Use less energy (and lower your energy bills) with better built homes

Feb 13, 2025 | Community, Education

February 2025

Better Built Homes

Image: Residence in Richmond neighborhood, built by Greenhammer Design Build.

Electrify LO has lauded the benefits of clean, renewable energy in the home through electric heat pumps and solar energy. It also pays to consider other home energy upgrades that reduce energy waste such as sealing air leaks, adding insulation, or upgrading windows.

Reducing Home Energy Loss

According to ENERGY STAR, homeowners in Lake Oswego save, on average, 20% on their heating and cooling bills after adding insulation and sealing air leaks. These upgrades also reduce other costs by reducing the size of your heat pumps or the number of solar panels you install.

Homeowners can also reduce the cost through financial incentives. Current incentives can save you up to $1.50 per square foot for insulation from Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO), provided you use an ETO-allied contractor. You can get an additional 30% federal insulation tax credit, up to $1200.

As an added benefit, insulation will reduce outside noise and keep you more comfortable by reducing swings in temperature.

At the Lake Oswego Electric Home and Vehicle Fair in September 2024, we hosted two exhibitors, Greensavers and Home RX, who specialize in these home energy upgrades. They offer free to low cost consultations and more extensive audits with:

  • Blower door tests to determine how much air is leaking out of your home

  • Thermal infrared camera tests to determine where the leaks are

  • Duct blaster tests to measure leaks in the duct work

  • Air quality tests

Passive Home Design

Net Zero Energy Homes

Dave Hawley’s All-Electric Home on Oswego Lake

Jan 31, 2025 | Community, Electrify LO Journey

Dave Hawley has been concerned about climate change for decades. His first job in the summer of 1968 was as a cook in Glacier Bay. There, glacial ice had receded many miles from the first recorded observations. The glacial recession was initially attributed to climatic cycles. It soon became clear to him and others that fossil fuel burning was the culprit.

He and his wife Carol lived in a 1930’s era cabana on Oswego Lake for twenty years. Due to structural and other issues, they reluctantly decided to completely rebuild the home. In 2020, they approached the architect of an admired home a few doors down. The architect was taken aback by the idea of a home without “natural gas” and an all electric/solar home, but was willing to work with them.

Dave led much of the research around the new home and introduced the architect and contractor to many new ideas and products. Dave imported triple pane, tilt and turn windows from Poland. These windows are tight, strong, well-insulated and are critical to the home’s operation.

Heat pumps are used for space and water heating as well as the dryer. Tesla Solar tiles provide 80% of the home’s annual energy needs, and two Tesla batteries will support the home for up to five hours in case of an outage. A pellet stove, which uses about 100 watts, can keep the home warm allowing the battery to supply days of “essential”  electrical loads during a long-term outage.

The home uses conventional frame construction with rockwool insulation, but adds a thin external insulation layer to compensate for thermal bridging by studs and structural steel.  With the use of an AeroBarrier acrylic mist air sealing process, the envelope meets passive home air exchange standards. A Lunos ductless heat recovery ventilation system ensures constant fresh air.

The beautiful floors are recycled wood throughout. Siding is a low maintenance, fire resistant combination of steel and cementitious materials.

Carol  was 100% supportive, though a bit worried about not having a gas stove. She learned to cook on induction and was completely won over.

The home was completed in 2022. It has been a joy to Dave and Carol and performs as hoped for.

photo of a net-zero home

A Net Zero Remodel on Southshore Blvd.

Jan 31, 2025 | Community, Electrify LO Journey

Ariel and Kyle strive to do their part to live an ecologically sustainable life. They eat a plant-based diet, purchase a CSA share from Luscher farm, and are looking at EVs for their next cars.

In 2021, they returned from several years in California and purchased a 1960s ranch house on Southshore Blvd. in Lake Oswego, but the house needed updating. They knew they wanted to play their part to mitigate climate change, but knew little about what that entailed in a remodel.

They collaborated with Ariel’s sister, who is an interior designer (Sara Gray with Grayhaus Interiors), and TaylorSmith Sustainable Construction, which focuses on sustainable construction, to design a highly ecologically-friendly home. The home was deconstructed down to the studs and rebuilt as an all-electric energy retrofit with a backup power generation system.

Ariel and Kyle switched to induction cooking and loved it from the beginning. Ariel says that cooking is not her forte, but induction is “good for bad cooks” because it allows better regulation of heat and has made her much more confident in the kitchen. She also can see how much safer it will be for their two-year-old son.

Here is a list of the unique features of their home:

  • Certified Net Zero Ready and Energy Star Home
  • Repurposed Foundation and Framing
  • Extremely Air-Tight Envelope 2” Continuous Exterior Rigid Insulation
  • High Efficiency 23 SEER Modulating Heat Pump with High Efficiency Whole Home Ventilation and HEPA Air Filtration
  • High Efficiency Heat Pump Water Heater
  • Custom 14’ Tall White Oak Screen Wall with Integrated Staircase
  • New High Performing Windows Throughout

photo of a net-zero remodeled kitchen photo of a net-zero remodeled living room

Join LOSN for an Open House and Tour of Tigard’s first Net Zero apartments

Jan 7, 2025 | Events as posts, In-Person, Past

January 2025

Join LOSN for an Open House and Tour of Tigard’s first Net Zero apartments.

The Steward is the first certified Path to Net Zero apartment building in Tigard, Oregon, offering fully electric living without the carbon operating footprint from fossil fuels. Residents will enjoy a clean and healthy living environment thanks to the rooftop photovoltaic solar system (103 kW), energy efficient windows, extended capacity heat pumps and more.
Register online to tour The Steward on January 14, 2025.

Tours of the building will be leaving from the lobby at 5:30 PM, 6:00 PM, and 6:30 PM.

Following the tour, enjoy light refreshments and connect with local environmental organizations: Solar Oregon, Electrify Now, and Lake Oswego Sustainability Network in the community space on the 5th floor.

The Steward combines environmentally friendly living with purposeful design, where energy efficiency, sustainable practices, and sophisticated design coexist.

Advocating for a safe future in Lake Oswego

Nov 1, 2024 | Community, Community

November 2024

Why Advocacy?

When we started LOSN in 2013, we got advice from a sister organization: Don’t get involved with policy, it can tear your organization apart! And for many years, we didn’t get involved with much advocacy.

As one of the few environmental groups in Lake Oswego, we take our responsibility seriously. We feel compelled to do as much as we can to promote a safe future, and advocacy can make a big difference.

Public policy can accomplish some things that individual actions cannot.

  • It can support individual action by removing barriers to positive actions. For example, think about the public policy that allows people to sell excess solar to the grid.
  • It can accomplish environmental goals faster. Think about the Clean Air Act, which dramatically reduced pollution by requiring filters in cars and factory smoke stacks.

What is LOSN Advocacy?

At LOSN, we have an advocacy team whose purpose is to review, initiate and promote new policies that build sustainability in Lake Oswego. Here are some of our activities:

  • We review and support what others are doing at the state level. What are the environmental groups or local organizations supporting? We can add our voice.
  • We initiate and promote ideas for Lake Oswego. LOSN has introduced a number of new concepts to Lake Oswego. For example, LOSN was the original supporter of the city’s climate action plan. We had heard of other cities that were adopting these plans and we thought LOSN should have one – so we promoted it.
  • We follow a rigorous vetting process within LOSN. A new policy proposal must run quite the gamut before we decide to support it. Each idea is vetted through our advocacy team – sometimes that takes multiple discussions. We often consult and work with other LOSN committees. Before we make our final decision, we get a consensus yes vote from our entire board.
  • We have an advocacy policy to ensure that our internal conversations and community outreach are respectful and productive.
  • We have partners. There is strength in connection, and we work closely with Respond to Racism, Oswego Lake Watershed Council, MCAT (Mobilizing Climate Action Together, a subgroup of the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and others.
  • We create campaigns to support our favored policies. We mobilize individuals to support, organize letter writing campaigns and talk to local policy makers.

Here are some of the important issues we have worked on:

  • Protecting the city Sustainability Advisory Board and program against budget cuts (in place)
  • A climate action plan for the city (in place)
  • Electric school buses for the Lake Oswego School District (story below)
  • Affordable housing in Lake Oswego (housing will be ready for occupancy soon)
  • Exploring ways to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers (ongoing)
  • Review of new facilities: the wastewater treatment plan and the recreation center
  • State incentives for heat pumps, energy efficiency and electric vehicles (many of these are in place)
  • State laws regarding waste management (new laws are in place)
  • Improving state climate goals (defeated last year – up again at the state legislature)
  • The state climate protection plan (ongoing)

What are we working on now?

  • Affordable housing policies for Lake Oswego
  • Phase out gas-powered leaf blowers in Lake Oswego
  • Testifying in favor of state issues.

How can you get involved?

  • We are always looking for new committee members
  • We are exploring the idea of providing local advocacy training
Contact Us to Get Involved

Electric school buses are coming!

For five years, LOSN has been advocating for electric school buses in our community. Now four will arrive this coming year thanks to a PGE grant awarded to the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD).

Read more about the electric school buses coming to Lake Oswego.

In the coming years, LOSD may evaluate how and when to transition the entire bus fleet to electric. In the meantime, LOSN will continue to promote electric school buses as a healthy, sustainable choice.

Lake Oswego School District: An Electric School Bus Case Study

We have found that impacting policy and making big changes takes a combination of time, often years, and creative problem solving. Sometimes people in leadership aren’t interested in our ideas, and we need to be persuasive. Sometimes we are engaged with public opposition or confusion.

Electric school buses provide an example of an issue we worked on that took time, engagement and persuasion. In this case, the people in leadership were very open to the idea of electric school buses because they are quieter, cleaner and healthier for students, and better for the environment. All the major work was done by the Lake Oswego School District (LOSD), and the credit belongs to them, but LOSN worked to create interest in the issue, supported the school board’s efforts and did public outreach.

In 2019, LOSN board member Duke Castle, heard that some school districts in the US were starting to use electric school buses. Duke has been promoting electric vehicles for years in Lake Oswego and was excited about the prospect of getting electric school buses in Lake Oswego. He contacted LOSD board member John Wallin, who expressed interest.

At that time, electric buses were 3 to 4 times more expensive than diesel and would require greater electric capacity for charging than was available at the former Lake Grove bus barn location. The district had acquired land in the Lakeview industrial park that would meet their needs for a bus barn. Duke spoke with Tony Vandenberg, LOSD Executive Director of Project Management, who was in charge of developing the new facility.

Duke researched and found that private companies like Highland Electric offered financing for electric school buses. A representative from that company told LOSD that their new location would be a good site for electric school buses.

Some of the neighbors near the proposed new site of the bus barn were concerned about noise and added pollution, so the LO Planning Commission did not approve the new location in 2019. The issue was tabled as the school district searched for a different location. By 2023, the district realized that the location they’d found in the Lakeview industrial park was the only one that suited their needs and went back to the Planning Commission.

After more research and discussion, and weighing the pros and cons, the LOSD board unanimously agreed to move forward. That’s when LOSN’s advocacy team got involved. Recognizing this location for the bus barn provided the only path forward for electric buses, we sent an action alert to our mailing list asking for comments to support electric school buses. Many comments were sent to the Planning Commission. In the end, the Planning Commission and City Council concurred with the school district. Almost five years after this project began, the bus barn is now operating in the new location.

Hear from the Electrification Experts