Coming Soon
Look for more information in early fall 2025 — that's when the first home energy upgrades in this program for Portland, Oregon, residents begin!
Please take a moment to read about the program goals and background below. If you have specific questions, please contact us.
About Energy Friendly Homes
The Energy Friendly Homes Program is the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund's (PCEF) Strategic Program 3, which was created to provide clean energy improvements in single-family homes.
The program will deliver funds for 3,100 home energy upgrades in the city of Portland over a five-year period. Eligible participants will include owner-occupied, low-income, moderate-income, and renter-occupied households. Home energy assessments will be performed by Building Performance Institute certified contractors following building science principles. Upgrades are prioritized by modeled energy savings and occupant health.
In addition, the program will provide significant workforce development for residential home performance contractors in the Portland Metro area by training up to 400 workers on green building and equipment installation. Eligible contractors will receive Energy Friendly Homes Programgrants to provide workforce on-the-job training programs and to purchase the equipment necessary for home-performance diagnostics and upgrades, such as blower door and duct blaster testing equipment.
The home energy upgrades will improve housing stability and increase comfort, health, safety, and resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The workforce development will provide trainings, mentorship, and grants to create career pathways and increase access to green jobs.
A professional assessment will determine which energy upgrades are the most effective for each qualified home. Investments per home will range from $15,000 to $50,000 and will depend on income eligibility and the home's energy improvement needs. Upgrades may include weatherization, such as insulation and air sealing, and the installation of high-efficiency heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
As part of PCEF, the Energy Friendly Homes Program is funded through a 1% surcharge on the Portland sales of large retailers with $1 billion in national revenue and $500,000 in local revenue. Portland voters approved this long-term funding source in 2018.