Septembre Russell
Copy editor

Through an opportunity made possible by the Bonneville Power Association, McMinnville Power & Light asked Linfield to embark on an energy efficiency project to insulate apartment complexes on campus, Wes Thomas, a representative from McMinnville Power & Light, said.
“There is a tax credit available for these projects,” Thomas said.
The state implemented a pass-through program, allowing companies simultaneously wanting tax write-offs and energy efficient projects to buy these tax credits from institutions such as Linfield College.
Thomas said funding from McMinnville Power & Light comes directly from its general funds and is reimbursed to the company from the Bonneville Power Association.
“We have taken the position that we want to pass through 100 percent of the dollars that are made available to us as a reimbursement to the college because that enables the college to get the best bang for its buck, and it also really ensures that the project will get completed,” he said.
Thomas said the Legacy, White, Green and Red apartment complexes are the four major buildings set to be insulated.
Hall said he is excited about the undertaking.
Part of the insulation project was completed during Thanksgiving Break.
“We [insulated] some of the buildings underneath where we could get into the buildings without having to get into the rooms,” he said.
The rest of the installations are scheduled to take place between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2, Hall said.
“Most of the students are going to be gone, so we’ll have some international students and people that are just around the campus, but that’s a very small number of folks,” he said.
Hall said he has been at Linfield for 10-11 years and has been involved with most of the energy conservation projects completed on campus.
“This is the first one, though, that we’ve gotten fully funded by other people,” he said.
Hall estimates the college will save 300,000 kilowatts of energy each year, which is equivalent to
having more than 4,000 100-watt light bulbs on for a month.
“It’s the right thing to do for sustainability; if we can conserve and not use as much energy-especially electrical energy-we’re going to lower our carbon footprint,” he said.
The project will also save the college operational dollars. Hall said the college could save up to $17,000.
“We’re doing the right things as stewards of the land, and we get the side benefit of decreasing the amount of money that we spend on electrical energy,” he said.