Comments on: Propert Assessed Clean Energy Financing

By: Traci Morin

Traci Morin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:37:59 +0000

I’m all for the free-market over government mandates in many cases, but is it unreasonable for entities providing the PACE financing – especially when it’s funded by or backed with tax dollars – to mandate that the “whole house approach” be adopted, in order to ensure measures are prioritized in a logical order? That seems to be an acceptable practice for lenders offering EEMs, for example; those projects must demonstrate cost:savings in order to obtain the financing, which naturally pushes people toward EE measures first.

By: Rich Manning

Rich Manning — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:39:10 +0000

Here in the town of Babylon who has created their own financing, business is up and in fact is starting to see a surge. Yes it is still a hard sell, but the financing makes it so much more easier. We have a 70%-80% closing rate and our average cost including replacement of the heating and DHW systems is around $12000. But this didn’t happen overnight like we thought it would. It took some marketing to get the word out. We now have to adjoining towns that are looking to replicate it.

By: adin maynard

adin maynard — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:38:47 +0000

Mary you describe the monster in the corner (is that the saying?) of our industry- the hard-sell of our work compared to PV and sometimes windows.

The PACE financing structure provides an opportunity for municipalities to get behind the most cost effective efficiency upgrades. The marketing barrier that we all face can be alleviated with PACE financing as a tool to sell the job, but more importantly, to have an additional ‘neutral’ party- the City- advocating for home performance services.

By: Mary Winston

Mary Winston — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:49:15 +0000

Marketing is crucial, but the whole-house approach to energy savings is a very hard-sell. We are used to being sold “things”. The public gravitates towards pv panels and other tangible measures which are a lot “sexier” than caulk and insulation. I had one audit client who whined that $4,500 was too much for an energy upgrade then went out and bought $50,000 worth of pv. It’s about perceived value. I’d like to see a national, or at least regional, marketing campaign that explains the benefits of audits and whole-house retrofits. If it’s on TV, then maybe, the idea will begin to seep into the public consciousness.

By: adin maynard

adin maynard — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:43:34 +0000

Have local performance contractors in Sonoma been marketing the financing options to clients? I gather local solar installers have been aggressive in their marketing of AB 811, as rebates and financing tools have always been integral to sales for the PV industry.

Another thing to consider….has the municipality been promoting retrofits?

This data perhaps says more about marketing/ outreach effectiveness, than the effectiveness of PACE financing.