Industrial Strategic Energy Management

Strategic Energy Management (SEM) is an Energy Trust offering that helps facilities of all types evaluate their energy use and implement tools to start saving energy now and continue saving energy over time. Improving energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways for your facility to reduce energy, saving money that can be reinvested back into the organization.

In addition to decreasing your energy-related operating costs, Energy Trust will pay your organization cash incentives based on your annual energy savings. We offer incentives based on achieved electric and natural gas savings and additional milestone incentives.

Benefits of SEM

After enrolling in SEM, your facility will benefit from the expertise of an energy coach who will help evaluate the energy use of your facility and train staff on energy reduction practices. A reduction of energy use can quickly lead to savings for your organization. Energy Trust pays cash incentives for energy saved and includes benefits like participation in a cohort of your peers, access to both live and on-demand trainings, and free access to a library of diagnostic tools through our partners at the Smart Building Center.

Most importantly, your organization will develop a strong foundation for future energy improvement, create invaluable opportunities to improve your efficiency, and engage employees in continuous improvement.

Is SEM a fit for my facility?

Participating facilities in Oregon have seen energy savings of 3-5% each year as a result of participation in various phases of SEM.

Add your facility to the list of 315+ industrial facilities using SEM to boost their operations!

Eligible companies are:

Served by Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas or Avista
Spending at least $50,000 annually (at least $4,000 per month) on electricity and natural gas combined
Committed to saving energy through continuous improvement practices
Willing to implement no-and low-cost projects during the year-long engagement

To gain optimal results and qualify for the full range of training, assistance and cash incentives available through SEM, your team must:

Participate fully in the year-long training by attending each workshop and completing assignments and onsite projects between workshops
Obtain management support for an energy champion, energy data manager and energy team to commit work time to SEM activities
Provide Energy Trust with energy and production data, or other data, to develop energy intensity models for your facility and to measure energy savings achieved

Energy Trust provides training, technical services, and assessments free of charge. The only cost to you is the time commitment for staff participation.

For more details about eligibility and engagement requirements, please see our SEM fact sheet.

How It Works

As an SEM participant you’ll work with our energy coaches and technical experts to evaluate your facility’s energy use and to learn practices to reduce energy use immediately and over time.

After establishing eligibility through one of our program representatives, your organization will join a cohort of peers for a yearlong SEM engagement. During the engagement period, a minimum of two staff members from your established energy team must attend six workshops, scheduled throughout the year. Workshops range from two to four hours each and are delivered virtually.

An SEM engagement typically evolves through the following five steps: