By Andrew Engelson October 8, 2021

Retrofitting programs across Cascadia make a difference, but results are probably too small and too slow.

Pumping insulation into walls and scrapping gas furnaces aren’t the most glamorous ways to attack climate change. Renovating old buildings seems downright mundane compared to fast-charging electric cars or sleek, efficient high-rise buildings. But for Francisco Ramos and his son, upgrading their Northeast Portland home made a huge difference.

The 1944 house in Portland’s Cully neighborhood had no insulation, and the family had to plug in an array of space heaters to stay warm in winter. And relying on a window air conditioning unit in summer drove the family’s electric bills to between $300 and $400 per month. Plus, after Ramos injured his hand at his job at a recycling facility in 2019, he underwent four surgeries and physical therapy, often spending time at home and using even more electricity.

Thanks to funding from the Energy Trust of Oregon, a nonprofit funded by Oregon taxpayers, the Ramose’ home was upgraded with an electric heat pump and weatherization last year at no cost to the family. The public investment cut the Ramoses’ monthly electric bills by half and improved their lives.

“The heat pump system works like a charm,” says Ramos. “It keeps us very warm during the winter and cool during the summer, which I truly believe helped speed up my recovery.”

A new Portland program, the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), is funding these kinds of residential upgrades, and is one of several efforts to expand and accelerate improvements to existing homes and businesses that generate a growing share of climate-warming pollution in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. The fund, which awarded its first grants this year, focuses on equity for low-income residents and communities of color.

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