Podcasts about pace financing

In today's high interest rate environment, C-PACE financing can help lower a sophisticated real estate project's cost of capital. Bert Belanger, managing director at PACE Equity, joins the show to discuss Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy financing, how it can fit into the capital stack for an Opportunity Zone project, and what types of improvements are eligible. Show notes & transcript: https://opportunitydb.com/2024/04/bert-belanger-301/

PACE financing is becoming a more important part of the capital stack as traditional lenders pull back in today's high interest rate environment. Alexandra Cooley, CIO of Nuveen Green Capital, joins the show to discuss commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing, what it is, who's eligible to receive it, and how the loans can be securitized. Show notes & transcript: https://opportunitydb.com/2023/07/alexandra-cooley-271/

Today, Jason Schwartzberg reveals a powerful program you can use for your following self-storage projects. Get to learn the distinct features of Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing and how to access the benefits it offers by tuning in to this episode. Dial in!WHAT TO LISTEN FORA breakdown of the C-PACE financing programCommercial projects that are suitable for C-PACE financingWhy it's a great idea to include C-PACE financing in your capital stackHow to apply C-PACE financing to a self-storage reposition project More solutions offered by MD Energy Advisors for your real estate dealsABOUT JASON SCHWARTZBERGJason is a leading energy entrepreneur who co-founded MD Energy Advisors to help commercial property owners reduce energy costs and maximize profitability. He also co-founded PointClickSwitch, a platform that assists residential customers in deregulated energy markets with comparison shopping. Before starting his company, Jason was a development manager for A&R Development and an economic development officer for Baltimore Development Corporation. He holds an MBA from Loyola University Maryland and a bachelor's degree in government from Franklin & Marshall College. CONNECT WITH JASONWebsite: MD Energy Advisors: https://www.mdenergyadvisors.com/ LinkedIn: Jason Schwartzberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-schwartzberg-9335161b/ Email: jason@mdenergyadvisors.com CONNECT WITH USWebsite: https://www.selfstorageinvesting.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selfstorageinvestingTwitter: https://twitter.com/SelfStorageGuyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottameyers/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SelfStorageInvestingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/self_storage_investing/Subscribe so you never miss a NEW episode! Leave us an honest rating and review on Apple Podcast.

Paul gets a bit wonky in this episode, discussing how Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing (or PACE financing) works. Coming up with the capital needed to install new solar panels, invest into upgraded energy efficient equipment, or electrify a building's thermal load can be difficult. PACE financing is a public option that has both pros and cons for property owners to consider.Follow Paul on LinkedIn.

Want to get commercial heating, cooling, and refrigeration equipment for your building? AirLogix can set it right up for you! Call 844-88-56449 to talk to a representative about the best options for your building today! Find more details here https://www.airlogix.co/commercial-hvac/chillers-cooling-towers (https://www.airlogix.co/commercial-hvac/chillers-cooling-towers)

Download and listen to this week's episode "C-PACE Financing in Commercial Real Estate" with guest Kris Jones Vice President, Originations PACE Loan Group Subscribe today at https://www.youtube.com/TheCapitalPlaybook?sub_confirmation=1 and don't miss another episode.Join the crowd of smart investors. Invest with an insider. | Sign in or Sign up

Greg Saunders, CFO of Ygrene Energy Fund, joins us to discuss PACE financing and what asset-backed securities (ABS) investors like about the asset class, how Ygrene differentiates itself from competitors, how he foresees the PACE market changing in the coming months and years, given the increased focus on clean energy from the White House, what is really going to create scale in the PACE asset class, and how environmental, social and governance (ESG) plays into securitization.

What is C-PACE Financing? (Commercial Construction Financing) C-PACE is a PACE loan for commercial properties. As of January 2020, 2,400 commercial projects have been completed – that's over $1.5 billion in funded projects!

Why Are Real Estate Developers Using C-PACE Financing? First off, what is C-PACE financing? C-PACE is a PACE loan for commercial properties. As of January 2020, 2,400 commercial projects have been completed – that's over $1.5 billion in funded projects! Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is an innovative way for owners to pay for upgrades to buildings. It is a state-legislated public/private partnership that covers 100% of improvement costs and 20%-30% of a building's value. These loans are repaid through a tax assessment on the property for up to 30 years.' PACE is modeled after methods to fund public benefits such as roads, sidewalks, and fire departments. Funding comes from private capital sources. PACE Equity offers a turnkey solution that provides funding capital, energy engineering, and project governance to provide surety of close for building owners and developers. Our experience is unmatched! PACE Equity is using PACE in never-before-seen ways, and our team has completed over 150 projects nationwide. We operate with PACE, Property Assessed Clean Energy, an innovative way for owners and developers to leverage better returns. PACE Equity covers 100% of the improvement costs (20% of a building's value), repaid through a tax assessment on the property for up to 30 years. Now do you see why real estate developers are using C-PACE financing? More: Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a legislated public/private partnership which creates a new financing option for your capital stack. Your construction budget can use our private capital funding for costs which impact energy & water spend, renewable improvements or seismic strengthening (select states). The repayment of our capital is made through a long-term special tax assessment on the property.

To be eligible for C-PACE financing, a project must be located in a county or municipality that has approved C-PACE programs within a state that has passed PACE-enabling legislation. Background: What is C-PACE? Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) is an alternative financing mechanism for property upgrades that improve energy efficiency, utilize renewable energy, conserve water, and more. C-PACE makes it possible for owners of commercial, industrial, multifamily, and nonprofit properties to obtain low-cost, long-term, fixed-rate financing funded by private capital providers. Currently, 30+ states have enacted C-PACE legislation, enabling more than $1 billion in private financing of 2,000+ projects.

What is C-PACE Financing? ✓Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is an innovative way for owners to pay for upgrades to buildings ✓A state legislated public/private partnership ✓Covers 100% of the improvement costs, 20%-30% of a buildings value, repaid through a tax assessment on the property for up to 30 years ✓PACE is modeled after methods to fund public benefits such as roads, sidewalks, and fire departments ✓Funding comes from private capital sources ✓2,400 Commercial Projects Completed – $1.5b in funded projects (January 2020) ✓PACE Equity is a turnkey solution providing funding capital, energy engineering, and project governance to provide surety of close for building owners and developers. ✓Our experience is unmatched; PACE Equity is using PACE in never-before-seen ways, and our team has completed over 150 projects nationwide. ✓We operate with PACE, Property Assessed Clean Energy, an innovative way for owners and developers to leverage better returns. ✓PACE Equity covers 100% of the improvement costs (20% of a building’s value), repaid through a tax assessment on the property for up to 30 years. Watch this informative episode to learn how PACE Equity can help you increase cashflows and discover the PACE Equity advantage!

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE or C-PACE) financing for new construction financing is a financing solution that helps overcome the upfront costs of implementing energy, water, or resilience projects. While it is most commonly used to finance projects in existing buildings, owners and developers are increasingly incorporating CPACE into the capital stack for new building construction, adaptive reuse, and major renovations. #cpace #greenbank #renewableenergy

WHAT IS CPACE FINANCING? The PACE financing program was originally designed to provide funding to buildings that need equipment upgrades to bolster their energy efficiencies. CPACE is a branch of PACE financing that focuses on the commercial aspect of business and allows commercial building owners to obtain low-cost financing for renewable energy projects, seismic retrofits, water control measures, and even hurricane protection measures for their properties. C-PACE is becoming an increasingly attractive financing option because energy improvements can lead to lowered utility bills and may increase property value. Energy efficiency improvements come with a high upfront cost and, once implemented, can take a while to reap the full economic benefits. CPACE is an innovative solution that allows property owners to install those improvements without having to drain working capital, all while giving them the flexibility to pay back the financing over a term that coincides with the life of the upgrades. CPACE is available in states where legislation allowing for property owners to voluntarily enter into this type of assessment financing has been passed. Since the assessment attaches to the property itself, if the business owner were to sell the property, the assessment would remain on the property and the new owner would assume payments. Additionally, because the assessment resides at the tax assessor level, CPACE financing requires lender consent from any lienholder on the property.

Tune in to another episode of the Investor Financing Podcast to learn about C-Pace financing and the many solutions it can provide for real estate developers. You can even potentially do a retroactive refinance up to 3 years after completion! Retroactive Refinancing with C-Pace Provides: - Access to liquidity reserves - Reduction of debt - Coverage for cost overruns Property Assessed Clean Energy financing, or PACE financing, is private capital available to building projects at a low cost, using utility, water, or operations energy efficiencies. PACE is a program legislated at the state and then municipal level that allows private investments to fund energy loans for improvements to buildings through a tax assessment lasting 20 to 25 years. For more information call or text Beau Eckstein at 925.852.8261

The pandemic has brought greater awareness to and appreciation of energy efficient building design. The C-PACE financing mechanism highlights an important metric: savings-to-investment ratio. Additionally, existing buildings are being repurposed and retrofitted to adapt to the "new normal" to maintain operations and keep tenants and guests safe. Kevin Wallace, AIA Wallace with DSGNworks and Sean Ribble with Green Works Lending share perspectives on how design and construction is changing and how owners can maximize funding opportunities leveraging energy and water efficiency. SEAN & KEVIN ON SOCIAL LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwallacedfw/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-ribble-62430a93/ About 3P Theory: Founded by Mike Brown in 2018. This is 3P Theory, the podcast for AEC professions seeking to elevate their knowledge on green building strategies and practical design collaboration for sustainable mindsets. Bringing you change-makers, innovators and sustainable leaders whose projects and careers have positively impacted the industry. If you're looking to get inspired, motivated, and fired up to take ACTION towards a greener planet you're in right place. Don't miss our bi-weekly episodes, hit subscribe: Website: 3ptheory.com Get to know Mike Brown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbrownjr/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikecharlesjr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcharlesjr/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikeycharlesjr

One of the best ways to increase your net operating income and cashflow is to get control over your utility expenses.  Whether it’s through improving your existing systems and mechanicals, adding renewable sources such as solar panels, or installing water saving aerators to your faucets, there are many ways you can improve the energy efficiency of your properties. However, this does require an investment of time and money. If you don’t have the funds to make this investment, you may be missing out on a huge profit opportunity. Today we’re going to be discussing some of the energy efficient and cost-saving changes you can make to your investment property and the different types of programs and loans available that will cover the costs. With us today is Scott Ringlein, the founder and CEO of The Energy Alliance Group of North America, who’s mission is to develop and deploy innovative solutions to energy, waste, and environmental challenges through the combination of technical and financial solutions.  Scott will be sharing his knowledge on funding sources and grants available for energy improvements, PACE Financing, Solar Power, and other tips that will save you money. You're definitely going to want to check out this episode and will likely benefit from Scott's information.  Scott can be reached through his website:  https://energyalliancegroup.org

Welcome to Commercial Real Estate Pro Networks CREPN Radio, Episode Number 249. Thanks for joining us. My name is J Darrin Gross. This is the podcast focused on commercial real estate investment and risk management strategies. Where we have conversations with commercial real estate investors and professionals who provide their experience and insight to help you grow your real estate portfolio. Let's get into the show. today. My guest is Mansoor Ghori.  Mansoor is the co founder and CEO at Petros PACE Finance. And in just a minute we're going to speak with him about PACE financing, what it is, and how it can help commercial real estate investors. But first, a quick reminder, if you like this show, CR e pn radio, please let us know. You can like, share or subscribe. And as always, please leave a comment we'd love to hear from our listeners. Also, if you'd like to see how handsome our guests are, be sure to check out our YouTube channel. And that's a Commercial Real Estate Pro Network on YouTube. With that, I want to welcome my guest Mansoor. Welcome to CREPN Radio.

Jason is joined by guest Scott Krone to discuss his creative approach to converting units into self-storage units. Scott discusses some insight on opportunity zone, PACE financing, and historical tax credits. Scott, coming from an architectural background, looks at the property a little differently than most developers with a keen eye for improvements. Take a peek at some of Scott's development strategies. Key Takeaways: [3:35] With ‘green' being a more common platform, reusing and readapting a building not only suited this but also was more cost-effective [5:03] Does Lead Certification apply to self-storage facilities? [8:00] How does Pace Financing work? [12:05] How do the interest rates compare to commercial loans? [14:28] From an architectural standpoint, how do you figure the optimum amount for property improvements? Websites: www.JasonHartman.com www.CodaMG.com

Scott Krone is the Founder of CODA Management based in Chicago, IL. They partner with investors to find and convert warehouses and office buildings into climate-controlled, self-storage facilities. CODA has over 47 syndications and 400,000 sq. ft with 2,750 storage units under management. Today, Scott shares where he finds opportunities, his criteria and tips for working with local officials.    Partner: The Real Estate Syndication Podcast hosted by Whitney Sewell   Key Insights Could not find distressed self-storage, so he focused on the development Converted an empty warehouse into a self-storage Started in Chicago, expanded to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio Future opportunities in Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina Seeks 70,000 - 110,000 sq. ft of empty commercial spaces PACE Financing and Opportunity Zones Hire CubeSmart to manage the renovated self-storage facilities Biggest risk for self-storage is competition within a 3-5 mile radius Key Stat for Self-Storage: 7 sq. ft of lockers per capita Commercial and Resident Users for Self-Storage  Check with city officials on zoning process, permits, and approvals Leverages PACE Financing and was the first opportunity zone and PACE financing in Ohio  PACE is a program providing energy efficiency financing Opportunity Zones are an enhanced benefit, not as the reason to buy Drive for subcontractors on projects when you need specific labor   Partner: Download a Free Sample Apartment Deal Package    Bull’s Eye Tips:    Resource:   Apparent Failure: Selecting the wrong business partner   Most Recommended Book: The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Heuertz   Most Recommended Digital/Mobile Resource: Hubspot SonicWall   Daily Habit: Walking the Beach   Wish I Knew When I Was Starting Out: How to mitigate risk   Advice for Smart, Driven College Student: Willingness to learn and grow does not stop in college   Current Curiosity: Utilizing Enneagram    Best Place to Grab a Bite in Chicago: Lou Malnati’s   Connect with Scott: Website: codamg.com   Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Be sure to check out more info at TargetMarketInsights.com.  

PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Financing is a finance tool every real estate investor needs to know about to help acquire or renovate your property. Scott Krone, principal at CODA Management Group, a real estate design & design firm.  CODA as designed & built single family, multifamily, commercial property convert to mixed use, and churches. Most recently, CODA has focused on re-adaptive use, converting empty warehouses into self storage facilities.   PACE Financing  Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is accessed through the US Department of Energy, but not widely available throughout the country.  To access PACE Financing, the state where the property for which the funds will be utilized must be located in a state that has adopted the PACE program.   The purpose of PACE is to encourage and improve the energy performance of a structure or building.  The money provides financing of these improvements through real estate taxes instead of traditional debt.  This structure changes the picture of debt for lending, as lenders look at the obligation as equity versus a liened debt position against the property.  Your payments are now operational, property taxes. Banks love it! There are two forms of PACE financing; public and private.  Public is run through the Port Authority. Private  PACE Structure The structure of Pace financing is similar to traditional debt financing in that the principal & interest which is spread out over the life of the improvement.  For instance if the HVAC system has a life expectancy of 20 years, they will amortize the payments over 19 years.   Like any construction project with financing, the monthly draws are submitted to the bank after the work has been completed.  For those elements that are recognized as energy related and included under the PACE financing, a separate draw is requested.   Your PACE payments are an additional tax assessment usually split into two annual payments. Tax Structure with PACE The tax structure for PACE provides multiple benefits.   Funding for your qualifying project needs is provided as a loan through PACE.   Repayment is spread out over the life expectancy of the improvements. PACE financing is considered equity, not debt. Lower capital raise from investors. Property taxes are frozen for the duration of the repayment schedule. PACE financing and property tax lock is transferable. PACE Eligible Components The list of qualifying building components look to three areas for improvement; water, energy and renewal energy.  Structural components are generally excluded, however a new roof with additional energy saving insulation is included.  An easy way to think of what is qualified, is to think of LEED certified buildings and the components. Capital Stack with PACE In a typical property purchase with debt, the borrower brings the down payment, equity and borrows the balance from a lender.  For PACE qualified projects, your down payment can be lowered because the PACE financing is recognized as equity in the project.  For instance: Project Total $1,000,000 Down Payment: $   150,000 PACE Financing: $   150,000 Debt Financing: $   700,000  Typically PACE can provide up to 20% of the appraised value of the property after construction.   While you have 30% equity in the project, your investors only had to raise 15% of the equity, which dramatically increases the return on the project to your investors. PACE Lender To qualify for PACE, you first have to establish a baseline for the existing building systems in place.  Once the baseline is established, the systems to be replaced are evaluated for the estimated savings. CODA has worked with Petros PACE Financing, a lender that specializes in PACE.   BIGGEST RISK  Each week I ask my guest, “What is the Biggest Risk Real Estate Investors face?”     BIGGEST RISK: Well, you know, people ask me about this in terms of real estate, what's going to happen with the economy, as you know, with political elections, what is it going to go up or down a recession or continue in this? You know, We're in one of the longest expansion periods in a long time. And for me, on a national level, I don't see that there's going to be a lot of risk within real estate as a whole.  Based upon the interest rates, I think if the market does begin to slow, you know, the Fed is going to lower the prime. We wait. We may get down to two or even zero interest rates just to keep the economy going. So from that perspective, I think that real estate is still a solid play.  But if I'm looking for us. What we have determined internally is that there's too much political instability here where we are in Illinois. And so what you were saying in terms of like, can we can we avoid it? You know.  Illinois is having a decrease in population of 6 percent over the past 10 years, which is putting a greater burden on the people that are remaining. And we have the pension problems. And, you know, historically, you know, people say, well, you know, they just did a bunch of things to approve legislation which are basically sin taxes.  But my concern is the money is not actually going to pay off those pensions. It's just going to be used to spend in other areas, which is historically have happened in Illinois for the past 20, 30 years. So why is it going to be different?  What we have done is we've stopped buying in Illinois. And for us, that's how we are mitigating or perhaps even transferring because we're looking at states that are more tax progressive and where we're seeing growth.  And so that is what we're trying to do is and that's why we've expanded throughout the Midwest. That's why we have the properties in Ohio. We're looking in Louisville or we're looking in Kentucky. We're looking in North Carolina. We're looking at Michigan.  We're looking at places that are trying to encourage economic development. So either through PACE the Opportunity Zones or the tax benefits for it so that we have greater stability and less risk. For more go to: Website: www.codamg.com

Realtor Jen Wiggins digs into the pitfalls of the PACE financing program available to homeowners

Theresa Garza joins us to gab about the HERO program, a way to help home and property owners make energy efficient home improvements and help finance them in a new way.  The HERO program is launching in Missouri in 2017 and utilizes PACE financing. PACE, or Property Assessed Clean Energy is a way to finance energy efficiency upgrades or renewable energy installations.  The HERO program helps homeowners and property owners get approved for PACE financing and connects them with qualified HERO contractors to perform the work.  The HERO Program can be used for heating and cooling systems, roofing, energy-efficient doors and windows, and solar.   Read more at The Green Home Coach Website! The Green Gab Podcast Links Bar:  Subscribe via iTunes |   Subscribe via RSS Feed |  Facebook Page |  Twitter Page |  Stitcher Page Connect with The Green Gab Podcast Hosts: — Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn — Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn  Green Gab: About the Hosts of The Green Gab Podcast: Green Gab Podcast Host Marla Esser Cloos is the Founder of The Green Home Coach – a company leading the way to inspire you to learn about, focus on and put into place Green Solutions when it comes to your life, home building and more. Marla is an NAHB Master Certified Green Professional, LEED AP and Missouri Woman Business Enterprise. She Earned her B.S. in Engineering and Public Policy and a Certificate in Energy from Washington University. Click here to learn more about Marla at her website online via TheGreenHomeCoach.Com Connect with Marla Esser Cloos on – The Web – Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn Green Gab Podcast Host Tony Pratte is the Director of Builder/Contractor Relations at The Sound Room in St. Louis, Missouri. Tony is a graduate of St. Louis University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has earned a Masters in Environmental Management & Sustainability at Harvard University Tony’s 20+ year career has allowed to him to collect a number of experiences, connections and perspectives that offer an incredibly unique point of view that adds incredible value to each episode. Connect with Tony Pratte on – The Web – Facebook – LinkedIn

Chris is currently the Director of Sustainability and Co-chair of the Smart Cities initiative for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando. In his role at the City, he works to develop cross-sector partnerships, policies, and programs that support the sustainability, energy, and climate-related goals of the “Green Works Orlando” initiative. Over the last 10 years, Chris has consulted for governments, academia, business chambers, companies, nonprofits and communities to implement sustainability projects that include a wide variety of topics, specifically smart cities, solar energy development, building efficiency, electric vehicles, local food systems, water quality, ecological restorations and more. Chris Joins Sustainable Nation to Discuss: Sustainable food systems PACE Financing and its success in Orlando Meeting GHG reductions through energy management Advice and recommendations for sustainability leaders Chris Castro's Final Five Responses: What is one piece of advice you would give other sustainability professionals that might help them in their careers? First and foremost, I'd say build a network and be a part of the growing network of sustainability professionals. So specifically for local governments, there's a group called the Urban Sustainability Directors Network or USDN for short. And this has been an invaluable resource for me as a director of sustainability in the city to better learn and share best practices among some of the largest cities, including Las Vegas, Boston, Austin, Boulder, Chicago, DC, New York, you name it. Each one of these major cities are collaborating together through the USDN or sharing policy and program resources. We're at the end of the day making not only our cities, our regions, but the entire country and the world, a more sustainable place. So I'd say get connected with these networks. It's going to be extremely valuable. As you look to implement your solutions. What are you most excited about right now in the world of sustainability? It's hard not to be excited about a lot of things that are going on. I think that there's a growing interest in the private sector and in governments around the world that are really prioritizing these issues and they're advancing sustainability because they realize that it's directly tied to quality of life, to public health and to long-term sustainable economic growth. And the more that we see that type of momentum, you see corporations that are moving to a hundred percent renewables for their operations, Google and Apple and Microsoft, large banks like JP Morgan Chase that are making commitments to move their entire operations to carbon neutrality and to renewable energy. This is an amazing time to be alive and to be in this field. And no matter what focus area you're in, whether it's food systems, whether it's livability, water, energy, transportation, each one of them has essentially come to an interesting point where technology has become economically feasible. And at the same time, it's making significant impacts. So it's probably the most exciting time to be in the field of sustainability than ever before. What is the one book you would recommend sustainability professionals read? Wow. There's a number of them that I use as guidance. And I'll tell you, the most recent one that's been impactful for me is Paul Hawkins Drawdown, the recent study that he pulled together with over a hundred different scientists and researchers around the world to truly identify the top 100 strategies to address the climate crisis and to advance sustainability. It's phenomenal because it's not only economically sound, but it's scientifically sound. It's very much founded in hard science and facts. And it really is a fantastic guidebook and roadmap for cities and corporations and communities to follow, to lower their environmental footprint and to create a more regenerative future for all of us. So Drawdown, I'll have to say, is one of the top ones in my book right now. What are some of your favorite resources or tools that really help you in the work that you do? Yeah, that's an interesting question. I go back to use USDN. That's one of my favorite resources out there. It's again a kind of an intranet repository of different policies and programs that other cities have implemented. It has a forum that allows for sustainability professionals to share these resources and to answer each other's questions and so that resource is valuable, I highly recommend it, especially for people working in cities. And then, depending on the actual initiative you're working on, there's a series of different tools for those working on energy, water and waste within buildings, one of my favorite tools is the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. This is a free web based tool that's offered to specifically track and monitor energy and water consumption as well as waste consumption within buildings. And it helps to quantify what the economic, social and environmental impacts are from that consumption. So it's using real world data. It's normalizing that data to your facility and it's helping you get a better understanding of how you compare to other facilities, the same size, of the same year that was built and the same climate region. And so Energy Star does a fantastic job of providing that kind of portfolio manager tool for buildings. Buildings, in my opinion, are one of the most important and greatest opportunities we have to improve. In Orlando, they are 72 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions. In most cities buildings contribute to the greatest environmental impact. So if we can start to drive energy efficiency within our buildings, if we can drive a better operations and even onsite renewable energy generation, we can significantly impact the environment in a positive way. We can drive jobs, we can lower costs. At the end of the day we can be a more efficient and resilient city. And finally working our listeners go to learn more about you and the work that you're leading with the city of Orlando. I'm quite active on social media, so find me on Linkedin, find me on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Those are the main outlets that I use and really encourage you to also look up the city of Orlando's website. It's just greenworksOrlando.com, that will route you directly to the webpage on the city's website and you can dive into each one of the focused areas I've been talking about. You can look at our goals or targets. You can download our action plans. I really encourage you, if you do have any questions or comments, to reach out to me directly and share what your thoughts are and how we can continue to really make Orlando a showcase leader in the movement towards a better, more healthier, sustainable future.  

PACE financing has generated $3.4 billion worth of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects on buildings in the U.S. Brian Scott and Leigh Bond believe it could be the key to unleashing a wave of projects in Alberta. This week on CKUA's Green Energy Futures we talk to Scott and Bond about financing clean energy in Alberta. http://www.greenenergyfutures.ca/episode/pace-financing-produced-3-4-billion-energy-efficiency-projects-u-s

PACE financing, or Property Assessed Clean Energy, started out about 10 years ago as a financing mechanism for residential solar. Basically, the cost of the solar system is repaid over a 5 to 20-year timeframe as a part of the building's property taxes. The benefits are that the property serves as security for the loan, there is almost no repayment risk (everyone must pay their property taxes), interest is deductible, customers are almost always cash flow positive in the first year, and the property can be transferred more simply than if there is a standard solar lease or PPA. These advantages also apply to PACE loans for commercial solar installations – with two extra benefits. First, many commercial PACE loans are structured in such a way that the tax and depreciation credits are front weighted so that commercial property owners are very cash flow positive in the first few years. Second, many commercial leases are triple net — in other words the tenant pays for utilities, taxes and maintenance (in addition to utilities). If there is a solar PACE loan on the property, the tenant gets the benefit of lower electricity costs and automatically pays for the slightly higher tax assessment from the solar PACE loan. Voilà – no cost to the building owner. My guest on this week's Energy Show is Brandon Deno, Vice President of Solar at Clean Fund. Clean Fund is the leading provider of PACE loans for commercial buildings. Please Listen Up to The Energy Show on Renewable Energy World as Brandon explains the ways in which solar developers and building owners can take advantage of PACE loans for their commercial properties.

We all know that using less energy pays (don't we?) by cutting utility bills, reducing demand for fossil fuels and belching less carbon into Earth's climate. But the issue of how to pay for energy efficiency upgrades to your home or commercial property can be a hurdle too high to leap. Enter PACE, Property Assessed Clean Energy, a financing process that ties the value of improvements - and lending to support them - to the value of your property, not to your personal credit capacity. Across Missouri, including the KDHX service area, the HERO program is connecting municipalities (they levy property taxes) to lenders to energy-smart contractors to property owners to build PACE into our energy usage.                    John Maslowski, VP of Marketing and Development for HERO in Missouri, tells Earthworms host Jean Ponzi the what-why-how of PACE. The program's website includes a spiffy animation that explains it too. John and Jean go into what kinds of efficiency measures HERO can finance, connecting with contractors, and what's in this benefit package for local communities and property owners. In the KDHX listening area, HERO is available in 7 St. Charles County and 14 St. Louis County communities, the City of Arnold in Jefferson County, and all of Franklin and Greene Counties; also in the Kansas City and Columbia areas. Check with your mayor or City Manager if your municipality is not on the HERO list; other PACE programs are at work here too, or PACE can come to your community. PACE is a great deal. We hope this podcast energizes you! Music: Lime House Blues, performed live at KDHX by the great Del McCoury, August 2013.  THANKS to Josh Nothum, Earthworms engineer. Related Earthworms Conversations: Energy Efficiency: Policy, Financing and Relationships that Power It All with Josh Campbell, Missouri Energy Initiative - September 2016.   

This Month's Powering Michigan's Future Show discusses Pace Financing, the Macomb County Chamber Hall of Fame and upcoming Boy Scouts Building Connections fundraiser.

A rooftop solar system is an expensive up-front investment. The typical 5 kw system costs about $20,000 – or $14,000 after the 30% investment tax credit (which expires on 12/31/16). Solar leases and loans have made it possible for hundreds of thousands of homeowners to go solar without any initial up-front investment. Now there is a new solar financing product called PACE that makes it easy for just about any homeowner to qualify for a low interest solar loan. PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy. A PACE loan is repaid as part of a homeowner's annual property tax assessments, and is automatically transferred to the new owner as part of the property. For example, a $20,000 rooftop system could be repaid in 15 annual tax bill payments of about $1,500. If the home were sold after ten years, the new owner would simply take over the remaining five years of principal and interest payments. Interest rates and terms on PACE loans are about the same as standard bank loans. Since the loan is secured, interest payments (and sometimes principal) are tax deductible. What's the hitch? PACE loans are not yet available everywhere. But as they proliferate, PACE loans will become another popular way to finance rooftop solar. My guest this week is Cisco DeVries, CEO of Renewable Funding. Cisco pioneered the use of PACE financing for rooftop systems in Berkeley in 2007, and is now working to roll out PACE for both residential and commercial installations all over the U.S. Please Listen Up to this week's Energy Show for more details on how a PACE loan could work on your own home – or your next solar project.

On tonightrsquos edition of ldquoPowering Michiganrsquos Futurerdquo wersquoll get an overview of the recent Macomb State of the County address with Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel and wersquoll discuss the advancement of PACE Financing in Wayne County with Andy Levin of Lean amp Green Michigan and Wayne County Commissionerrsquos Tim Killeen and Ray Basham.