Adapting to Serve the Commercial New Construction Market in Oregon

Panel: Commercial Buildings: Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

Authors:
Thomas Giffin, SAIC
Spencer Moersfelder, Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc.

Abstract

Energy Trust of Oregon's New Buildings program serves the market for new construction and major renovations (replacing two or more building operating systems) in Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas territory in Oregon. This commercial new construction program promotes building energy efficiency, above the already aggressive Oregon Non-Residential Energy Code, and has acquired substantial energy savings in the commercial new construction market. Over the past 5 years, the program has undergone several expansions to serve wider markets, to reach deeper into known markets, to streamline participant requirements, and to simplify and expand the program's offerings. This paper describes the considerations and trade-offs associated with refining and expanding the processes, operations and offerings of the program; especially addressing how the needs of Oregon's new building market are served, and how the markets have responded.