As 2023 draws to a close, Energy Trust wants to thank EPS New Construction builders and verifiers who have collectively submitted over 3,000 homes to EPS New Construction, including over 60 homes being rebuilt after wildfires. Energy Trust owes a big part of our success to the efforts of trade allies, builders, verifiers, and many other industry professionals who support our incentives while helping customers save energy. To help transition to the new year, we want to recap critical updates in 2023 and preview what to expect in 2024.  

2023 Recap 

• Residential Construction Career Hub: With Energy Trust’s support, Earth Advantage and EnerCity Collaborative launched the new Oregon Residential Construction Career Hub website (the Hub) to help bridge employment gaps in the residential construction industry. Click here to learn more about the Hub, including how employers can post jobs to recruit new candidates. 
• Bonus incentive criteria update: Builders can qualify for $500 in additional incentives per home for homes that meet Energy Trust rural and/or affordability criteria. Energy Trust updated affordability criteria for homes to qualify for this incentive in 2023. View this form to see if your homes qualify. 
• EPS data in the Green Building Registry: The Green Building Registry (GBR) is a database with functionality to integrate into Multiple Listing Services (MLS) to provide information about green and energy efficient home features. Starting in 2023, the GBR began including features about EPS homes to inform builder and appraiser home valuation. View the Insider article to learn more. 

2024 Preview 

• No major incentive changes planned in 2024: Energy Trust plans to maintain similar incentives and requirements in 2024 compared to 2023. Visit the EPS New Construction Insider page to learn about available incentives, including funds for early design assistance meetings, along with readiness for solar and storage and electric vehicles. 
• New energy code in Oregon: The Building Code Division will begin enforcing the 2023 Oregon Residential Specialty Code on April 1, 2024. This means homes will be permitted under the 2023 code starting in April. Energy Trust plans to update the EPS New Construction offering to align with the 2023 code in January 2025. Visit the article in Insider for more information about major code updates. 
• New energy code in Washington: Homes that permit under the 2018 Washington State Energy Code will still be able to participate in EPS New Construction in 2024. Watch Insider for updates on Energy Trust offers for Washington new homes, pending finalization of the 2021 Washington State Energy Code. 
• New forms: Energy Trust updates program forms every year. Trade allies will be able to access 2024 forms in the forms section of Insider starting in January 2024. 

The EPS New Construction team is happy to answer questions about these updates. For more information, email us at eps@energytrust.org or call 1.877.283.0698.