PACENOW.org Database
Residential and commercial end-users account for 41% of U.S. energy consumption. Because buildings have a long lifetime, performing energy improvements/retrofits today can dramatically reduce the continual environmental impact of our buildings. However, two realities often deter property owners from greening their buildings: the upfront costs and a payback period that may exceed the length of property ownership.
To promote energy efficiency and stimulate local jobs growth, some states have passed legislation that enables their cities and counties to create a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, i.e., a special tax/assessment district, to finance energy improvements/retrofits on private property. Municipalities use PACE financing to loan property owners funds for energy improvements/retrofits such as solar panels, small windmills, energy efficiency measures, and water-saving features that reduce the amount of energy used to treat and heat water. Moreover, with a PACE program the loan repayment obligation attaches to the property via an added property tax assessment instead of the individual who initially received the PACE financing.
Sustainability Officers seeking to encourage their state to pass PACE-enabling legislation or to establish a PACE program can refer to PACENOW.org’s comprehensive online database (PACENOW Database). The PACENOW Database contains toolkits to assist in communication efforts with Congress and State Legislators including presentations and documents explaining PACE financing in simple terms, strategies for passing state-level PACE-enabling legislation, legal white papers, and templates for petitions and letters. The PACENOW Database also contains detailed information on how to implement a PACE program, information regarding existing PACE programs, correspondence between PACE advocates and the federal government, and news articles.
