Matthew and Serenity Stull became the first beneficiaries of a UEC program to help members replace older manufactured homes with energy-efficient models (see page 23). The Stulls replaced their 1984 doublewide with a Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured (NEEM) Housing Certified Home.
The source of UEC’s funding is a loan from USDA’s Rural Energy Savings Program, while Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) provided a supplemental “gap” loan that is fully forgivable if the occupant stays 10 years.
In 4 years, our Energy Saver Loan Program has surpassed $1.4 million in low-interest loans to members for efficiency measures ranging from heat pumps and windows to insulation.