A Climate Solution You Can Live In: Q&A on Building Resilience

Sometimes big-impact solutions to the climate crisis can feel beyond our control – other times they’re right within reach, like upgrading our homes and buildings. This Q&A with Brad Reed, Director of Building Resilience, highlights how we can transform our homes and communities into climate-resilient havens. From heat pumps to insulation, Brad explains how basic upgrades can protect our health and our communities, while also saving money on utility bills.

This year, Building Resilience is working alongside OEC to pass legislation to give more Oregonians access to energy efficiency upgrades. National trends show more and more people are embracing these improvements. Last year heat pumps outsold gas furnaces by 37%. 

Curious how to lower your energy bills while helping curb the climate crisis? Read on!

Q: What is Building Resilience?

A: Building Resilience is a statewide coalition that’s trying to make sure every Oregonian has access to healthy, affordable, resilient homes and buildings that run clean energy. There’s a lot of intersection when it comes to homes and buildings. Things like health, climate, affordability. We work in that space. We are very lucky to have six major groups that make up our steering committee. Our coalition has grown to over 50 organizations all over the state with all kinds of different interests – from business, to workers, healthcare professionals, family groups, environmental and frontline communities, as well as thousands of regular Oregonians who are concerned about making sure we’re improving in this space.

Q: What are some of the biggest challenges facing Oregonians that building resilient communities and buildings can help solve?

A: There’s a lot to unpack there. Climate change is getting worse; Oregon has had really severe wildfire seasons. Even if you’re not in the path of the flames, the smoke events have been incredible and harmful. It’s a lot of damage to the body, even inside our homes. Then there’s extreme heat in the summertime. People who work outside need to come home and cool off. Science shows that if you can’t cool off at night, it does a lot of damage to your body. So we need to protect people against smoke events and extreme heat. On the flip side, in the winter we have these incredible cold snaps and ice storms. It’s damaging our infrastructure and making our energy flows go crazy. 

It doesn’t help that the utilities have also hiked our energy bills – the major ones by about 50% in the last five years. So when we think of our homes and buildings, they really are our first line of defense, whether you’re at home or at work. If you’re lucky enough to work inside, we count on them to protect us from the elements. As the elements get worse from climate change, we need our buildings to be more resilient. 

The improvements that we can make in our buildings and homes – with the kind of programs that we advocate for – have a bunch of energy benefits. They lower the cost through energy efficiency improvements, as well as improving health. You’re comfortable, you’re breathing cleaner air, and you’re able to take care of yourself.

Q: What do you mean specifically when you’re talking about improving homes?

A: It’s actually not overly complicated. It is just a matter of having better insulation, making sure that your house is sealed up against bad air outside, and having your heating, hot water, and cooking all done with electricity. They call it the “envelope” of your house; it’s what keeps the bad stuff out, and the good stuff in – good stuff being comfortable, clean air.

We also advocate for energy-efficient heat pump technology. Imagine a smoky summer day. It’s very hot. You need to cool off. Opening a window or even using a window AC unit, which tend not to seal very well, will let in smoke from the outside and all the health harms that come from that. People shouldn’t have to choose between suffering heat or smoke. With a heat pump, you’re cooling without pulling anything in from the outside. It is also more efficient than a traditional window unit. So, for folks who are afraid to turn on the AC because they’re afraid of a high energy bill, a heat pump would take away some of that fear.

Q: Is there anything Building Resilience is doing to bring access to these upgrades to people in our state?

A: We’ve approached this in several different ways. A couple of years ago, we ran a big package of legislation that aimed to make new homes and building codes more energy efficient. We call it “Build Smart From the Start.” This way you don’t have to go back and fix things up. You’re already moving into an energy efficient, clean, healthy building that can have lower bills.

We also passed a goal to deploy half a million heat pumps in Oregon by 2030, to help with the state’s transition to 100% clean energy. Heat pumps aren’t just for heating and cooling the air in your home. You can also use a heat pump for water heating. I, matter of fact, just got my home a heat pump water heater. And I got a nice $700 rebate from an incentive program.

Incentive programs are another thing we work on. Whether it’s a tax break or an instant rebate, we want to make sure that folks aren’t tripped up by the costs of improving their home or building. We heard a wonderful story out of the City of Tigard, which helps deploy heat pumps. A senior citizen had a wood stove as her main form of heating. A wood fire is a lovely ambiance every once in a while, but when you have to breathe wood smoke, it’s not good for you or the neighborhood. But some people don’t have the means to go ahead and just rip that out. So we’re championing a program called the Community Heat Pump Deployment Program that was able to help her pay most of the cost of replacing her wood stove with a heat pump. Finally the hot summer was not something she needed to worry about because she had cooling for the first time. And no more hauling firewood or pellets in the winter. She now has a constant, comfortable temperature that she doesn’t have to think about. That’s wonderful! We want to make sure people, especially folks who don’t have the means for an upfront upgrade, can afford these upgrades.

We take on commercial buildings as well. That’s where many of us work. We shop. We gather. It’s important that those are also as resilient to the outside elements as they can be. So, we passed what’s called the Building Performance Standard. Think large commercial buildings – hotels, skyscrapers, big warehouses. Those kinds of buildings are going to have to become more energy efficient over time. That puts less strain on the electric grid, lowers bills, and better protects the people inside. These buildings are responsible for close to a majority of the climate pollution in our environment from buildings. So, fixing them is going to take care of a majority of the climate pollution if we can get them onto clean electricity and improved efficiency.

Q: We know the pollution from our buildings is a key driver of climate change in Oregon. How is Building Resilience working to cut that climate impact?

A: We like to say: “Buildings are our first line of defense against climate change.” But, they’re also the second leading contributor to climate pollution in Oregon, right behind transportation. Thankfully, Oregon has a law on the books that our electricity needs to be 100% clean by 2040. That was the first step.

Now our mission is to make sure that homes and buildings all plug into that clean electricity in every way that we can. That means transitioning off of fossil fuels in our buildings – including methane natural gas. Some people don’t know it’s a fossil fuel. Some people don’t even know it’s methane. A nice marketing firm put the words “natural” and “gas” together to be able to sell that fossil fuel to folks. It’s worked pretty well. Generally folks don’t put methane gas in the same categories as coal or oil, but it’s all fossil fuels. It’s all warming the planet and causing wildfires, causing drought and water shortages, all those bad things. Matter of fact, methane heats the planet 86 times faster than carbon dioxide – which is the one we talk about the most.

We can do all the heating and cooking we need to do better and cheaper with electricity. Our ultimate mission is a transition in all of our buildings to electricity. We’re going to save money by not maintaining a whole fossil fuel system, by not digging up streets to replace pipes. No more paying a second bill. It’s going to lower the climate pollution that comes from our buildings, and Oregon will be doing its part to solve the crisis.

Q: Speaking of higher bills, we’ve all noticed our utility bills, including electric and gas, have gone up a lot in Oregon the last few years. As you’re helping people upgrade to new appliances, how does the cost of energy figure into that?

A: It’s absolutely true. The three largest utilities in Oregon – PGE, PacifiCorp, and Northwest Natural Gas (NWN) – all raised their rates by 50% in the last few years. There are a lot of reasons for that. Primarily, the cost of methane natural gas has really spiked. We use gas directly (that’s why our NWN and other bills went up), and electric companies burn it to make electricity. So that’s a big driver.

Another driver is climate change. Wildfires wreak havoc on our electric system. The utilities are having to spend a lot of money cleaning up their wires and keeping trees back. They’re also paying for damages caused by past fires, and their insurance is going up. So the more we solve climate change, the less these societal costs are going to fall on all of us.

The third thing is industrial customers – particularly data centers being built for AI and cryptocurrency demand. These businesses are building a lot in Oregon because we have a good business climate for it. They use a ton of electricity, and right now they don’t have to pay any more than the rest of us for all those new wires, transmission stations, and infrastructure. We all get charged for that, and it is part of what’s driving up our rates. It’s a very complicated process and there’s a lot to it, but if you boil it down, that’s the truth.

The communities that make up Building Resilience inform what we do. And they have asked us to take this on as part of our mission. That’s why we’re working to pass legislation in Oregon called “Get the Junk Out of Rates” (SB 88). That has to do with what utilities can charge us on our bills. Right now, we may be getting charged for expensive lobbyists and lawyers, advertising, and association fees to groups that lobby against the interest of Oregonians. None of these things have to do with getting us the clean power we need. We shouldn’t have to pay for it. It’s more about fairness than anything.

Q: Speaking of fairness, how can resilient buildings equitably support our communities that are most impacted by climate change?

A: So again, we work with our communities and have people who are experiencing this stuff inform what we work on. One of the things we hear most is, “I would love to upgrade my house, but…”  either “I can’t afford it,” or “I can’t figure out how to do it.” There are literally over 300 programs across Oregon, depending on where you live, that exist to help you with insulation, windows and heat pumps. That is tough to navigate, especially if you’re a busy person. 

So in 2023, Building Resilience championed a bill called the “One Stop Shop.” It’s a website where you enter your name, address and income. And it will come back to you with all the federal, state, utility, and local programs that exist out there to help you do a project. The “One Stop Shop” website is just about fully live. Once it is, we’re going to share it with everyone who follows us on social media, and via email. 
But we think we can keep doing better. We want to take it from a passive website to an active navigator. “One Stop Shop 2.0” is a bill (HB 3081) that will set up a navigation program. We envision this being set up at the Oregon Department of Energy, in partnership with groups in communities all over the state. These navigators will walk people through questions they have about upgrades from start to finish.

Q: In addition to helping people discover and take advantage of them, what are you doing to ensure these incentive programs remain in place?

A: This part is so important. The state has invested in these programs, particularly programs that help folks at a lower income level. These programs have been so popular they are out of money. There’s one particular program called the Rental Heat Pump Deployment Program. We worked with Senator Kayse Jama in the last 2024 session to put $4 million into it. This program helps landlords upgrade their heating and cooling, which is great because tenants usually pay the utility bill. It was so popular that the application opened on July 23, $4 million went out the door, and they had to close it on July 24. That money is all going to help people, but the need is so much greater. 

Oregon legislators need to look at the life-changing and life-saving aspects of these programs, especially as the climate crisis gets worse. People need protection from extreme heat, smoke, and cold snaps. And people need help making these upgrades. This is urgent. It is a core service of the state to help people be healthy. And we need to make life a little more affordable amidst all the other costs going up. These investments are not only wise, but investing now will save a lot of money down the line. It’s going to cost more to deal with this stuff later. And it’s so important that programs are engaged toward the people who are experiencing climate change the most. People who can least afford the health impacts and economic impacts – our BIPOC communities, rural communities, disabled folks, seniors – are the folks that we’re focusing on helping with this program.

Q: With the federal government now actively dismantling existing oversight and programs by the EPA, CDC, NIH and other agencies, how important is it for Oregon lawmakers to carry that mantle and take action to protect Oregonians and our state?

A: It’s a short answer: Oregon leaders absolutely have to step up. These programs are the values that Oregonians espoused. They elected the leaders they did to do this work. So many of them ran on making a clean energy transition, lowering the cost of living, protecting Oregonians’ health and making us more resilient to climate change. It’s time to deliver. With the federal government abandoning this space, it’s never been more important for Oregon to step up and lead, and show other states what’s possible.

Q: Can you speak to the importance of coalitions like Building Resilience more broadly?

A: Every group that we work with brings a little different perspective. I think that makes the policies and programs that we champion really well rounded in response to what people need. The information from all those groups is so important. And they turn out to their communities as well. That’s the other part of it – bringing people into the movement. Making people realize that their homes and buildings could do so much more if we just have the right laws in place and the right programs. A lot of people don’t think about how their heating happens, they just want it to happen. There is an education element. And there is this mobilization element. 

People are really looking to where they can be part of the community, where they can make their lives and other people’s lives better – especially as things are a little chaotic in the country right now. That engagement is so important. Everybody has a story to tell. Everybody has a need at their home, their workplace, or community when it comes to homes, buildings and energy. Those stories are so powerful. It only takes a small group of people telling their stories to be able to help pass laws at the Oregon legislature; to convince lawmakers of how important this is. In this space, every individual action is going to lead up to really important change.

Q: For people looking to take action in this space, what do you recommend?

A: You don’t have to pay attention every single day – because we are. You can sign up with OEC to get informational emails and what we call “action alerts”. When it’s time to raise your voice, we let you know. Each and every individual voice carries weight that will power the movement. 

Your stories are so powerful. That’s really the key. Right now, Building Resilience is collecting stories about energy affordability from people across the state to share with legislators. Our team will help you deliver it at key times throughout the session when it matters most. You can also check out our social media and speak up! No matter what your talent is, you can help this group!

 

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