Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (EOCI) uses energy around the clock. With the help of Energy Trust of Oregon, EOCI has improved the energy efficiency of its buildings, resulting in estimated annual energy savings of $260,500 and earning EOCI national recognition.

Significantly, EOCI’s savings, 33 percent of kWh and 65 percent of therms, resulted from no- or low-cost improvements—learned while participating in Energy Trust’s Strategic Energy Management (SEM) offering, which teaches simple, energy-saving behavioral changes. “We jumped into SEM because we never have enough budget to do everything we want, so the question became how to do right by the facility with very limited resources on hand,” said Mike Cleveland, physical plant manager at EOCI.

Energy Trust’s cash incentives have also helped offset the cost of new, energy-efficient equipment like chillers, boilers, heat pumps, insulation and LEDs. Including SEM and capital projects, EOCI has received $339,400 in Energy Trust incentives since 2006. Thanks to its achievements, EOCI became the first U.S. prison designated by the Department of Energy as 50001 Ready—self-attesting to meeting the ISO 50001 global energy management standard.

“It’s now common practice for us to call Energy Trust first,” said Cleveland. “Whether it’s a big equipment decision, lighting upgrade, or something else—we reach out to Energy Trust to start the process.”