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Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States, offering services and cash incentives to customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas, and Avista in Oregon. It also serves customers of NW Natural in Washington.
In 1999, the Oregon Legislature passed an electric industry restructuring law, SB 1149, aimed at establishing a stable funding source for residential, commercial, and industrial electric efficiency, renewable energy, and market transformation programs. [1] This legislation mandates the state’s largest investor-owned electric utilities to collect a 3% public purpose charge and authorizes the Oregon Public Utility Commission(OPUC) to allocate a portion of these funds to an independent non-governmental entity.
In 2000 and 2001, the OPUC, along with interested parties, played a pivotal role in establishing the nonprofit Energy Trust of Oregon. Governed by an independent board of directors, the organization operates under a grant agreement with the OPUC. In 2001, Energy Trust formalized its structure by adopting articles of incorporation and bylaws, and appointed its inaugural executive director. Additionally, Energy Trust established three advisory councils—the Conservation Advisory Council, Renewable Energy Advisory Council, and Diversity Advisory Council—to offer stakeholder insights on programs, budgets, and action plans.
Energy Trust commenced operations in March 2002, tasked with investing in cost-effective electric energy efficiency, subsidizing above-market costs of renewable energy resources, implementing market transformation programs, providing services with minimal administrative and program support costs, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
Energy Trust is funded by customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. Customers of these five utilities pay a dedicated percentage of their utility bills to support a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy services and programs.
As a result of SB 1149, which applies to electric energy, PGE and Pacific Power collect a 3% public purpose charge from their customers to support the following:
Funding for natural gas efficiency comes from public purpose charges paid by Oregon customers of NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. This funding is provided pursuant to settlement agreements in OPUC proceedings. Energy Trust administers the funds through contracts established with NW Natural in 2003, Cascade Natural Gas in 2006 and Avista in 2017. In 2009, through an agreement with NW Natural and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, Energy Trust also began serving NW Natural's customers in Washington.
In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed the Oregon Renewable Energy Act, SB 838. [2] Through the legislation, the collection of the 3% public purpose charge was extended from 2012 to 2026, and PGE and Pacific Power were allowed to seek additional electric efficiency funding above the 3% public purpose charge with the goal of avoiding the need to purchase more expensive electricity. Energy Trust receives supplemental funds authorized by the legislation.
As part of its oversight of Energy Trust, the OPUC adopted performance measures against which to benchmark Energy Trust's performance.
Energy Trust provides the OPUC with quarterly and annual reports measuring actual performance against the target metrics. Energy Trust also maintains operational goals to maximize investments.
In general, Energy Trust operates its programs through contracts with service providers. A volunteer, non-stakeholder board of directors oversees Energy Trust management, provides strategic and policy direction and approves the organization’s budget and major expenditures. The board carries out its oversight with guidance from three advisory councils: Conservation Advisory Council, Diversity Advisory Council and Renewable Energy Advisory Council. [3]
Energy Trust offers cash incentives for a variety of energy-efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems for homes, businesses, industrial facilities, agricultural operations and public and nonprofit buildings. Other assistance provided includes information, services and technical assistance to help ratepayers identify and prioritize projects that fit their budget and goals. Incentives and assistance are offered through the following program categories: [4]
A public utility company is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to statewide government monopolies.
Portland General Electric (PGE) is a Fortune 1000, investor-owned energy company based in Portland, Oregon that generates, transmits and distributes electricity, serving almost two-thirds of Oregon’s commercial and industrial activity. PGE is regulated by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Founded in 1888 as the Willamette Falls Electric Company, the company has been an independent company for most of its existence, though was briefly owned by the Houston-based Enron Corporation from 1997 until 2006, almost 20 years ago, when Enron divested itself of PGE during its bankruptcy.
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Vermont Energy Investment Corporation or VEIC is a non-profit organization in Chittenden County, Vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. Since its founding in 1986, the organization has been involved in designing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in North America and worldwide.
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PECI is a private, non-profit American company based in Portland, Oregon with additional offices in Santa Ana, California and San Francisco, California. PECI designs and manages energy efficiency programs for utility providers, government organizations, and other clients. Some of the organizations PECI has worked with include the U.S. Department of Energy, Avista, Wal-mart, Southern California Edison, the Community Energy Project, Energy Trust of Oregon, Pacific Gas & Electric and the San Diego Natural History Museum.
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) in Boulder, Colorado, is a set of strategies intended to guide community efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies have focused on improving energy efficiency and conservation in homes and businesses—the source of nearly three-fourths of local emissions. The plan also promotes strategies to reduce emissions from transportation, which account for over 20 percent of local greenhouse gas sources.
Avista Corporation is an American energy company which generates and transmits electricity and distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Approximately 1,550 employees provide electricity, natural gas, and other energy services to 359,000 electric and 320,000 natural gas customers in three western states. The service territory covers 30,000 square miles (78,000 km2) in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million.
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The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a non-profit organization working to accelerate energy efficiency in the Pacific Northwest through the acceleration and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices. NEEA is supported by and works in partnership with more than 140 Northwest utilities, the Bonneville Power Administration and Energy Trust of Oregon. NEEA's efforts serve Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Net metering in Michigan was a state program that allowed utility customers to develop renewable energy generation projects on-site at their home or business to meet their own energy needs and reduce their electric bill. As of the end of 2015, Michigan had approximately 2,000 net metering customers. The net metering program was replaced with a inflow/outflow program which charges retail rate for grid energy used and pays for excess sent to the grid at a cost-avoided rate. This cost-avoided rate is much lower than the retail rate and each utility must have their price approved by the state utility board in their rate case.
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