Oregon Public Broadcasting

Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi was in Portland Thursday to look at a program that recently got millions of federal dollars. It's called "Clean Energy Works" and it was on display at a home in Northeast Portland.

Rob Manning / OPB

Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi met the Ficht family outside their house. Pelosi congratulated them on the work they had done to their home.

Nancy Pelosi: "It's great, it's energy-efficient, it's comfortable, and probably adds to the value of the house."

The idea behind Clean Energy Works program is to cut the amount of energy homes are using through efficiency improvements. The Portland program began with $1.1 million federal dollars.

It's roughly half-way to a year-end goal of retrofitting 500 Portland homes. That program is gearing up to go statewide, with an additional $20 million in federal money.

Pelosi asked Tom Kelly, of the local contractor, Neil Kelly, about the new energy-saving technology he's using. Kelly says some of it's been around a long time, like the insulation workers added to the upstairs.

But he says some stuff, is new, like a more efficient system for heating water.

Tom Kelly: "Some technology and I'll show you some of, the tankless hot-water heater downstairs…"

Nancy Pelosi: "That I'm absolutely fascinated by – I want one."

Tom Kelly: "It's totally new. This right here is exactly what we were doing 30 years ago, and stopped, when the tax credits went away."

The homeowners took a phalanx of congressional staffers and reporters through the house. Homeowners Pete and Heather Ficht say the improvements made a huge difference, upstairs.

Heather Ficht: "I think insulation is the least sexy thing we have, because it's like the ‘tankless water heater' and everything, but it's made the biggest difference, I think."

Pete Ficht: "Yeah, and we basically got these rooms back. We couldn't use them because it got so hot in the summer, and so cold in the winter."

Pelosi says programs like Clean Energy Works are a national model for providing jobs and helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the energy sector.

But she adds such successes don't reduce the need to regulate carbon.

Pelosi: "To put a price on carbon – whether it's cap and trade or other initiatives, is important in the bigger scheme of things. But it's not an either-or, it's definitely not an either-or." 

Pelosi says she expects the U.S. Senate to pass an energy bill later this year, like the one she helped get through the House.

She says more programs like the Clean Energy Works could be funded that way.