This October we finally began work on our Multi-Family green retrofit project. If you haven’t read previous articles on it, this is a project we have spent nearly a year putting together and getting the go ahead from HUD. The project is on a 78 unit senior apartment complex constructed in the late 1970′s. The [...]
Archive for category Local Green
Last Friday I attended the contractor kickoff meeting for SMUD’s Home Performance Program. Promoted as a soft launch, between now and September SMUD staff will verify eligibility requirements of participating contractors and gear up for a media campaign involving print, online, television and radio advertisements. Here are the basics of how the program will work: [...]
On Tuesday of this week the Federal Housing Finance Agency which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and over 50% of the mortgages in the United States, issued a statemet which effectively put at end to PACE programs at least temporarily. They instructed their lenders and loan servicers to adjust their underwriting criteria in any [...]
In a response to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s latest instructions to their lenders, Placer County has suspended their mPower PACE program indefinitely. On Tusday of this week, the Federal Housing Finance Administration adjusted their underwriting criteria in communities that have PACE programs to reflect increased loan-to-value ratios and debt-to-income ratios on all properties regardless of [...]
Retrofitting Suburbia
Jul 7
A regular reader of my blog sent me this video of a January 2010 TED Talk by Georgia based architect Ellen Dunham-Jones. Dunham-Jones is widely recognized as a leader in finding solutions for aging suburbs. She is the co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs. As you drive around the largely suburban Sacramento [...]
In the last few months we have heard a lot of discussion on upcoming home performance incentive programs that will be offering great opportunities for homeowners to increase the comfort and efficiency of their homes. Whether it’s PACE , utility programs or the Home Star legislation, interested consumers and members of my industry have been [...]
There was a good article in the New York Times today concerning the effects on home owners and small businesses caused by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s position on the nation’s PACE programs. PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy. Under the financing programs, a local government borrows money through bonds or other means, and then uses [...]
Placer County’s popular mPower Placer financing program has hit a roadblock as a result of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s May 5th letters to companies that sell and service their loans. The letters contained instructions that prohibited brokers from closing any loan that gave another entity priority lien status over a Fannie or Freddie mortgage. The [...]
Prop 16 – Is SMUD At Risk?
May 21
The simple answer to that question is yes. In addition SMUD customers are also at risk. In the Sacramento area few would dispute we are fortunate to have SMUD as our electricity provider. SMUD has been rated #1 in customer service among both publicly and investor owned utility providers in California by J.D. Power and [...]
The last post in this series discussed the benefits of a comprehensive energy audit as a starting point for any serious energy improvements. Not only will the information gathered assist in putting together an effective game plan, it will be required for most incentive programs including SMUD‘s Home Performance Program and Home Star. The [...]
In case any of you are wondering whatever happened to this project or if it ever started, I thought I’d give a quick update on where we are in the process. No, unfortunately we haven’t started construction on the project yet. Yes, we are still planning to get going as soon as HUD and the powers that [...]
Called Sacramento’s first major green living & lifestyle expo with a number of vendors and companies representing all facets of the green movement. Attendees can enjoy the latest in earth friendly products and information including home & garden, eco-travel & transportation, apparel and health & beauty. The Sacramento Green Expo is designed to bring together businesses, civic [...]
You’ve heard the ads on radio or seen them on TV. Supporters urging you to vote yes on Proposition 16 The Taxpayers Right To Vote Act. As supporters of the measure state in the California Official Voter Guide, the measure will require a 2/3 voter approval before local governments could “spend public money or incur public debt” to [...]
California First is a statewide program adopted earlier this year in Sacramento allowing property owners to participate in the state’s AB811 program, providing financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrade to their properties. California First is an example of a Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE program. Here are some of the basics of how [...]
