhaust fans, dryer vents, sink and bathtub drains, fireplaces and under countertops.
* Use pots and pans with flat bottoms.
* Install exterior wall switch and outlet gaskets to prevent air loss and infiltration.

And if you are serious about doing some in-depth weatherization work?  There are several programs in Portland that provide free energy audits and cash incentives for homeowners and renters who want to invest in weatherization.

The Energy Trust offers a variety of cash incentives, often up to 50 percent of the cost, for home weatherization projects including air sealing, duct insulation, duct sealing, either professional or self-installed insulation and windows.

Also, if you live in Portland, Clean Energy Works is a City of Portland pilot project that is assisting 500 qualified Portland homes finance and install energy efficient upgrades. The program offers a free energy audit and low-cost financing for energy-efficient home improvements like installing new insulation or a high-efficiency water heater or furnace.

Participating households are able to make use of Energy Trust’s cash incentives for their home improvements and are provided a qualified Energy Advocate to assist them throughout the process. Once the improvements are completed, participants pay off the costs over a 20-year period, with payments added onto their electric or gas bills.

The scope of the pilot project is currently limited to 500 households, and to qualify, the homes must be owner-occupied and located in the city of Portland. Homes with the most potential for energy savings are given priority. To find out more about if you qualify and how to apply, visit their website.

Don’t get left out in the cold! Look into energy efficiency today!

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