Energy Smart Homes
For EPS New Construction
Build tomorrow’s homes today with support from Energy Trust of Oregon. Our energy smart homes offering provides incentives and resources so you can include the latest technologies as a standard part of your construction plans.
Homes that qualify for these incentives will seamlessly integrate into the smart grid and have features that support solar, electric vehicle charging and other sustainable upgrades. Energy smart home packages offer multiple ways to combine incentives that stack on top of other EPS™ incentives.
Stand out from the competition with energy smart homes that are efficient, resilient and well-positioned for a cleaner energy future.
- Establish eligibility.
Before construction starts, contact a program-approved verifier to establish the home’s eligibility. - Confirm requirements.
Share the energy smart home specifications with your licensed electrical contractor and design team. - Receive incentives.
During and after construction, your verifier will inspect the home for compliance. You will receive your incentives at project completion.
| Incentive Type | Incentive Amount | Incentive description |
|---|---|---|
| EPS whole home incentive | $1,123 to $5,223 per home | Based on efficiency above a typical newly built home |
| Energy smart home base package | $200 per home | Based on efficiency above a typical newly built home |
| Optional add-ons | Up to $300 per home | |
| Solar ready home | $200 per home | |
| Early design assistance meeting (optional) | $500-$2,500 per development |
Qualifying homes must be built in Oregon and grid connected with electricity provided by Portland General Electric or Pacific Power.
Your energy smart home can also qualify for Energy Trust solar incentives, along with federal tax credits when you install solar at the time of construction. Pair with our net zero homes offering to earn an additional $750 for qualified homes.
Energy smart home requirements
- Must be an EPS home that is at least 10% above baseline
- Must receive service from Portland General Electric or Pacific Power
- Must be solar ready or have solar installed
- Must be electric vehicle (EV) ready or have EV charger installed
- Homes with electric water heating must have an electric water heater that is pre-enabled for utility demand response programs
- Homes with central space cooling equipment must include a program-approved smart thermostat
Optional add-ons
- Solar + storage ready
- Advanced wiring
Your comprehensive guide
Download the 2020 Net Zero and Energy Smart Home Incentives and Requirements guide for full details.
Explaining energy smart homes to customers
Use these helpful talking points when speaking to customers who may be interested in buying an energy smart home:
- Energy smart homes include innovative technologies that help to increase comfort, health and energy savings, while improving your environmental impact.
- These future-focused homes are built with features and systems already in place to make it easy for you to add solar, or an electric vehicle for less cost.
- Energy smart homes earn an EPS for their high-quality construction and excellent energy performance. EPS is a scoring system that measures the energy impact of a home and how much it costs to operate.
- Qualified homes seamlessly integrate into the smart grid, giving you greater control to monitor and manage your energy use and costs.