An Oregon nonprofit is helping to make sure people in small communities in Eastern Oregon are able to access the same money and energy-saving home upgrades and incentives as their urban neighbors.

Research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found rural residents spend 40% more than city dwellers on their energy bills, relative to income.

Dawson Larman, coordinator of the community energy program for Wallowa Resources, which offers free home energy assessments in Baker, Union and Wallowa counties, said doing home improvement projects and navigating which incentives are available can be complicated.

"We try to take that burden off of those homeowners by scheduling times with contractors, working with Energy Trust to see what the incentive may be, and just take a proactive role to assist wherever we can," Larman explained.

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Larman said Wallowa Resources can help with a range of projects, like adding more insulation to an attic or retrofitting a heating system. He added the program is not just for homes. People can get their farms and businesses assessed for efficiency. Once an assessment is done, Larman said they pass the baton to Energy Trust of Oregon to put it into action.

Dani Wilgus, Eastern Oregon outreach manager for Energy Trust, said they offer cash incentives and technical assistance for a variety of projects to help people save energy and lower utility costs, as well as connect people with trusted local contractors. There are also rebates available for things like energy-efficient thermostats and appliances.

"We talk with folks that maybe they have made some improvements but they're still not seeing the comfortability. So looking at things like insulation and maybe a new heat pump, those two things work together much better than just doing one," Wilgus noted.

Wilgus pointed out they support projects people want to do on their own, like insulation. She added Energy Trust is hosting a workshop for do-it-yourself insulation on October 1 in Enterprise.