June 2024 Newsletter
ODOE Launches New Heat Pump Purchase Program
The Oregon Department of Energy is now accepting incentive applications through the agency’s new Heat Pump Purchase Program, which will provide $2,000 incentives for the installation of heat pumps in owner-occupied homes, rental homes, and homes under construction. Incentives are issued to approved program contractors, who then pass the savings on to the customer.
The heat pump program is part of the state’s Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action program. In 2024, Oregon was awarded $197 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funds through the federal Inflation Reduction Act to support several programs at various Oregon state agencies — including this new heat pump program at ODOE — that will help Oregon reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
ODOE will disburse program funding in two rounds, with about $12 million available now. Each round will support up to 6,000 incentives – 1,000 for owner-occupied homes, 3,000 for rental homes, and 2,000 for new housing construction.
Oregonians interested in installing energy efficient heat pumps in their homes should contact an approved program contractor, who will be able to access incentives on behalf of their customers. After completing installation, the contractor will apply to receive an incentive from the agency and the full $2,000 savings must be taken off the amount paid by the customer.
More information and a list of approved contractors is available on ODOE’s website. The agency also continues to recruit contractors statewide to participate in the program. Interested contractors can register online.
ODOE Announces $12 Million in Available Grants for Renewable Energy and Energy Resilience Projects
The Oregon Department of Energy will soon begin accepting applications for a fourth round of funding through the agency’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program. ODOE is making $12 million available to support planning and construction of renewable energy or energy resilience projects for Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities.
Grant dollars are available for four types of projects:
Planning a renewable energy project
Planning a renewable energy project that also has a resilience component
Construction of a renewable energy project
Construction of a renewable energy project with a resilience component
Eligible projects include renewable energy generation systems like solar or wind, as well as energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, or microgrid technologies paired with new or existing renewable energy systems. Eligible applicants are encouraged to partner with community groups, non-profits, private businesses, and others on potential projects. Previous rounds in 2022, 2023, and 2024 selected recipients for $42 million total in grant funds.
ODOE will again offer grants up to $100,000 for eligible planning projects and up to $1 million for eligible construction projects. Planning grants can cover up to 100 percent of eligible costs to develop a plan to build renewable energy and energy resilience projects. Construction grants for renewable energy projects can cover up to 50 percent of eligible costs to build the project, while construction grants for resilience projects can cover up to 100 percent.
Awards will be made on a competitive basis, and priority will be given to projects that support energy resilience and that serve qualifying communities, including communities of color, low-income communities, Tribes, rural areas, and other traditionally underserved groups. Previous planning grant awardees may return to apply for a construction grant to put their plan into action.
An online application will be available this summer and will be due in August (exact dates to be announced). All applications will be checked for completeness before going through a competitively scored review. Opportunity announcements for the four project types with additional eligibility details are available on ODOE’s website. ODOE is making the opportunity announcements available early to ensure eligible applicants have time to gather materials to apply. ODOE will post application information online and send updates to the program email list.
The program has resources, including Frequently Asked Questions and a document checklist, available online and encourages additional questions from potential applicants through ODOE’s customer service portal.
Governor Kotek and U.S. Climate Alliance Celebrate ODOE Grant Program
Speaking of ODOE's Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, Oregon Governor Kotek recently joined the U.S. Climate Alliance for a video featuring the grant program and the wonderful project ODOE was proud to support at the Gloria Center in The Dalles.
“In the C-REP program, we’re combining clean renewable energy with community resilience,” said Governor Kotek in the U.S. Climate Alliance-produced video. “This grant program has allowed communities to be more resilient when they’re facing fires or floods by having better access to renewable energy.”
Check out the video on ODOE's blog or on YouTube.
ODOE at 50: History of Federal Funding
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.
At the Oregon Department of Energy, we're helping shape the state's energy future — including developing and administering incentive programs, providing expertise and analysis in energy policy and program areas, managing the public process for siting and monitoring large energy facilities, executing strong nuclear safety and energy security planning and implementation, and more. The agency has fluctuated between about 75 and 125 employees in recent years, with an overall budget of $100 to $250 million. Over its five decades of public service, ODOE has received significant support for its work through federal funding from agencies like the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
ODOE is grateful for our partnership with federal agencies, including longtime funding to Oregon from the U.S. State Energy Program as well as support for Oregon’s role in the Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup. In addition to longtime programs, the federal government has also used state energy offices over time to help advance energy policy and help the economy recover following economic downturns, such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the more recent 2021 Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (learn more on ODOE’s website).
Take a look at ODOE's blog this month to learn more about some of the programs and projects federal funding has supported over the decades in Oregon, including energy efficiency projects, renewable energy installations, incentive programs, rural and agricultural energy assistance, emergency preparedness, resilience, and more.
ODOE's New Building Performance Standard Program to Support Energy Efficiency
The Oregon Department of Energy has launched Oregon’s new Building Performance Standard program, which will involve energy efficiency compliance deadlines for commercial buildings beginning in 2028.
Owners of buildings covered by the program will soon receive a letter from ODOE introducing the Building Performance Standard program. Passed by the Oregon Legislature as part of Oregon House Bill 3409 in 2023, the program establishes energy performance standards for existing large commercial buildings, which account for nearly 20 percent of energy use in the state. Oregon is the fourth state to require existing buildings to meet building performance standards.
Improving the efficiency of Oregon’s large commercial buildings lowers their energy use, reduces their carbon footprint, can reduce long-term costs for building owners, and can result in additional benefits, such as improving indoor air quality.
There are two groups of buildings covered under the Building Performance Standards, and each has different requirements and deadlines:
A Tier 1 Building is a building in which the sum of gross floor area for hotel, motel, or nonresidential use equals or exceeds 35,000 square feet, excluding any parking garage.
A Tier 2 building is a building with gross floor area, excluding any parking garage, of 35,000 square feet and greater and that is used as a multifamily residential building, a hospital, a school, a dormitory or university building, or a building in which the sum of gross floor area for hotel, motel, or nonresidential use is 20,000 square feet up to 35,000 square feet, excluding any parking garage.
Letters from ODOE to building owners will encourage early gathering of energy use information to prepare for compliance. The letter outlines compliance deadlines, requirements, and tools. ODOE plans that by July 2026, building owners can begin reporting building compliance to ODOE ahead of their deadline. If owners of buildings that fit the Tier 1 and Tier 2 descriptions do not receive a letter this summer, they should contact the program team at oregonbps@energy.oregon.gov.
Learn more about the program and view information for business owners on getting started with Building Performance Standards on ODOE’s website.
Getting Grounded Podcast Episodes Feature Oregon Energy Resources
ODOE's Grounded Podcast continues with new Getting Grounded mini episodes that focus on breaking down specific energy topics to build foundational energy knowledge for listeners.
In June, podcast host Katelyn Jackson talked with ODOE Senior Policy Analyst Michael Freels about the long history of petroleum use in Oregon, including uses, challenges, and how it plays into our overall energy resource planning. Katelyn also sat down with Senior Policy Analyst Joni Sliger to dive into nuclear power in Oregon, including its past and present, and teases an upcoming Grounded episode that will dive further into discussions around the future of nuclear energy.
Listen in on our blog or your favorite podcast app.
Reports from Around the Agency
The 2025 Oregon Legislative Session came to a close last week. Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for ODOE's annual legislative summary, including energy-related bills that address electricity rates, community resilience, and facility siting.
As we mentioned in our May newsletter, ODOE continues to make progress on the Oregon Energy Strategy. Our team is building on the great work over the past two years to develop 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.
ODOE Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation Alan Zelenka and Energy Policy Team Lead Edith Bayer joined the Eugene City Club on June 27 to provide an update on Oregon's energy landscape, its future, and how the Oregon Energy Strategy will provide a path forward.
ODOE Director Janine Benner joined a panel of speakers at the Northwest Gas Association's Annual Energy Conference this month. Janine and her fellow panelists discussed state and provincial energy policy, such as the forthcoming Oregon Energy Strategy.
Janine also attended the 2025 Western Regional Meeting of the National Association of State Energy Officials, alongside ODOE Assistant Director Alan Zelenka. NASEO is an important partner to ODOE and the regional meetings provide a venue for state energy officials to discuss regional actions and issues around energy. Janine also serves as a Regional Representative on the NASEO Board of Directors.
ODOE issued approval to Idaho Power this month that the company has met its Site Certificate requirements to begin construction on the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line in some areas of Malheur County. The nearly 271-mile transmission line was approved by the Energy Facility Siting Council in 2022 and, if fully constructed, will cross through five counties in Eastern Oregon.
Leaning Juniper IIB Wind Power Facility, which was originally approved by the Energy Facility Siting Council in 2007 and began operating in 2011, is requesting an amendment to repower 74 of its wind turbines. The repowering effort would include replacement of rotors, which would increase in diameter from 253 to 318 feet, as well as nacelles and generators. The Council will evaluate the amendment at its July 18, 2025 meeting in Salem.
The Energy Facility Siting Council has also initiated an administrative rulemaking process to make the Council's amendment review process more efficient and effective while ensuring adequate opportunities for public participation. ODOE will hold a public hearing on the draft proposed rules also at its July 18, 2025 meeting in Salem.
We were pleased to see Oregon Public Broadcasting feature new programming at Chemeketa Community College that will support Oregon's renewable energy worforce. ODOE supported the new program with a $600,000 grant from the agency's Energy Efficiency Technologies Information and Training Fund earlier this year (check out all awardees on our blog!).
On June 26, ODOE staff and our partners once again activated our Agency Operations Center to practice a simulated emergency at the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington. ODOE conducts these drills each year to ensure we have a solid plan in place should an emergency ever occur at Hanford, which is just 35 miles from Oregon's border. This year's drill scenario involved a plane crash on the site. ODOE practiced analyzing data to determine effects to Oregonians, as well as communications and messaging. Learn more about our emergency preparedness and response work on our website.
ODOE Schools Program Lead Christie Sphoon hosted an information table at the 2025 Oregon Pupil Transportation Association Conference. Christie was on hand to discuss ODOE programs and efforts that support alternative fuels for school fleets, including electric school buses.
ODOE was proud to sponsor the Warm Springs Tribal Community Energy Fair on June 24. Community Navigator Sarah Moehrke hosted an information table at the event to share more about ODOE programs and asked participants to vote on what was most important to them when it comes to electricity. Options included affordability, no- or low-carbon generation, reliability (no outages), and resilience. The winning issue was affordability and coming in second was reliability, with low- to no-carbon energy generation closely behind.
Our friends at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality opened an application period earlier this month for clean truck and infrastructure grants. Find more information on DEQ's website.
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.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Energy Facility Siting Council | July 18, 2025 | Salem and Via Webinar
Energy Code Stakeholder Panel Meeting |July 29, 2025 | Via Webinar
Oregon Climate Action Commission | July 11, 2025 | Via Webinar
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)