2009 may well go down in the record books as one of the economically worst in recent memory. Venture capitol investing and IPOs fell to their lowest levels in over 10 years. Governments around the globe scrambled to implement stimulus programs to shore up their crumbling economies and try to create jobs to counter rising [...]
Archive for category Local Green
Following up on a previous post regarding the stimulus money SMUD has received for energy retrofitting homes in it’s service area. A crucial part of building performance has always been the initial diagnostic assessment or energy audit. This provides important information to the home performance contractor allowing them to tailor a plan that fits the individual [...]
In early 2006, the California Public Utilities Commission, in collaboration with the California Energy Commission, established the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a $2.5 billion incentive program to promote solar development through 2016, to be funded from the distribution rates of gas and electric ratepayers. Later that year the state legislature passed SB 1 which prohibited [...]
The Sacramento Business Journal is reporting today that single family building permits are up by 41% in the month of January compared to the same month last year. 211 permits were pulled last month versus 150 in January 2009. This is also an increase of 23% over the 172 permits pulled in the previous month December [...]
Freecycling in Sacramento
Feb 13
Here’s a new word to add to your “Green” vocabulary: freecycling. We’re all familiar with the concept of recycling: processing used materials into new products in order to prevent waste. But what about perfectly good items that are just not needed anymore that make their way to the landfill everyday? It’s an inglorious end for [...]
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District was awarded $36 million in federal stimulus grants on Thursday, according to an article released yesterday by the Sacramento Business Journal. The Department of Energy grant funds are to help SMUD customers improve their home’s energy efficiency, which in turn will help the utility reduce demand on its system and help [...]
According to an article today in the Sacramento Business Journal Sacramento County has received $16.5 million in state funds to start their AB811 energy efficient loan program. If you haven’t read my previous posts on the subject, AB811 was a bill enacted last year to allow California cities and counties to set up special assessment districts [...]
There is a new program working it’s way through congress right now and hopefully will be part of the upcoming jobs bill. It’s called HOMESTAR or as it’s been called in the media “Cash for Caulkers”.
I thought I’d share some details of the program and how it could be a benefit to our local economy.
HOME STAR was originally proposed by a coalition of….
On January 12th of this year the Sacramento City Council adopted a resolution to join the CaliforniaFirst program to provide financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements to property owners. CaliforniaFIRST is a statewide program instituted by…
A little background on Sacramento’s involvement in AB811. In the summer of 2008 City Council member Kevin McCarty requested City staff research the creation of a voluntary property assessment district to fund energy improvements and solar installations for City property owners. As a result the City formed a regional collaborative with Sac County, Yolo County, cities within those counties, SMUD and Valley Vision to pursue developing an AB811 program.
As promised at the end of my last post, a little info on the project. The building is two-story wood framed construction, originally built in the late seventies. As I mentioned, it is an 100% occupied HUD subsidized facility complete with a large dining room, two commercial kitchens and numerous common areas for recreational activities including [...]
I explained in my last post the basics of the an AB811 type assessment program and how it might work. The question is how would our local governments come up with the money to lend property owners? Have any other cities or counties been successful in implementation of this type of program? One of the [...]
For those of you that haven’t heard yet, the state legislature passed assembly bill AB811 in July 2008. The Contractual Assessments for Energy Efficiency Improvements bill would allow local governments to establish tax assessment districts to help property owners finance the installation of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements to their homes.
Last November I was approached to do some consultant work for a local architectural firm on a rehab to a 78 unit senior residential facility in Sacramento. The facility was one of a number nationwide to be awarded a grant from HUD under their new Green Retrofit Program. The scope of work is fairly comprehensive [...]
