Oregon Department of Energy Seeking Regional Administrators for Community Heat Pump Deployment Program
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, February 28th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
OREGON — The Oregon Department of Energy is seeking eligible regional entities to administer the agency’s new Community Heat Pump Deployment Program.
The program will allocate grant dollars to eligible entities that will then, as Regional Administrators, provide financial assistance for the purchase and installation of heat pumps and related upgrades in Oregon homes.
Eligible entities include federally recognized Tribes, local governments, housing authorities, electric utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others. Grants may be allocated to one eligible entity for each region and one eligible entity for each federally recognized Tribe. The regions are the economic development districts in Oregon, as designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce (see map).
Heat pumps, which move heat rather than create it, are becoming more popular in Oregon homes thanks to their efficient heating, cooling, and lower energy use. In heating mode, heat pumps collect heat from ambient outdoor temperatures, concentrate it, and transfer that heat inside the building – yes, even on cold days! In cooling mode, heat pumps operate like regular air conditioners, moving heat from inside the building to outside.
The Oregon Department of Energy has $8.5 million available to allocate among the selected Regional Administrators, which will each design a heat pump deployment program that will best serve their community and support heat pump installation. Eligible entities that want to serve as Regional Administrators must demonstrate that they have the capacity to administer a grant program and that they serve or represent at least one environmental justice community within a region or members of a federally recognized Tribe. Environmental justice communities include communities of color, communities experiencing lower incomes, tribal communities, rural communities, coastal communities, communities with limited infrastructure, and other communities traditionally underrepresented in public processes and adversely harmed by environmental and health hazards, including seniors, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Applicants will be competitively scored and will earn points for connections to Tribes, experience with program development, organizational capability and capacity, strength of the proposed program and the financial plan, and the potential outcomes and benefits. More information for potential Regional Administrators is available in ODOE’s program Opportunity Announcement.
ODOE will open an application portal in early March. Eligible regional entities must apply by April 7, 2023, and applications will be checked for completeness before going through a competitively scored review. An Opportunity Announcement with additional eligibility details is available on ODOE’s website. ODOE will also hold an informational webinar on Thursday, March 2 at 10 a.m. to provide an overview of the program rules and timeline. The agency encourages written questions from potential applicants by March 27; ODOE will post responses online, with a final Q&A posted by March 31.
