Related News
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Spring Cleaning? How about Spring Emergency Preparedness!
Spring is officially here and that means the plants are blooming, the sun is (sometimes) shining, and the grass is green! We've had our fair share of severe weather already, but spring weather is notoriously unpredictable. While you're in the midst of spring cleaning and garden care, consider completing these emergency preparedness tasks.
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EWEB General Manager Delivers 2024 State of the Utility
General Manager Frank Lawson delivered his address at the March 5 public Board of Commissioners meeting
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Nine days without power: My ice storm story as an EWEB customer and employee
While beautiful and peaceful, buying a home on the edge of the forest and surrounded by trees has its tradeoffs. Moving “upriver,” I knew there would be more threats to prepare for, including Mother Nature’s seasonal surprises.
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EWEB achieves power restoration milestone over the weekend
Crews have so far restored power for 92% of customers who originally lost power at the height of the ice storm.
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Reenergized McKenzie River Valley transmission lines allow EWEB crews to restore power upriver
On Friday, a majority of EWEB crews tackled power restoration efforts upriver, after federally managed transmission lines were reenergized Thursday.
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EWEB estimates one week to complete power system restoration
On Wednesday, EWEB crews restored power for about 10,000 customers by repairing large equipment first.
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Second round of ice and ensuing thaw prompt mass power outages
On Wednesday, all EWEB crews, who have been working nonstop since Saturday, traversed EWEB’s service territory assessing the damage and restoring transmission lines and main power feeders.
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Power restored at EWEB’s water treatment plant
Crews restored electric power at EWEB's Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant Monday evening, allowing operators to switch off the generators and rely again on the grid. Meanwhile, EWEB crews brace for additional outages amidst second round of ice and during the coming thaw.
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EWEB crews making downed lines safe and restoring power across Eugene and the foothills
As EWEB works to restore electric service to customers affected by the ice storm, the customer-owned utility is following established policies and its “hierarchy of repair” to prioritize repairs that restore electric service to the greatest number of customers.
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Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan
Plan details next steps through regulatory processes to begin dismantling Leaburg Dam by 2032.
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What’s ahead in 2024: General manager’s message to EWEB customer-owners
At the start of the new year, we back at accomplishments from 2023 and look ahead at what's to come in 2024.
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Start the New Year saving money with energy saving tips
We know that saving money is important to our customers. Using energy and water wisely is a great way to reduce your monthly utility bill, even as the costs of electricity and water rise. EWEB has several steps you can take to reduce your usage and even make your home feel more comfortable.
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Currin Substation: End of year update
EWEB Engineer Philip Peterson explains what's been happening in the final stretch to complete the substation rebuild.
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EWEB 2023 year in review
In 2023, EWEB invested in our community with grants, rebates and an array of other programs and measures aimed at fulfilling our core values of safety, reliability, affordability, environmental responsibility and community/culture.
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EWEB Recognized with Excellence in Communications Awards from American Public Power Association
We are proud to have been recognized with two Excellence in Public Power Communications Awards for 2023 from the American Public Power Association (APPA).
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EWEB Partners with City, UO to Rate Rentals for Energy Efficiency
June 13, 2017
Did you know that rental units comprise half of the available housing in Eugene? A 2017 study by the University of Oregon Business Consulting Group identified that more than 6,000 of those rentals are likely in need of energy upgrades. For this reason, our Customer Solutions team launched a new program this year to help tenants and property owners better understand the energy costs associated with their rentals, and to highlight savings opportunities from improvements such as duct sealing, insulation, and high efficiency heating systems.
For many of our customers, "affordability" is more than the cost per kilowatt hour for electricity. Energy efficiency plays an important role in how high an electric bill is. One way to measure efficiency is with a Home Energy Score (HES). Similar to the miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the U.S. Department of Energy's Home Energy Score communicates how efficient a home is based on its "envelope"—the ceilings, floors, walls and windows—as well as its heating, cooling and water heating systems. Tenants receive a Home Energy Score ranging from 1 to 10 after about an hour-long assessment by a state-certified home energy assessor. A score of 1 means the home would benefit from energy improvements, and a score of 10 means the home uses energy very efficiently. The report shows the home's current score, as well as the potential score after recommended upgrades. The report also shows estimated utility bill savings and carbon footprint reductions that could be achieved after investment in the energy-saving improvements.
In 2012 EWEB became a Home Energy Score Partner with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the first utility in Oregon to do so. Since then, the DOE program has steadily gained momentum nationwide. In 2016 the Portland City Council approved an ordinance that will require homeowners to get a Home Energy Score before they put their house up for sale.
EWEB has offered on-site energy audits for homes (both owner-occupied and rentals) and businesses for a number of years, but the new HES program is focused exclusively on rental housing during this launch period.
"We care about energy efficiency because it helps our customers manage their bills and make them more affordable," says Matt Lutter, a specialist in our Customer Solutions department. "The program focuses on rental housing because many rentals are inefficient and costly to live in, and there are often significant barriers to making efficiency improvements in these homes."
One barrier is what is known as "split incentives." Property owners don't make efficiency investments because the renters pay the energy bills, and renters don't make investments in property they don't own.
"When rental owners see the Home Energy Score report, we hope they will be more likely to invest in the efficiency upgrades that will make their rentals more comfortable and affordable, even if they are not paying the utility bills," says Matt.
A Home Energy Score has other benefits for both landlords and tenants. Property owners who are looking for a competitive advantage can use the Home Energy Score to "market" their units to prospective tenants. Renters can compare the efficiency and costs of various units before signing a lease. The expectation is that, over time, this kind of transparency makes energy-efficient rental housing the sought-after standard for both owners and tenants.
A sample Home Energy Score report.
Partnerships make the Home Energy Score program successful
To get the program off the ground, we partnered with the University of Oregon's Department of Sustainability and the City of Eugene. In late 2016, EWEB trained nine interns from UO to become state-approved Home Energy Assessors. The City of Eugene paid the interns' wages, making this a cost-effective effort for EWEB. The City considers energy score adoption to be a high-priority action for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (as outlined in their Climate and Energy Action Plan), so the partnership supports that action as well.
The partnerships make the program a potential win for customers, students, EWEB, and the planet.
"In order for the program to be a success, it has been important that the students learn some core skills so they are able to safely and accurately collect the necessary data while they are in tenants' homes," says Matt. "These skills will also be valuable to the students as they seek employment in the building industry, both locally and abroad, since all buildings use energy and many of the concepts apply to a variety of building types."
Interns worked in pairs, inspecting various access points such as the attic and crawl spaces, hot water heater, and windows.
"It's been interesting to learn about different ceiling construction types and how that actually plays into the efficiency of a home," said intern Janet Haselden. "And thinking about how to make spaces more efficient by not having huge windows; the design really matters in a home."
Home Energy Assessors also have learned how to "think on their feet" and communicate their knowledge to the tenants. "Being knowledgeable and able to meet the customer's expectations is important because they trust EWEB," intern Jenefer Heredia said.
Janet and Jenefer are third and fourth-year architecture students who jumped on the opportunity to work for EWEB. "One of the appealing things to me was the fact that we would become certified [with the Construction Contractors Board], and that looks really great on a resume," Janet said.
Since the program launched in January, the interns have completed 215 home assessments, averaging about 10-15 per week. Many homes have received poor scores. After the UO spring term ends, Matt says we will evaluate the program and determine next steps, which could include things like publishing Home Energy scores to help tenants shop for affordable housing, refining and continuing the program into the fall, offering Home Energy Scores for multifamily housing, and adjusting the program delivery to better motivate owners to take action.
Matt has seen some property owners take action as a result of the Home Energy Score program, and is looking forward to seeing more. "The program attempts to deliver affordability to the renters who need it by helping the owners with needed energy upgrades," he says. "The owners see improved tenant retention while tenants save money and enjoy better living conditions. Some rentals also have had fossil fuel equipment replaced with efficient heat pumps, which helps reduce carbon pollution. We hope to prove that the program benefits rental property owners, their tenants, and the environment."
If you have questions about the Home Energy Score program, please contact us at rentals@eweb.org.
Learn more about EWEB's energy efficiency rebate and loan programs.