Environmental Coalition Supports Energy Efficiency, PACE Programs

Energy Efficiency Job Training - San Francisco, CA, 2015

As environmental policies are under widespread attack at the federal level, Brightline and a coalition of seven key California organizations united today to advocate for the environment, clean energy, and sustainable economic growth.

In its current form, proposed federal legislation would kill Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), one of America’s most effective means of financing energy-efficiency and renewable-energy property improvements. It would threaten the viability of PACE by creating restrictions on local governments’ use of two important tools - property tax assessments and municipal bonds - which are key mechanisms for enabling PACE programs.  Consequently, Brightline delivered an opposition letter alongside other strong advocates for the environment, including Build It Green, CalSEIA, Climate Action Campaign, the Center for Sustainable Energy, Cleantech San Diego, California Energy Storage Alliance, and Vote Solar.

In California, PACE has been approved by more than 450 local communities because of its range of environmental and economic benefits. Over 100,000 homeowners have used PACE to finance energy- and water-saving improvements. These home upgrades are estimated to save enough energy to supply over 1.3 million California households with electricity and reduce carbon emissions that are equivalent to taking more than 800,000 passenger vehicles off the road for one year, over the duration of the products’ useful life. Additionally, PACE-financed water-conserving retrofits are projected to save 8.6 billion gallons of water, while helping homeowners reduce their utility bills. As noted through Brightline’s work with GreenFinanceSF, PACE also generates positive economic benefits through local economic stimulus, increased home values, and the creation of local jobs that can’t be outsourced or automated.

“Through PACE programs, California has seen a surge in energy savings and local job opportunities for our communities,"  said Brightline's Policy Counsel Dilini Lankachandra. "Our coalition will continue to work with policymakers to strengthen PACE, rather than limit local access to it."