It’s ten in the morning and a crew of insulation specialists from Intermountain West Insulation from Hermiston are pumping insulation into our attic, increasing the comfort and resale value of our home and decreasing future heating and cooling costs. And the best part? The cost of the entire procedure is covered by the Energy Trust of Oregon.
How did we get this upgrade to our house free of charge? Read on!
Energy Trust of Oregon Incentives
We’d known about Energy Trust of Oregon since they advised us about getting the right company to install solar panels on our home on the North Hill of Pendleton a few years back.
When my wife learned about a program to take advantage of various incentives available around Oregon to make homes more energy efficient, she gave Energy Trust of Oregon a ring,
and a few days later we got a visit from Dave Dahlin, an Energy Assessor who works with Energy Trust of Oregon.
Dave spent an hour walking around the house, starting in the basement. He checked out the water heater that had come with the house.
“This is a good one, and should have another 5-10 years of life. When you’re ready to replace it, you might consider upgrading to a heat pump water heater, which removes heat from the air to
heat water. It’s a big energy saver, and there are definitely incentives for that.”
The Critical Boundary
Next we walked around the outside of the house, where we learned about the concept of “the critical boundary”. According to Dave, these are places where the sealed and insulated parts of the house meet the unsealed and uninsulated parts of the house.
“In the case of your house, these are going to be the easiest to take care of.”
While we knew that our siding might be one of those places, Dave told us that there weren’t yet any incentives available for siding replacement. We decided to focus on the more critical places which would allow us to do immediate upgrades free of charge.
Siding aside, we had our eyes on an even more critical boundary, specifically our attic. Having poked our heads up there on a few occasions, we knew that getting better insulation would give us the most bang for our buck. We got out the ladder and invited Dave up for a more
professional look around.
“This (upgrading your insulation) is the first thing I would do. You’ve got vermiculite insulation, which has a really low R-value.”
And it’s here, dear reader, where the algorithm will smile upon me for phrasing the following in header format:
What does R-value mean?
R-value measures an insulation material’s resistance to conductive heat flow, indicating how effectively it keeps heat inside during winter and outside during summer. A higher R-value signifies greater insulating power and energy efficiency. It is determined by material type,
thickness, and density, commonly measured per inch.
Dave explained that vermiculite was a common (and cheap) insulation choice, and that we’d get the most bang for our (or Energy Trust’s) buck by replacing it. But there was one hitch:
“Vermiculite in the attic might have asbestos,” Dave told us. “You’ll want to test for that yourselves. If it does, we’ll have a better idea as to how expensive removal might be.”
We headed downstairs, where Dave told us about the available incentives for replacing low
R-value vermiculite with high R-value blown fiberglass. Dave told us that we’d be eligible for a
grant of $3 per square foot, which would cover the whole operation.
“What’s the approval process?”
“You’re already approved,” Dave replied, and told us that Energy Trust of Oregon was eager to help homeowners in Eastern Oregon take advantage of energy incentives to upgrade the energy efficiencies on existing homes. While everyone in the state pays into the fund, most of the incentives wind up going to homes and families up and down the I-5 corridor. According to Dave, Energy Trust of Oregon wants to see that these funds make their way east, going as far as to offer enhanced incentives to Eastern Oregon Homeowners – $3 per square foot vs. $2 per sq foot for homes that do not receive a no cost / no obligation home energy assessment. “It’s a win-win,” says Dave. “Increased energy efficiency means less strain on the grid.”
Where does the money from the Energy Trust of Oregon come from?
Participating utilities charge surcharges, which every Oregonian who gets a utility bill pays into. These are typically between 1.5 – 3% of the total bill. The money is meant to be spread to homeowners throughout the state, but according to Dave, out of 50 Pendletonians to take
advantage of available incentives, only ten of these have been private homeowners, with the lion’s share going to property managers using incentives to upgrade rental properties.
Before leaving, Dave offered some other advice for homeowners.
“Beware of tech companies bearing gifts,” he said, telling us the story of a friend who’d installed a free thermostat that wasn’t compatible with their heat pump. Apparently the two started fighting with each other. “By the end of the week, both had lost, costing my friend several thousand dollars.”
Sound advice from an energy efficiency guru!
Two weeks and one negative asbestos result through a home asbestos kit ($40, super easy to use) later, the crew from Intermountain West Hermiston were pumping high R-value blown fiberglass into our attic. A couple of weeks after that, we got a bill for zero dollars. The job that would’ve cost us $2k had been paid by Energy Trust of Oregon!
If you’re in the Pendleton area and are interested in learning more about enhanced incentives, or would like to see if you’re eligible for a free home assessment, call the Sustainable Living Center at (509)524-5218, or reach out via e-mail: [email protected]. To learn more about Energy Trust’s full range of incentives, visit their website at www.energytrust.org.
Energy Trust of Oregon will have a booth at the upcoming Pendleton Street Fair on Saturday, May 16! Click here for more details on the 2026 Pendleton Street Fair!
