Staff Spotlight

Community Energy Project is proud to provide a variety of direct, in-homes services and educational workshops, and participate in important advocacy work. Behind all of these vital efforts is a team of vibrant, multifaceted, and hardworking individuals. We are excited to introduce the CEP Staff Spotlight, a series dedicated to the people who make everything we do possible. Today’s spotlight shines on CEP’s Portland Clean Energy Fund Manager, Geoff Fey.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead  

1. Describe your role at CEP and what makes you passionate about your position.

I am Community Energy Project’s Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) Program Manager. In this position, I manage a wonderful team that provides low-income households with comprehensive home energy retrofits. We use a house as a system approach to energy efficiency which really underscores the mission of CEP: “Everyone deserves a safe, healthy and efficient home regardless of income.” I’m able to see firsthand the positive effect the PCEF program provides folks that couldn’t afford these upgrades. It truly changes our clients’ lives. This position gives me fulfillment with every client we are able to help.   

2. Describe your work/relevant personal background and how this empowers you at CEP.

I worked in construction and trades for ten years and eventually went back to school to study green building and environmental science. I also taught yoga for a couple years. It feels like all the paths I’ve traveled have led me to this very spot here at CEP. I’m able to speak the contractor language from firsthand experience, I understand how important it is to mitigate the effects of manmade climate change, and I’m able to hold emotional space for our clients with a grounded-caring presence from my experience as a yoga teacher.  

3. Describe the program/department you run and why it is important to CEP/the community you serve.

The Portland Clean Energy Fund grant enables CEP to serve our low-income clients that are experiencing the biggest energy burdens with whole-home energy efficiency upgrades. This can include insulation, heat pumps, fuel switching away from dirty/hazardous fossil fuels heating systems, and heat pump water heaters. The cost of this work is typically way beyond the budget of CEP’s clients, but they are the ones who need these energy efficiency improvements the most. This is due to the high costs of operating their inefficient equipment in leaky houses. Our goal with the PCEF program this year is to serve 40 to 50 households with holistic energy retrofits and that goal is going to continue to increase with every year. This will have a substantial impact on our community that will last for generations to come.

4. What is a problem that the Portland community faces and how is your team addressing the issue?

I see our low-income community in Portland being too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer with out of control energy bills. These problems compound on themselves. Our team has a pathway to directly address these issues with energy retrofits through our PCEF work. For example, we have clients that have oil furnaces that have not been operational for years so they’ve been using expensive-to-operate electric space heaters to try and keep warm. With PCEF funding, our team is able to decommission oil furnaces and replace them with high-efficiency ducted heat pump systems that also provide central air conditioning in the summer. We’re also able to insulate their homes so they’re comfortable all year round. 

5. What makes CEP unique in addressing climate change?

CEP has committed to electrification for the homes we serve through PCEF. This entails replacing mechanical equipment and water heaters that use fossil fuels such as heating oil and natural gas with efficient electrical equipment. Electrification has previously been a barrier with our former inventor-funded utility programs. However, the PCEF grant gives us the flexibility to aggressively combat climate change through electrification. Fuel switching to electricity uses mostly heat pump equipment. This not only has a significant health benefit for the occupants of the households we serve, but it also greatly reduces the amount of carbon emissions from our clients’ homes. As our electrical grid trends more and more towards renewables, our investment in electrification means our clients’ houses will have a smaller carbon footprint in the future than they currently do.

6. What is your favorite hobby?

It’s hard to pick one hobby. I love the mind-body connection of yoga, rock climbing, and bike commuting.