The Community Energy Challenge will substantially reduce Bellingham/Whatcom County’s consumption of electricity and natural gas by targeting comprehensive, deep efficiency focused programs at both commercial and residential facilities, by reducing the barriers to implementing energy efficiency including financing and an adequate qualified workforce, and by raising awareness of opportunities to conserve energy through community based social marketing, establishing community goals and friendly competition. 

Recent News

     Energy Challenge receives $500,000 credit enhancement award

     Sightline Institute highlights Bellingham in new primer on Green Jobs 

     Bellingham families compete to take on home energy efficiency and more in new reality television show "The Greenest House"  

Read more Energy Efficiency News...

Residential Program – click here

We are currently setting up a One Stop Energy Shop to make achieving energy efficiency as easy as possible from start to finish. We will provide each participating household with quality information, a full energy audit, a customized action plan detailing cost-effective measures, assistance with utility and tax rebates, attractive and accessible financing opportunities, reliable contractors, and quality assurance. For additional information on participating in the Community Energy Challenge's residential program send us a message at communityenergychallenge@oppco.org

Commercial Conservation Services – click here

Businesses in our program will receive a detailed analysis of current energy use for benchmarking, a full energy audit, a customized facility action plan detailing cost-effective measures, assistance with utility and tax rebates, unique financing opportunities, reliable contractors, quality assurance, follow-up technical assistance, quarterly updates on their progress and widespread public recognition. For additional information on participating in the Community Energy Challenge's commercial program contact Emily Reisman at emily@sconnect.org,  or 360-647-7093 ext 113

Over two years the Challenge can achieve the following impacts:

Reduce Energy Use

• 150 local businesses saving (at least) 5-15% of their energy use. 
• 1800 home energy audits performed. 900 homes saving 5-30% of their energy use.

Boost local economic development

• Generate construction activities in excess of $10 Million.
• Save more than $400,000 per year in energy expenditures that can be re-invested elsewhere.
• All while creating (at least) 35 new green collar jobs

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

• Prevent more than 7,000 tons of CO2 per year
•  Equivalent to eliminating nearly 800,000 gallons of gasoline - that’s like 1 less tanker truck full of gasoline every 4 days.

Creating a Model That Works

The Energy Efficiency Community Challenge represents a unique opportunity to begin to realize the massive energy savings potential in the small commercial and residential sectors. By aggregating customers for loan products and contractors/installers, we will achieve the economies of scale needed to make numerous small weatherization project efforts cost effective from a conservation perspective and worthwhile from a business perspective. As the state and nation look to achieve significant climate and energy independence goals, successful proof of this concept is critical; and no where else is better poised to deliver.

The Partners

A uniquely qualified team of collaborating organizations has been assembled to accomplish the aggressive goals of the Challenge:

• Sustainable Connections (SC) provides strong connections to the business community and management of Commercial Conservation Services (CCS) and a proven track record of campaign development and implementation that has resulted in shifting attitudes, increased knowledge and behavior change for sustainability at home and the workplace. SC will create a “one-stop shop” for property owners to get assistance to develop and implement energy efficiency (EE) projects in commercial buildings.
• The Opportunity Council, through the Building Performance Center (BPC) division provides rapidly expanding low income household retrofit services; over the past 20+ years they have weatherized more than 5000 homes. They will build on this expertise and create a “one-stop shop” where non-low income residential customers can receive comprehensive assistance evaluating opportunities, clearing financial hurdles and implementing efficiency projects.
• Workforce development opportunities will be addressed by the Building Performance Center (BPC) and the Bellingham Technical College (BTC), two organizations with decades of experience and the ability to scale up training to provide quality personnel for retrofits.  Both organizations have a history not only of successful workforce training, but of creating careers.
• Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Cascade Natural Gas (CNG) are utility partners that bring marketing, auditing, energy efficiency tools and incentives, and campaign evaluation capability.
• The City of Bellingham (COB) and Whatcom County (WC) will both serve as case studies for saving energy and also provide resources from federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBGs) for loan loss reserves making retrofit financing more attractive, as well as communications and marketing support.
• Energy Efficiency Finance Corporation (EEFC) provides the expertise to design the program’s financing component which combines resources from state and local governments and utilities with funding from local banks and credit unions to offer attractive financing options for residential and commercial property owners to implement conservation measures.
• Other community partners helping to lead the way on energy efficiency implementation include RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, Western Washington University and the Bellingham/Whatcom County Housing Authority.

Read more about the Bellingham Energy Efficiency Community Challenge

Stay tuned for more coming January 2010!

For more information, contact Alex at (360) 647-7093 x112