Clean Energy Works expanding statewide

Portland officials on Monday declared a city-wide home energy efficiency pilot project a success and announced plans to expand it statewide.

The Clean Energy Works Portland program succeeded in enrolling 500 homes, all of which received an energy assessment, a low-interest loan for energy upgrades, a personal advisor and connections to pre-qualified contractors.

Now a newly formed nonprofit group, Clean Energy Works Oregon, will administer a statewide version of the program, which is designed to help homeowners make older homes more energy efficient.

The Portland pilot program’s loan fund was capitalized with $1.1 million from a federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant awarded to the city.

Due to its success — the program also created 29 entry-level construction jobs and provided some level of work for 381 professionals — the U.S. Department of Energy in June allocated $20 million from its BetterBuildings program to finance the statewide expansion of Clean Energy Works.

The expanded program is projected to bring $100 million in private capital to communities across Oregon.

Over the next three years, Clean Energy Works Oregon hopes to complete 6,000 residential projects, create 1,300 family-supporting jobs and generate significant energy savings.

The new program launched Monday in the Portland metro area, with plans to extend to the Rogue Valley, Lane County, Hood River, Astoria, Klamath Falls, Coos County, Pendleton, Deschutes County, Corvallis and Salem later this year.

@ErikSiemers | esiemers@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3418