Synergy Newsletter, July 2010

Margie Harris from Energy Trust of Oregon and Tom Eckman from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council are featured speakers at the City Club of Portland Friday Forum Energy Conservation in Oregon on July 16, 2010. Listen in as these two regionally and nationally known experts describe the leadership role Oregon continues to play in climate and energy policy, the benefits of acquiring cost-effective energy efficiency, and the actions that Oregonians can take in their own homes and businesses to save energy and money, strengthen our economy and help protect our environment.

The forum, part of City Club's ongoing lunchtime lecture series, is from 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. and includes audience question and answer time (you must be a City Club member to ask a question). Location: The Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Ave., Portland.

To order tickets, visit pdxcityclub.org — a recording of the discussion will also be posted online »

Swalley Irrigation District and Energy Trust cut the ribbon on a new hydroelectric project in central Oregon. The 750-kilowatt system owned by the district is expected to generate more than 2,700 megawatt hours each year.  As part of the project, the district piped five miles of open irrigation canals, which will return 18 million gallons of water a day into the Deschutes River for the benefit of the watershed and fish.

“This is a win-win-win project. It’s a great demonstration of fish-friendly, renewable hydropower and helps set the stage for future work with irrigation districts,” said Betsy Kauffman, senior program manager, Energy Trust. The project received a $916,386 Energy Trust incentive, was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and applied for an Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit pass-through payment.

Visit the Swalley Irrigation District website »

EasyStreet Online Services, Portland’s largest independent managed hosting and colocation IT service provider for business, worked with Energy Trust to design and implement a new computer room cooling system. The new system frees the company to power down two of the six air conditioning units, saving more than 524,000 kilowatt hours a year, enough energy to power nearly 50 Oregon homes. 

"By enhancing our cooling capacity, we lowered our energy consumption, and we ended up with better reliability for our customers," said Rich Bader, president and chief executive officer, EasyStreet. "We’re blessed here in Oregon by the encouragement, expertise and support from the state, private sector and Energy Trust to help us become more competitive, sustainable organizations."

EasyStreet expects to save nearly $36,000 in annual utility costs with its energy-efficiency investment »

Southern Oregon homeowners and multifamily building owners will have additional support identifying energy-saving opportunities and investing in renewable energy systems with the hiring of two regional representatives. Bill Trento will serve Klamath and Lake counties, and Brooke Ingram will serve Coos, Douglas, Jackson and Josephine counties. “These local representatives will help Energy Trust reach even more Oregon customers to provide information and resources that help lower energy costs and increase economic benefits for the region,” said Peter West, director of energy programs, Energy Trust.

Dan Davis, of Jackson County, brings his background in energy, conservation and alternative energy to Energy Trust’s board of directors. Davis currently serves as vice president of the board of directors for Habitat for Humanity Rogue Valley.

New hires and board member bring energy backgrounds and expertise to the region »

Bilyeu Homes is a custom design build company specializing in building high-performance and healthy single-family homes in the mid-Willamette Valley. “When working with the owner, we make sure to balance budget, aesthetics, performance and indoor air quality with customers’ needs,” said Blake Bilyeu, vice president.

The company has been a trade ally for more than five of the 18 years it has been in business. When the company started looking into the green building pathway, becoming an Energy Trust trade ally was a natural fit. “We try to make sure that we are ahead of the pack and like to be on the cutting edge within the field,” he said.

Read more about Bilyeu Homes »

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