A portion of Umatilla Electric Cooperative and Hermiston Energy Services customers are being invited to participate in a residential energy efficiency assessment.
The Residential Building Stock Assessment, sponsored in part by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) through the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, or NEEA, is underway in our region with letters to utility customers offering $10 for completing the initial qualification survey.
Qualifying homes may also receive site visits if invited by the homeowner. Evergreen Economics is the third-party contractor working with NEEA to complete the study.
The energy use study will provide the region with useful information for residences, utilities and researchers to improve energy efficiency practices and identify opportunities for energy efficiency in the future. This is the third such study in the region since 2011, across Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Washington state.
NEEA has hired an energy consulting and research firm, Evergreen Economics, and its subcontractors, Driftless Energy, Michaels Energy and Evergreen Consulting Group, to conduct this research study. These firms will be contacting residents throughout the region to participate.
This study involves gathering information from on-site assessments at participating homes, apartments and condos. These onsite assessments will take approximately 3-6 hours depending on the size of the residence. Evergreen Economics and its partner firms will collect information on energy-using equipment and building characteristics that affect energy consumption.
They will also request authorization to collect electric and natural gas consumption data for all study participants from their electric and natural gas utilities. Participants will receive a $100 incentive for participation. There are also additional incentives available for residents who qualify for additional HVAC and ductwork testing.
The study serves as the basis for creating much of BPA’s residential energy efficiency program implemented by consumer-owned utilities such as UEC and HES.
More details at https://neea.org/img/documents/RBSA-FAQ.pdf