Upcoming Contractor Forum
Save the Date! The next Contractor Forum will be held on June 10th from 8:30am - 10am at our office located at 404 Aviation Blvd in Santa Rosa. Receive the latest updates on program changes, the Energy Analysis Rebate Program and our schedule of upcoming events. Also on the agenda - how to become a qualified contractor, multiple bid requirements, and other new requirements.
back to top Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac Update
Last August, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac implemented directions from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) covering the refinancing and transfer of properties with PACE assessments. Properties with assessments in place before July 6, 2010, can be refinanced, but must pay off the assessment if there is sufficient equity in the property to do so. When a property transfers, however, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will require that the assessment be paid off before they will agree to purchase a loan from a bank. The result of these pronouncements has been that most lenders for potential buyers are requiring that the PACE assessment be paid off as a condition of extending a loan to a potential buyer. Click here to view entire announcement.
Sonoma County and a number of other municipalities have entered into litigation with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, challenging these instructions and practices. A settlement conference is scheduled for the end of May. Sonoma County is also participating with other jurisdictions in supporting federal legislation to address this problem. The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program continues to accept applications and provide financing for energy and water conservation measures and energy generation. For the latest news and updates on the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac topic, visit Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Updates
or www.paceNOW.org.
back to top July 1st Brings Changes to the Program
Beginning July 1, 2011, if you wish to make improvements to your property that include windows or renewables (i.e. SOLAR) and you will be financing through SCEIP, you will be required to reduce your energy use by 10% prior to being able to make these improvements. You may choose either the “basic” or “advanced” path to achieve the 10% reduction. We will be providing Energy Analysis Rebates to help you determine where to start. More information will follow on our website, but you may wish to visit Energy Upgrade California for information on rebates and incentives available: www.energyupgradeca.org.
back to top Sonoma County Represented in Clean Energy Summit
Rod Dole and Liz Yager are traveling to Washington D.C. to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) State and Local Government Clean Energy Summit. This summit, a discussion of how clean energy policies can create jobs, stimulate investment and enhance global competitiveness, will be the first in a series of policy-focused meetings hosted by DOE. The inaugural meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 18-Thursday, May 19, and will bring together federal, state and local energy efficiency and renewable energy leaders. For more information, please visit the conference website at http://www.sentech.org/EECBG-SEP_Conference.
back to top SCEIP Participates in 6th Annual Sustainable Enterprise Conference
This day-long learning and networking conference, to be held Friday, May 13 at the Sonoma Mountain Village Event Center in Rohnert Park, is dedicated to helping North Bay businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations transition to economic, environmental and social sustainability. Liz Yager, Energy and Sustainability Manager for the County of Sonoma, will lead a workshop titled “Sonoma County Energy Leadership: Investing in a Sustainable Future”.
back to top SCEIP Sponsors 350 Home and Garden Challenge
On May 14th & 15th, thousands of people across Sonoma County will rise to the challenge of creating a more sustainable community during the 350 Home and Garden Challenge
. Building upon the incredible success of 628 garden actions in 2010, the goal is to inspire 1,000 actions to grow food, conserve water, and save energy. To achieve greater energy efficiency and our county's climate goals, they are including home actions in the challenge. And, inspired by Sonoma County's efforts last year, Transition U.S. is taking the challenge national! Imagine retrofitting our homes, apartments, offices and neighborhoods with gardens, greywater and energy efficiency! From small to large, each action counts.
back to top Sonoma County Recognized for Climate Protection Efforts
The County of Sonoma has been accepted to participate in the Institute for Local Government’s new recognition program, the Beacon Award: Local Leadership Toward Solving Climate Change. The first of its kind in California, the Beacon Award recognizes and celebrates cities and counties that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy, adopt policies and programs to address climate change; and promote sustainability. Sonoma County is only the 4th county in California to be admitted for its innovative sustainability programs.
Chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Efren Carrillo commented, “Our acceptance into this program again demonstrates Sonoma County’s commitment and our proven innovative spirit to solving the challenges of climate change. Our programs will now be available for communities throughout the state to replicate and will highlight our community’s efforts.”
The program features three award levels that call for increasing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy savings in agency facilities and operations as well as the community as a whole. “The Institute is delighted to have Sonoma County participate in the Beacon Award program,” said Hal Conklin, chairman of the Institute’s board of directors. “We’re looking forward to celebrating the Sonoma County’s ongoing leadership, following its accomplishments, and sharing its best practices with other cities and counties.”
back to top SCEIP Staffer Attends Energy Upgrade CA Training
Jane Elias, Program Representative with SCEIP, attended a week-long HERS II Rater training in San Diego. Presented by the Heschong Mahone Group and CalCERTS, this training was offered to support the upgrade of 1,000+ multi-family units in the pilot areas of San Diego Gas & Electric and Sacramento Municipal Utility District territories. Upon completing the training and passing the exam, the Rater is placed on a list of multi-family raters qualified to serve the Energy Upgrade California™–San Diego County Multi-Family Program and the SMUD Home Performance Program Multi-Family. This program or one similar to it is expected to happen in the PG&E service area soon.
The Energy Independence Program was interested in finding out the requirements that the California Energy Commission (CEC) was looking to implement in the analysis and testing of existing multi-family housing stock. Multi-family properties qualify for funding improvements through SCEIP and may also be eligible for the upcoming energy analysis rebate program coming in July.
A qualified, third party HERS II Rater certified through CalCERTS must perform the testing and rating of multi-family buildings. The Rater works closely with the property owner and acts as a consultant by recommending the energy improvements based on the findings and modeling of the building.
Stay tuned to find out more about this program and what possible rebates or discounts may be happening in the PG&E service area or through SCEIP.
back to top Fun & Interactive Energy Savings Tool
We invite you to visit Energy Star’s cool, interactive tool for homeowners! The tool will take you on a self-guided tour of a home, from basement to attic and everywhere in between, where you will find tips and trivia about energy conservation that will amaze your friends and stun your family. It has never been more fun to learn about the many steps you can take to improve your home’s energy efficiency, save money on energy bills and help protect the environment!
back to top Clean Energy Advocate Workshops Continue
The Clean Energy series is a free monthly workshop highlighting guest speakers on energy and water efficiency, and renewable energy. The workshops are available to the public and held from 6p to 7p at 35 Stony Point Road, Room M. Please RSVP here and for more information about presentation topics please see the CEA website at www.srcity.org/CEA.
For more information, call (707) 543-3886 or email cea@srcity.org.
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