Why CEP?

Community Energy Project has been serving the Portland-Metro community for over 30 years. CEP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and all proceeds from our Training and Consulting Services help to fund CEP programs.

Energy Educator Training

CEP has been training the community on do-it-yourself small-scale weatherization for over 30 years. We serve over 800 households a year through our DIY weatherization workshops, and coordinate about 200 volunteers a year to weatherize homes for low-income seniors and people with disabilities, provide office support, teach workshops, and more. Last year we served 2,500 households (the bulk of which was within 6 months) with all our programs with only nine staff members and almost no advertising budget.
Investigate CEP's unique method of adult community education, program design, outreach, and volunteer management. Learn how to reduce barriers for clients. Simplify starting your own program or make your existing programs even more effective.

Get results like these...

We've provided 25 years of physical site verifications and follow-up visits to 15-20% of our clients annually. Complete reports are available upon request. Some highlights:

  • On average, clients spend about 5 hours weatherizing their own homes
    (after attending a 2 hour workshop).
  • Over the past five years, clients reported saving an average of $30/month in the winter
    (70-80% reported saving on bills).
  • The usage rates for the most popular kit items are: reusable window kits (92%), CFL (92%), and door weatherstripping (80%).
  • In a longer-term follow-up survey (1-2 years after attending a workshop) 76% of people surveyed reused the window kits and 82% reported using something from the kit (including the window kits).
    98% reported that they remembered the workshop, and 92% said they learned something new at that workshop.

We walk you through step-by-step on how to create your own program. We share everything from our materials and hands-on models to the paperwork we use, and provide a 45-minute DVD to refresh your memory once you're on your way.

Feedback from Clients:

"[The training was] extremely useful information - great people to work with. Loved it!!!"
"This is a very thorough, information packed training. I think it should be the gold standard for CAP agency training (and others)."
"Thanks again for putting together such a terrific, comprehensive curriculum. I really enjoyed the emphasis on cultural competence, literacy, and how people learn. This stuff is too often taken for granted..."
Why clients came to CEP...
"To get fresh insights on our energy education program and learn to be more effective overall."
"Very interested in improving public education on energy conservation"
"I’ve heard about CEP’s success and I wanted to learn about ways to inspire our entrenched program"
"Training to coordinate services on my reservation; lots of work and no workers"

Questions? Call or email Perry Cabot at 503.284.6827 ext 107 or training@communityenergyproject.org.