Install a smart thermostat for year-round savings

According to ENERGY STAR® the average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy costs, with nearly half of that going to heating and cooling!

An easy upgrade you can make at home to help save on energy costs all year-long is to install a smart thermostat that can adjust the temperature automatically. No more forgetting to turn the heat down when you leave the house! Plus, you can get cash back from Energy Trust of Oregon for qualifying smart thermostat models.

Smart thermostats use local weather data to adjust temperature accordingly and help you save energy. They’ll even learn your heating preferences and make adjustments based on your schedule so you can pay less to maintain a comfortable temperature. You can control a smart thermostat with a smartphone or tablet and some models will even send you alerts (like if the temperature is so low that your pipes could freeze) so you can make adjustments right when you need to.

Find qualifying smart thermostat models at www.energytrust.org/thermostat or call 1.866.368.7878.

Shed new light on your home

Brighten your home with better light bulbs. When incandescent bulbs burn out, replace them with ENERGY STAR® LEDs.

LEDs are long-lasting and extremely energy efficient. ENERGY STAR qualified LEDs can last up to 15 times longer than traditional bulbs and save up to $80 in energy costs over their lifetime. LEDs are also up to 85 percent more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and provide an even distribution of light and excellent color quality. Plus, many LEDs work with dimmers and three-way switches.

To make it easy to upgrade your light bulbs, Energy Trust of Oregon works with local retailers to offer reduced prices on qualifying LEDs. Before you shop, use Energy Trust’s interactive lighting wheel to help you pick the right ENERGY STAR® LED for any fixture in your home. From pendant lights to bathroom vanities, the tool recommends the right bulb to fit any fixture. Give the lighting wheel a spin on your computer, tablet or smartphone at www.energytrust.org/lightbulb.

An easy way to assess your home’s energy performance

EPS™, brought to you by Energy Trust of Oregon, is an energy performance score that makes it easy to compare newly built homes based on energy efficiency, energy costs and environmental impact. It allows you to make smart home buying decisions that save money and energy for as long as you own the home.

An EPS can range from zero to 200. The lower the score, the better—a low EPS identifies a home as energy efficient with a smaller carbon footprint and lower energy costs.

EPS makes it easier for homebuyers to:

• Discover how much a home will cost to operate
• Understand the value of a home’s features—such as insulation or the water heater
• Quantify a home’s carbon footprint

There are several ways to find a home with an EPS:

• Talk to an Energy Trust real estate professional
• Ask an Energy Trust trade ally builder
• Look for EPS featured on home tours

To learn more about EPS and to see a sample score, visit www.energytrust.org/eps or call 1.866.368.7878.

Access expert guidance on home energy-saving opportunities

You could be wasting as much as 60 percent of the energy used to heat and cool your home. Leaky ducts, inefficient equipment, poor insulation and air leaks may be inflating your energy costs. To find out what is causing the energy loss, contact Energy Trust of Oregon for a Home Energy Review. Choose from an online or phone review. Either way, you’ll receive a list of energy-saving opportunities to start you on the path to energy savings, including connections to local contractors and cash incentives that may be available when you improve the energy efficiency of your home.

Go to www.energytrust.org/start or call 1.866.368.7878 for your Home Energy Review.

Produce your own energy at home

What could be more natural than using the sun to generate clean, renewable energy for your home? Throughout Oregon, there’s plenty of sun to make installing solar panels an attractive route to energy independence and solar has been proven to be a success in our state. In just the last four years, the number of homes generating solar power has more than doubled.

Energy Trust of Oregon offers a great first stop to going solar. You can access tools and information to help make it easy and more affordable, including information on free classes, a list of local trade ally solar contractors and cash incentives. When combined with currently available state and federal tax credits, Energy Trust cash incentives can help you save up to 80 percent off your installation.

To learn more about solar and find a local Energy Trust trade ally contractor, visit www.energytrust.org/solar or call 1.866.368.7878.

Energy-saving resources for renters

If you rent your home, it’s easy to make it more comfortable, save money and use less energy with just a few low-cost and no-cost changes such as replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs, turning down the thermostat or installing water-saving showerheads and faucet aerators.

Energy Trust of Oregon provides a list of energy-saving tips for renters that you can download online. If you’re hoping to get bigger efficiency upgrades completed, ask your landlord to make energy-saving improvements like new windows, insulation or heating systems. They may qualify for Energy Trust cash incentives that can help make the investments more attractive.

Discover more energy-saving options at www.energytrust.org/renters or call 1.866.368.7878.

Energy-efficient appliances help you save money and energy

There’s one way to be sure you’re making an energy-efficient appliance purchase for your home: look for the blue ENERGY STAR® label when you shop. Whether you’re replacing your old clothes washer or buying stylish appliances for your kitchen, high-quality, ENERGY STAR products can save you money year after year. And you can get cash-back incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon when you buy a qualifying front-load clothes washer. Find a list of retailers and learn more about energy-efficient appliances at www.energytrust.org/appliances or call 1.866.368.7878.

Cash-in on energy-saving home projects with Energy Trust of Oregon incentives

Give your budget a break and make your home more comfortable with energy-saving home improvements. Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista customers have access to Energy Trust of Oregon cash incentives and advice.

1. Contact Energy Trust for help evaluating your home for energy savings, choosing upgrades and finding a local Energy Trust trade ally contractor.

2. Work with an Energy Trust trade ally contractor, or any licensed contractor, to install the improvements. Contact Energy Trust to find a trade ally near you.

3. Apply for Energy Trust cash-back incentives for improvements such as an ENERGY STAR® qualifying clothes washer, plus water heaters, windows and much more.

To get started on your home energy-saving project, visit www.energytrust.org/homes or call 1.866.368.7878.