Program to Expand Energy Efficiency Upgrades Expands to Suisun City

Eleven Bay Area local governments launched a program today to help homeowners pay for home water and energy efficiency upgrades, officials with the Home Energy Renovation Opportunity said.

HERO officials said they began taking applications today from property owners in Burlingame, Clayton, Cloverdale, Danville, El Cerrito, Fairfield, Healdsburg, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Windsor and Alameda County.

• Also See: PETA Sues Whole Foods, Alleges Deception in Animal Welfare Claims

The program is called the HERO Property Assessed Clean Energy Program or PACE, program officials said.

The program allows homeowners to buy products to conserve water and energy and have the cost put on their tax bill, according to HERO officials. The homeowner finances the cost over five to 20 years at an interest rate of 6.75 to 8.35 percent depending on the length of financing, HERO’s Bay Area community development manager Oriana Yanes said.

• Also See: Starved, Beached Sea Birds Flooding Rescue Center

Homeowners must spend a minimum of $5,000 and program representatives determine the amount of financing each homeowner is eligible for, Yanes said. Financing does not depend at all on a homeowners credit score, Yanes said.

She said the homeowner must have at least 10 percent equity in their home, have paid their property taxes on time in the last few years and paid their mortgage on time in the last 12 months.

• Also See: 50 Sexting/Texting Terms and 7 Snapchat Tips Every Parent Should Know

The program has also been a boon for businesses. General manager of Freschi Service Experts Charlie Fiscus said his company started selling PACE products to homeowners about eight months ago. He said business is up this month compared with a year ago and the company has hired four more people.

HERO officials estimate the program has created more than 7,400 jobs in California since December 2011.

Solano County officials were the first to adopt the program in late 2013, Yanes said.

• Also See: Wildfire Ash May be Toxic

She said 66 cities in the Bay Area have now adopted the program and it’s available in at least one city in each of the nine Bay Area counties.

The program offers a variety of products such as high-efficiency toilets, faucets and showerheads to drip irrigation systems to drought-tolerant landscaping, program officials said.

Yanes said while the products will save the homeowner money on energy and water bills, the main benefit is the ability to pay for the improvements through tax bills.

--Bay City News