Written by K Kaufmann
When Ygrene Energy Fund first won the contract to launch a regional energy-efficiency financing program for the Coachella Valley, one of the firm’s key selling points was the local office it promised to open.
In the past year, the Santa Rosa-based company opened two such “energy centers” as part of the launch of its biggest programs to date, one in Sacramento in January and the other in Miami-Dade County in September.
But with Ygrene expecting to launch its property-assessed clean energy (PACE) finance program here by mid-December, it has yet to open a local office or even announce a location or tentative date for when a valley energy center might open.
Dubbed Clean Energy CV Upgrade, the program is similar to Palm Desert’s ground-breaking energy loan program started in 2008, providing residents with upfront, affordable financing for big-ticket energy-efficient building upgrades, such as cool roofs, double-paned windows or solar panels. Long-term repayments are linked to a home or commercial property owner’s property taxes, with energy savings equaling or exceeding the repayments. Read more.