Efficiency First

California county sees 8.4 percent jump in construction employment since launch of PACE financing program

A recent report from Sonoma County, California, shows a significant increase in construction jobs since the county introduced a popular Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program in March 2009.

According to the report issued by the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP), growth in spending on existing residential construction doubled this year after the county began offering low-interest tax-assessed energy improvement loans for efficiency upgrades and renewables. Between January 2009 and September 2009, the report states, construction-related employment in the county rose 8.4 percent, even as neighboring Napa County (which has no comparable energy retrofit incentive) experienced a 2.9 percent drop in construction jobs. While the current report only establishes general statistical correlations pending the completion of a more thorough study, the figures appear to show a strong positive relationship between PACE financing and job creation.

A Sonoma County Water Agency press release about the findings cites one local economist who sees a clear link between energy retrofit financing and growth in the local job market:

“Energy Independence is our future. Programs like this one seize this opportunity to not only drive our economy toward a future of using fewer natural resources but also employing other resources, such as workers in construction industries and other trades, to implement this program in homes and businesses,” said Dr. Robert Eyler, director, Center of Regional Economic Analysis, Sonoma State University. “This program is exactly what we need to see in a sustained recovery.”

Read the press release here:
www.sonomacountyenergy.org/lower.php?url=articles&news=green-jobs-created-through-100-million-sonoma-county-energy-independence-program-2009-11-20

Read the full report here:
www.drivecms.com/uploads/sonomacountyenergy.org/198410307Economic%20Acitivity%20and%20SCEIP%20Nov%20232009%20.final.pdf

More about the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program:
www.sonomacountyenergy.org