Building Energy Use

State agencies that own buildings must report annual electricity and natural gas use to the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) under the State Energy Efficient Design (SEED) program. This applies to buildings that are 5,000 square feet or larger. 

In 2022, state buildings used over 1.3 billion kBTUs of energy. A kBTU, or "thousand British Thermal Units," is a standard way to measure energy. It combines different energy types, like electricity (kWh) and natural gas (therms). One BTU is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. 

Energy use across state agencies dropped slightly during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021. However, by 2022, energy use rose again and went above pre-Covid levels.  

Several  factors affect energy use, including: 

Twenty-two agencies own their own buildings, with portfolios ranging from single buildings to large campuses. Some buildings use only electricity for lighting, heating, cooling, and plug loads (equipment that plugs into an outlet). Others rely heavily on natural gas for heating and hot water. 

Agencies have reduced their electricity use by:

To save natural gas, agencies are upgrading heating systems to more efficient models when older systems wear out. State law also requires agencies to explore full electrification of building during major renovations or new construction projects. 

Agencies also look at: 

New Executive Order 17-20 and HB 3409 (2023), requires agencies with buildings over 35,000 square feet to: 

Note: Blank years in energy reports mean an agency did not submit data for those years.