To improve tenant comfort and reduce energy costs, Housing Works worked with Energy Trust to make energy upgrades that are helping low-income tenants throughout the combined 140-unit property save about $180 per unit a year on their utility bills.

Ariel Glen and Healy Heights, two multifamily affordable housing properties in Bend, Oregon, each received comprehensive energy-efficient equipment retrofits. Updated heating and cooling equipment, in-unit appliances, LED bulbs, faucet aerators and showerheads are part of a two-year project by Housing Works, Central Oregon’s housing authority. Now tenants, many of them low-income families, enjoy a comfortable environment and pay less on their utility bills.

Energy Trust provided free technical services to help Housing Works identify energy-saving opportunities and also cash incentives totaling $56,000 to offset the upfront costs of energy-efficient equipment in each unit—energy-efficient PTHPs, refrigerators and clothes washers. Energy Trust also provided LED light bulbs, showerheads and faucet aerators for even more savings.

“Our collaboration with Energy Trust of Oregon helped us upgrade these properties to more energy-efficient models which helps our low-income residents to reduce utility costs,” Keith Wooden, Director of Real Estate and Facilities, Housing Works.