Portland, Ore., — March, 13, 2025 — Earth Advantage has received a $750,000 grant from Oregon Health Authority’s
Healthy Homes Grant Program to augment its work with Oregon Department of Energy’s
Community Heat Pump Deployment Program (CHPDP). The award will increase access to CHPDP’s heat pump incentives for households at or below 80% of the earned median household income, as well as communities impacted by environmental justice factors within the regions where Earth Advantage is a CHPDP administrator. These include the Portland-Metro, Mid Valley, South Valley/Mid Coast, and – as of Fall 2024 – North Coast regions.
Launched in late 2023, CHPDP provides financial assistance for the purchase and installation of heat pumps in homes located in environmental justice communities throughout the state. Environmental justice communities include communities of color, communities experiencing lower incomes, rural communities, coastal communities, communities with limited infrastructure, and other communities adversely harmed by environmental and health hazards, such as seniors, youth, and persons with disabilities. As a Regional Administrator, Earth Advantage works closely with a network of delivery partners that include a range of community-based organizations (CBOs), consumer owned utilities (COUs), local governments, and community action agencies (CAAs). These delivery partners identify eligible participants and coordinate the installation of heat pumps directly into recipients’ homes.
The OHA grant will support the delivery of whole-home assessments to determine a home’s heating and cooling needs, which can be a critical barrier preventing lower income Oregon homeowners from receiving assistance. While the incentives provided through CHPDP typically cover the purchase and installation of heat pumps, as well as some weatherization and energy upgrades necessary to support heat pump installation, our network of delivery partners often see a need for other measures that foster occupant health or increase the efficiency of the installed heat pump. These measures can range from pre-weatherization upgrades that may be required before traditional weatherization work can be completed, to accessibility upgrades that ensure residents can safely enjoy the long-term benefits of their home’s energy improvements. These OHA grant funds will allow our delivery partners to identify and complete this important home upgrade work.
“Heat pumps are an essential tool for household resilience in the face of extreme weather. But many of the Oregon households that require heating and cooling support have needs that go beyond heat pumps,” said Molly Hatfield, Senior Climate Justice Program Manager at Earth Advantage. “We’re grateful that the Healthy Homes Grant Program has given us the opportunity to bridge that gap and ensure our partners can now deliver a range of services to those who need them most.”
Earth Advantage will prioritize distribution of funds from the Healthy Homes Grant Program to our delivery partners serving households eligible for CHPDP that are at or below 80% of the median earned income, as well as those who rely on bulk fuels or electric resistance heating, and households residing in structures without a functional heating or cooling system.
More information on the network of delivery partners working with Earth Advantage on CHPDP is
available here.
About Earth Advantage
Earth Advantage is a non-profit organization helping to advance a more informed and humane housing market. We work to ensure the US housing market recognizes the elements of homes that create climate risk and values the characteristics of homes that provide climate solutions. Our teams partner with entities across the country to develop tangible, systemic solutions for climate-friendly housing.
