THE STORY

Multifamily housing providers play a critical role in serving diverse communities, but they often face barriers to improving building performance: limited staff capacity, split incentives, and competing operational priorities. To address these challenges, Energy Trust of Oregon sought to extend the proven benefits of SEM into the multifamily sector, aligning energy savings with equity and community outcomes.

THE GOAL

The utility’s objective was to unlock long-term, meter-based energy savings in multifamily buildings while addressing longstanding participation barriers. The
program needed to deliver measurable electric and gas savings, build durable energy management practices among property staff, and engage residents in meaningful, culturally responsive ways. Just as importantly, the offering had to support equity goals by serving communities that have historically been harder to reach through traditional energy efficiency programs.

THE SOLUTION AND RESULTS

Franklin Energy designed a multifamily SEM offering that blends coaching, weatherization, and energy-saving retrofits with data-driven insights and hands-on support to help housing organizations achieve sustained energy savings. The program engages both central management and onsite staff through structured energy coaching, goal setting, and utility data tracking—turning energy performance into a shared, manageable priority.

Franklin Energy supported implementation through targeted energy opportunity tracking, operational reviews, and practical tools such as unit-turn and O&M checklists to standardize best practices, preserve institutional knowledge, and strengthen day-to-day operations despite staffing constraints.

To connect with residents, the program held multilingual workshops delivered in partnership with community-based organizations, which reached nearly 900 residents with practical energy-saving guidance and resources.

Together, these strategies delivered measurable results and built durable energy management practices—positioning multifamily SEM as a scalable, long-term solution for utilities and the communities they serve.