On September 10, the Allegheny County Council approved a resolution to implement C-PACE, a clean energy financing program for commercial, industrial and agricultural properties

County leadership, including County Councilmembers, Director of Economic Development Lance Chimka, and Chair of the County’s Economic Development and Housing Committee Dewitt Walton, recognized the program’s potential as a job-creator and an opportunity to invest in the health and longevity of the built environment.

“C-PACE is a win-win for Pennsylvania businesses and communities,” said Matt Mahoney, Western PA Program Manager for the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance. “It makes financing energy efficiency easier, which means more work for companies that retrofit buildings, sell high-efficiency equipment, and design smart buildings.”

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) is a financial tool for commercial, industrial, and agricultural property owners to obtain low-cost, long-term financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects.

C-PACE programs facilitate financing for a project by allowing property owners to repay a private loan through their property taxes.

Nationally, more than $800 million has been invested through C-PACE loans since 2010, and many industry experts expect that number to double in the next few years.

In Pennsylvania, C-PACE investment could help retrofit some of the nation’s oldest building stock and accelerate growth in a local energy efficiency industry that already accounts for 68,000 jobs and counting.

“NECA contractors are excited about the opportunity to compete for more energy efficiency and clean energy projects throughout Allegheny County,” said Joelle Salerno, Government Affairs Director for the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). “We see the potential for significant improvements in many commercial and industrial facilities that will increase property values and desirability, decrease energy consumption, and create jobs for our local workforce.” 

Pennsylvania C-PACE was created through enabling legislation in June of 2018, making Pennsylvania the thirty-fourth state to adopt C-PACE legislation.

Four interested public-sector organizations then collaborated to develop a model C-PACE program in Pennsylvania: Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA), Philadelphia Energy Authority, City of Pittsburgh Sustainability Commission, and the Sustainable Energy Fund.

Model Program Guidelines

The model Program Guidelines these organizations released in December of 2018, which Allegheny County will base its C-PACE program on, can be used by any local government in Pennsylvania.

Visit the Pennsylvania C-PACE Program webpage for all the details.

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[Posted: September 11, 2019]

9/16/2019