Buy Green Power
Portland General Electric (greenpoweroregon.com) Purchase 100% of your energy for .012 kWh (usually $9 per month) with Green Source, or buy units of wind power with Clean Wind for $2.50 per unit (about 25% average usage).

Clark Public Utilities (clarkpublicutilities.com) For $1.50 each, buy
100 kWh units of Green Lights power.

Pacific Power (pacificpower.net) Purchase Blue Sky power for $1.95 per 100 kWh block, or pay $.0089 per kWh for all your power. Add an additional $2.50 per month to support native fish habitat.

NW Natural (nwnatural.com) The Smart Energy program supports environmental projects, particularly biogas, for a set $6 per month or just under $.10 per therm.

Home Solar Production and Water Heating
Solar Now Oregon (solarnoworegon.org) hosts solar workshops and answers general questions. The site will connect you to other organizations including Energy Trust (energytrust.org/solar/residential), the Oregon Department of Energy, and the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Look for the May Net Zero Home Tour from Solar Oregon (solaroregon.org).

Water heating and general use accounts for 1/4 of the average family bill, and systems are significantly cheaper to install than solar electric systems. The above resources will help you find rebates and incentives to cover as much as half your system cost. You could spend as little as $4,000 on a solar hot water system that alleviates 1/4 of your electricity bill, which pays off quickly.