Issue 1 - June 2010
Articles:
Leadership Reception a Huge Success
Advanced Retrofits Necessary to Reach State Reduction Goals
Action Alert: PACE Financing in NYS Legislature
Leadership Reception a Huge Success
Jim Dennis talks about the program. Click here for more videos of leaders from the reception.
A big thank you to the 35 local leaders who attended our Energy Corps dinner reception on May 13th! Participants enjoyed dinner, made connections with other local leaders, and shared ideas about moving home energy efficiency forward in Tompkins County. We were impressed by the high interest and enthusiasm for scaling-up home energy efficiency retrofits in our community.
A delicious pasta, salad and asparagus dinner was prepared by Energy Corps interns. Dominic Frongillo (Cooperative Extension), Jackie Mouillesseaux-Grube (New York State Department of Labor), Katherine Borgella (Tompkins County Planning Department), Stacey Murphy (Tompkins Community Action) and Jon Harrod (Snug Planet) updated attendees on the current state of market demand, financing mechanisms and available workforce for home energy retrofits.
Break out-sessions followed, and small groups of leaders and interns discussed ways to accelerate energy efficiency efforts in the County. The resulting list of how leaders plan to help and what resources leaders need is available on our website. We will use this list as we plan to coordinate with leaders to start community-scale energy efficiency efforts. We are excited about the huge interest in home energy efficiency and look forward to working with you!
Advanced Retrofits Necessary to Reach State Reduction Goals
Resources:
Executive Order 24.
Climate Action Council of NY Models.
Models recently released by the Climate Action Council of New York have suggested that reaching an 80% state-wide reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 would require the residential sector (homes and apartments) to contribute zero carbon emissions. This means advanced energy retrofits for every home is a prerequisite for a low carbon New York.
The 80% carbon reduction goal is mandated by Executive Order 24, implemented by Governor Paterson in 2009. The necessity of residential neutrality may seem odd amongst the myriad of advertised supply side technologies: clean coal, bio-fuels and renewables, to name a few. But the reality is that existing technologies to mitigate industrial, commercial and transportation emissions on a large scale are either underdeveloped or too expensive. Reducing energy demand, instead of using technology to clean up energy supply, is finally being taken seriously.
These models by the Climate Action Council illustrate the importance of scaling-up home energy retrofits in Tompkins County. As a local leader, you are in a unique position to promote replicable energy efficiency programs. Together, we can make New York a world leader in climate action. Click here for ideas of what you can do.
Action Alert: PACE Financing in NYS Legislature
Resources:
PACE Model Support Letter.
Municipal Resolution Supporting PACE.
PACE Summary Description for Legislators.
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing is a locally-administered program that eliminates financial barriers for residents making energy upgrades to their home. In a typical PACE program, property owners can finance energy efficiency improvements using low-interest municipal bonds. The municipality covers the cost for energy improvements upfront, in exchange for long-term financing which is repaid through an assessment on the resident’s property taxes. This arrangement can spread the cost of a project over the life of an energy efficiency upgrade, so that energy savings are greater than the assessment. PACE financing can create positive cash flows from day one, eliminating upfront costs. Additionally, if an owner moves, the assessment is automatically transferred to the new property owner.
PACE enabling legislation, that authorizes the creation of a voluntary tax district for energy improvements, has been adopted in 17 states. In New York, a similar law was passed in 2009, but restricts PACE programs to those using federal funds, effectively excluding municipal bonds as a financing option . Current legislation in the state Senate, introduced by Senator Antoine Thompson, would allow programs to be funded by municipal bonds. This change in state law would make it much easier to start PACE programs. A vote on the bill is expected next week. Model letters of support and municipal resolutions would help ensure the passage of this bill and can be found on the sidebar.
