A kitchen equipped with energy-efficient appliances marks one of two energy-efficient row houses built in north Portland as affordable housing by the nonprofit Portland Community Reinvestment Inc.
Open house celebrates completion
The City of Portland, Portland General Electric, and the Homebuilders of Metropolitan Portland held an open house Sept. 30 to celebrate completion of the first energy-efficient electric row houses built through the city’s Energy Efficiency Home Pilot.
The two homes at 5107 N. Fessenden Ave. were built by Terrafirma Building Inc., for Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, a local nonprofit community development organization. Two additional homes, located three blocks away, are still under construction with completion expected in October.
All four homes are expected to earn LEED Silver/Gold and Northwest Energy Star certification.
The homes, which will be sold below market rate thanks to grants from the Portland Housing Bureau, have been built to be at least 15 and 30 percent more efficient than the 2008 Oregon Energy Code.
Additional benefits to prospective buyers include property tax abatements and closing cost assistance as well as pre- and post-purchase homebuyer education through PCRI.
“This grant-funded project provides the affordable housing industry with efficiency strategies that are cost effective for both the builder and the homeowner,” said Commissioner Randy Leonard. “Through their contributions, our private sector partners have taken a leadership role in bridging the gap between efficiency and affordability in residential construction.”
“We are proud to partner with the City of Portland and Terrafirma to build affordable, energy efficient homes that help customers save money and protect the environment,” said Carol Dillin, PGE’s vice president of customers and economic development. “By installing high-efficiency heat pumps in these homes we are able to add value for the builder and long-term energy cost savings for residents.”
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives provides affordable, scattered-site single- and multi-family housing and associated resident services tailored to achieve family stability, self-sufficiency and wealth creation.
Additional information about PCRI can be found at pcrihome.org.
