“If we wouldn’t live in it, you won’t either.”

That’s the motto for Jeff and Dodi Murphy and their 22 rental properties. Providing their tenants with safe, efficient homes has led them to implement multiple energy efficiency incentives through Okanogan County PUD.

Over the years, they have insulated attics, walls and floors and upgraded to energy-efficient windows and doors in about a dozen properties, earning more than $13,000 back in efficiency incentives. Jeff and Dodi do the work themselves, and along the way they also remodel for any issues with electrical, plumbing and cosmetic needs.

Those choices have many benefits. Their tenants tend to stay longer and take better care of the homes. They also share the Murphy’s good reputation across the community; the Murphy’s have a waitlist and hear from agencies looking to house new employees as well. They have nearly completed a rental for traveling nurses for Mid-Valley Hospital, for example.

With better insulation and fewer air leaks, the tenants enjoy not only quieter, more comfortable living spaces but also have lower utility bills. For about a dozen of their properties, the Murphy’s have saved more than 25,000 kilowatt-hours per year – enough to power another average home and a half. Those tenants in total spend about $1,400 less each year on their electric bills.

But more than anything, the Murphy’s care about peace of mind. They know that their tenant families are living in safe homes.

Along with getting checks from the PUD for their energy efficiency measures, landlords can also potentially deduct improvement expenses on their taxes.

The PUD manages energy efficiency incentive programs through funding by the Bonneville Power Administration, a major source of its electricity. Find more about residential, commercial and other types of incentives on our energy efficiency incentives page.