Updated March 13, 2023
As we start the new year, the Oregon Multifamily Energy Program (OR-MEP) team looks forward to building upon the incredible work OR-MEP projects have done since the program launched in 2018. Over the past five years, OR-MEP awarded more than $6 million to 56 completed projects totaling 3,600 units. OR-MEP currently has $5 million in incentives reserved for 39 projects, totaling 3,200 units. This could not be possible without the dedication and commitment by our partners and participants to prioritize energy-efficient design in your projects to reduce energy costs for residents across Oregon. Together, we have saved more than 16.4 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually for Oregon residents, equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of nearly 29 million miles driven by the average gas-powered passenger vehicle. Thank you!
We want to also thank you all for your patience over the last few months. As you may have been aware, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) was in the midst of setting up a new implementation contract for the next program cycle of OR-MEP. In December 2022, OHCS finalized the contracting process and TRC is pleased to continue working with OHCS to implement OR-MEP. We are all very eager to pick back up where we left things and continue working with you without any further disruption or delay. Rest assured that OR-MEP is funded to continue through 2027, and we are looking forward to rolling out the much-anticipated new program enrollment process.
As we shared last summer, the volume of projects has grown significantly since the OR-MEP waitlist began in 2020. As currently forecasted, there are more projects on the waitlist than OR-MEP funding will be able to serve over the next five years. In May 2022, we began working with the newly formed OR-MEP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coalition to establish a process for program enrollment and prioritization. Our objective is to develop a process that results in a more equitable distribution of OR-MEP funds. The feedback the DEI Coalition has provided the program team so far has been invaluable.
Over the next month, we will continue working with the DEI Coalition to finalize their feedback. Our team is working to set up the new program enrollment process as quickly as possible while seeking a plan that more equitably serves projects. We expect to release OR-MEP funding in funding cycles over the next five years and will recommend projects enroll in the cycle that aligns best with construction timelines.
Based on our current planning considerations, we anticipate releasing the new program manual and enrollment process by end of May, and we plan to host a webinar within 14 days of the release to review the changes during that time as well. We will continue to keep you updated on our schedule via newsletter communications.
We encourage all interested projects to continue filling out our interest form. This allows us to contact you directly about your project and share program updates. Note, if you have previously submitted an interest form for a project, you do not need to submit another one. Please reach out to our team any time if you have questions. You can reach us at (503) 505-6787 or OHCSMultifamilyEnergy@trccompanies.com.
