When Anbu Varatharajan and Durga Nallathambi purchased a newly built home in 2012, they chose one with energy-efficient features. As customers of PGE and NW Natural, their ENERGY STAR®-rated Northwest Portland home was eligible for and earned an EPS, Energy Trust’s energy performance score. However, their home wasn’t equipped with a solar electric system, and the couple wasn’t sure if it would fit their budget. They quickly learned that solar was in reach thanks to Energy Trust incentives and a solar lease plan.

“We were able to work with our contractor on a solar lease plan, which meant no out-of-pocket cost for us right now. But we can still make a positive environmental impact and, of course, an impact on our energy bills,” said Anbu.

One detail made their system stand out among the rest: it was the 5,000th residential solar electric system installed in Oregon with support from Energy Trust. At the end of 2013, Energy Trust had helped Oregonians avoid adding 7,100 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere—the equivalent of removing 1,250 cars from Oregon roads for a year.