About this event
Join Electrify Now for Electrify Week! A series of webinars on electrification during Sustainable Buildings Week.
Electrification offers benefits to every household: from improved indoor air quality that results from not burning fossil fuels in the home, to increased comfort from heat pumps, to faster cooking times with induction stoves, to energy savings from efficient appliances.
Yet, too often, the benefits of efficient, electric technologies are only available to those who can afford the upfront costs of switching to electric.
In this webinar we'll profile some of the leading programs that are searching to extend these benefits to low income communities. We'll explore the challenges and opportunities these programs have encountered and search for best practices that other communities might emulate.
Panelists
Michael Stoddard, Efficiency Maine - Michael is the Executive Director at Efficiency Maine. Efficiency Maine is the administrator for programs to improve the efficiency of energy use and reduce greenhouse gases in Maine. It serves all sectors and all regions of the state. Its suite of nationally recognized programs provides consumer information, discounts, rebates, loans and investments for high-efficiency, clean energy equipment and strategies to manage energy demand.
Sam Baraso, Portland Clean Energy Fund - Sam is the program manager for the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) team in charge of implementing Measure 26-201, approved by 65% of Portland voters in November 2018. Sam brings a wealth of government experience and community leadership to the effort, where he works closely with frontline communities and City of Portland leadership to bring PCEF to life. Prior to his role at the City, Sam served as a senior policy advisor in Multnomah County’s Office of Sustainability. Sam also serves on the State of Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission, the board of Willamette Partnership, and previously served on the board for Imagine Black (formerly the Portland African American Leadership Forum). Sam holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University and an undergraduate in finance from Washington University in St. Louis.