Our industry has a new resource to help projects start on the right foot! As a partnership between Portland General Electric and PAE, the PGE Energy and Emissions Estimator can help owners, developers, architects, and other PGE customers understand the benefits of electrification and grid-interactive buildings. The interactive tool on the Portland General Electric website synthesizes a wealth of complex information for easy reference with real-world solutions.

With some basic building details, the interactive tool calculates the operating emissions savings over 20 years for different building design options. In addition, it shows load flexibility solutions, points to PGE incentives, and offers additional building improvement suggestions. Whether you're looking to build a new elementary school, a Class A commercial building, or high-rise residential units, the estimator walks you through options and steps to get the most efficient and cost-effective systems. The tool guides users through how and why to choose flexible loads and other building performance improvements.

When Portland General Electric contacted us, we jumped at the opportunity to offer our industry expertise in creating a tool to showcase the significant benefits of electrification. We believe that this tool has the potential to inspire and motivate the industry towards a more sustainable future.

The tool came about because of PGE's willingness to think beyond what utility companies usually provide. Because they were willing to think creatively about their own role in decarbonization, we hope that their customers can better see the options they have around electrification, on-site renewables, and grid interactivity. These actions are some of the most critical steps the industry can take.

Along with collaborating on the Energy and Emissions Estimator tool, PGE and PAE Engineers work closely with architects, developers and builders on new projects throughout our service area. Together, we aim to construct better, cleaner, and more energy-efficient buildings with our Energy Partner Design program. This free service provides early-stage engineering support, making you an integral part of the team that makes informed, energy-efficient decisions.

We are proud to be the bridge between a creative utility company and the regenerative building sector. We hope that utilities across the nation can see the benefits of getting ahead of the curve and take steps to support their customers with electrification.

Try it out, tell your local utilities about it, and most importantly, let us know what you think! Your feedback is invaluable to us and will help us improve the tool for everyone's benefit.