Electrifying your Life is Climate Action

Over the last year, the LOSN “Electrify LO” campaign has promoted the importance of moving away from fossil fuels toward electrification of vehicles and homes as among the most important ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and address the climate crisis. Now we can dive into when and how to electrify with information on financial incentives for home electrification and electric vehicles, how to choose a contractor for heat pumps for space conditioning, and how to try out an induction cooktop.

What Incentives Are Available Now? What Other Incentives Are Coming?

On January 1, 2023, new tax credits became available for many home electrification and energy efficiency projects including weatherization, heat pump water heaters, heat pumps for space heating and cooling, electrical panel upgrades, rooftop solar and home battery storage systems.

Later this year (or early 2024) additional upfront discounts (also called rebates) will become available for these improvements for lower-income and some middle-income families. The discounts, which can be combined with the tax credits, can be additionally used for induction and electric stoves, new wiring, and heat pump clothes dryers.

One more discount, available at all income levels, is called a whole home energy reduction rebate and it rewards homeowners for overall energy use reductions.

READ MORE ….

Electrify LO home

Inflation Reduction Act 2022

What to expect for the rollout of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 – a thoughtful analysis from Energy Trust of Oregon.

The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to help millions of Americans benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy. But exactly when and how a lot of those benefits will be rolled out is still unclear.

Because of how the legislation was passed, there are a lot of details that still need to be determined, including rebate and tax credit amounts and the specific equipment that will be covered.

Plus, as the largest U.S. investment in climate and clean energy, it’s going to take time for all that money to reach customers and communities, and some programs aren’t expected to roll out until 2024.

Watch the Electrify LO page for updated information.

READ MORE …

Get Your Heat Pump Air-Conditioner Installed Before the Summer Heat

In 2018, 30% percent of homes in Oregon had no air conditioning. Hot summers, including the heat dome of June 2021 that produced temperatures in Lake Oswego higher than 112 degrees F, have led to an upswing in interest in indoor cooling. 

Heat pumps are a great way to cool your home in the summer. This same heat pump will also warm your home in the winter–it can either replace your furnace or dramatically reduce its use. Heat pumps are 2-3 times more energy efficient than traditional furnaces, so produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and cost less to operate.

Portland General Electric has a list of approved contractors for heat pumps and offers discounts of up to $1700 through June 30.  

Our partner Electrify Now also has a list of trusted contractors that offer discounts. 

Energy Trust of Oregon has information on ways to finance heat pumps—instead of a large upfront cost to purchase the system, a monthly charge will be added to your PGE bill.

If you want to get the benefit of a cooling system that also provides heat during the winter, lower operational costs, and the lowest impact on the environment, install a heat pump.

Lawn mower, leaf blower, chain saw

Luscher Farm Summer CSA is starting in May!

When: Starting May 19th through October 27th
Pickup Location:  Luscher Farm City Park, 125 Rosemont Rd, Lake Oswego, OR (map)
For more info and to join today click here.

If you join now, you will enjoy the bounty of healthy, fresh vegetables direct from the farm for the whole summer growing season.

The Luscher Farm CSA has been a partner for many years and is a program of Lake Oswego Parks & Rec that is managed by the 47th Ave Farm. 

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between a farmer and local families who invest in each other. Members pay at the beginning of the growing season and in return, you will receive delicious local produce all through the summer season. Harvest starts mid-May and continues through the end of October. Members come to Luscher Farm on Thursday evenings to pick up their beautiful bountiful basket of produce.

In addition to growing great vegetables, the CSA farmers are also using many different practices to increase sustainability at Luscher Farm. To cultivate and weed our fields, we use both electric tractors and draft horses. This reduces dependence on fossil fuels and runs lighter on the ground than traditional diesel tractors. We are also innovating with different cover crop mixes between our year-round vegetable crops. Cover crops can increase carbon sequestration, improve soil health, provide habitat for beneficial insects and reduce the need for off-farm inputs. All of these practices add up to more sustainable & delicious veggies for your family!

Now is the time to sign up for the Summer CSA program

Lawn mower, leaf blower, chain saw

City Landscaping Equipment Survey

Landscaping Equipment Survey for Lake Oswego Residents and Property Owners

The City of Lake Oswego is exploring possible incentives and education programs to encourage landscapers and residents to switch from gas-powered landscaping equipment to electric equipment. The city is conducting a survey of landscaping companies, residents and property owners about their use of landscaping equipment.

Please provide your input and feedback by filling out the survey. Your help is greatly appreciated.

If you own a landscaping company that operates in Lake Oswego, please contact Amanda Watson, Sustainability Program Manager, City of Lake Oswego, at awatson@lakeoswego.city to get a link for the correct survey.

Lawn mower, leaf blower, chain saw

A Brand New Look

The Lake Oswego Sustainability Network (LOSN) is pleased to share our new logo, new website, and new look! Our group has grown significantly since we started in 2013. We now have nine people on the board, numerous committees with volunteers, a large mailing list, ambitious outreach and advocacy programs, and many projects to present to the public. 

The website is more comprehensive and more flexible: allowing us to share the breadth of our work with you so you can learn how you might want to be involved. Our new website with the logo blended into our banner images showcases the beauty of Lake Oswego and our commitment to preserving a sustainable future for the next generations.

Lake Oswego Sustainability Network

Please take a look around our site to see all that we are working on. If something interests you, dig deeper and find the ways to get involved. If you have a comment or suggestion, please share. We want to make it easier for you and our community, to learn and interact with us.

A heartfelt thank you is owed to everyone on the board for their hard work during our strategic planning which provided the structure and materials for the website, in addition to the hours reviewing the emerging site. Kudos to Mary Ratcliff and Duke Castle for hanging in there and for seeing this new website to completion. They have worked on this project for the last year and a half.

Thank you to our contributing Artists, Graphics Designers, and Website Designer

Thank you to these wonderful local artists and designers  that created art and design for the new LOSN website and logo:

Corinna Cambell (corinna-art.com) is an artist who enjoys painting the natural world and is particularly interested in our state and national parks. She is also a talented photographer and we have included some of her photos in newsletters and as banner headers on our website. She is the creator of our new LOSN logo.

Corina Law has won awards in the annual City of Lake Oswego photography contest. Her beautiful Luscher Farm photo is the banner on the home page of our website.

Diane Bland is a freelance graphics designer and she designed the fun drawings that are included on the footer of our new website (and decorate our newsletters) and the delightful coffee cup that you can see on our front page. She also created the logo for the Oswego Lake Watershed Council as well as several other organizations.

Linda Keast is a website designer who designed our new website. From the beginning, she provided us with guidance on the technical details of updating our infrastructure and created beautiful pages reflecting the work we are doing and using the lovely photos that display the beauty of our community. Linda also works with the Oswego Lake Watershed Council and other local organizations.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!