Existing Buildings

Existing Buildings incentive updates


exterior of building

Despite the disruption of COVID-19, Energy Trust of Oregon’s Existing Buildings program had a very active year in 2020. Energy Trust introduced bonus incentives in May of 2020 to provide a stimulus to the market and offer additional support to customers. The bonus offerings were extremely successful, resulting in increased demand for program incentives and an unusually high amount of committed incentives paid in early 2021.

To ensure all customers have access to program offerings through the year, Energy Trust is limiting the maximum incentive for the electric portion of custom projects and electric only standard incentives. Effective April 5, 2021, customer sites served by Portland General Electric are limited to a maximum of $12,000 per site, per year, and customer sites served by Pacific Power are limited to a maximum of $6,000 per site, per year.

Additionally, the following changes will apply:

  • For sites served by Pacific Power, incentives for lodging-specific packaged terminal heat pumps (PTHPs) have been reduced to $40 per unit.
  • For sites served by Pacific Power, several grocery-specific measures have been removed. This includes anti-sweat heater controls, evaporator fan motors and refrigerated doors.
  • For sites served by Pacific Power, incentives for battery chargers have been reduced to $600 and incentives for welders have been reduced to $700.
  • Incentives for dual-fuel or electric-only insulation measures—roof wall and attic insulation—will be limited to a maximum of $6,000 per site, per year, for sites served by Pacific Power or $12,000 per site, per year, for sites served by Portland General Electric.

Unrelated to the updates noted above, Energy Trust is adding new measures and making incentive updates to continue helping Existing Buildings customers improve the energy efficiency of their businesses or properties:

  • Commercial Ice-Maker (new measure)—$150 incentive available for ENERGY STAR commercial ice-makers. Must be a commercial batch type and continuous air-cooled ice making head, remote condensing unit or self-contained unit and have electric or gas water heating provided by a participating utility.
  • Commercial Pool Cover (new measure)—$2 per sq. ft. of pool surface area incentive available for commercial pool covers specifically designed for swimming pools. Pool must be heated and without a pre-existing cover within previous 6 months. Pool cover must cover the entire pool surface area and utilize a storage reel. Pool heating fuel must be provided by a participating utility in Oregon or SW Washington.
  • Commercial Tankless Water Heaters—Incentive amount reduced to $165 each for Existing Buildings customers in Oregon and SW Washington.
  • Southwest Washington Bonuses—Bonuses for commercial condensing boilers and commercial tank water heaters for Existing Buildings customers in southwest Washington have been extended through December 31, 2021.

Incentive eligibility may vary by property type. For full incentive details visit www.energytrust.org/existingbuildings.

For more information, or questions about incentive changes for Existing Buildings customers, call 1.866.605.1676 or email existingbuildings@energytrust.org.