Statewide program offering clean energy municipal financing, making it easy for cities and counties to provide this service to property owners
Let’s assume that we set up a PACE financing district. And let’s assume that about 650 people sign up to finance solar or energy efficiency projects. That would add up to about $10 million worth of investment in solar and energy efficiency. If half of that investment is in solar and half in energy efficiency, that would create 124 jobs. If 75% were in energy efficiency and 25% were in solar, it would create about 162 jobs. And those are good jobs that will be done by people right here in our community – people who install solar panels, new dual-paned windows, new insulation or new furnaces or air conditioning systems.
Fresno and Kern =12% 2011 = $18.8M, 233 jobs 2013 = $53.8M, 667 jobs
Improvements should “pay for themselves,” i.e. the utility bill should go down by more than the property tax bill goes up. An energy audit or a package of high-return energy efficiency measures can assure a good investment Contractors should be licensed, bonded and have completed energy efficiency training (such as Building Performance Institute) in order to be on local govt’s list of certified contractors. Also, govt should conduct quality assurance inspections to ensure that work is done properly.
Improvements should “pay for themselves,” i.e. the utility bill should go down by more than the property tax bill goes up. An energy audit or a package of high-return energy efficiency measures can assure a good investment Contractors should be licensed, bonded and have completed energy efficiency training (such as Building Performance Institute) in order to be on local govt’s list of certified contractors. Also, govt should conduct quality assurance inspections to ensure that work is done properly.
Assessment Reserve Fund Length of Repayment Time Size of Financing Relative to House Value SIR Local govt should set up reserve fund to cover any failure by homeowner to pay assessment. Length of repayment schedule should not exceed life expectancy of measure (Ex: 10 years for hot water heater; 20 years for solar panels). As a general matter, financing should not exceed 10% of assessed value of the house. Unanimous approval in case of multi-family condominiums.