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EcoMotion AB 811 Palm Desert Consulting advances

AB 811 and Energy Independence

[ JFF - This is from the EcoMotion newsletter. Ted Flanigan has a solar/alt energy consulting contract with the city of Palm Desert as well as Santa Monica. He also leads international tours of energy facilities; Germany, Spain, Iceland, etc ]

EcoMotion's work with the City of Palm Desert has hit a feverish pitch. There, a new funding mechanism is poised to open considerable new uptake in efficiency and renewable energy investments. Already nearly 300 hundred Palm Desert residents are on the City's interest list for "Energy Independence," the program name for an initiative that may truly put the power into the hands of the people.

Assembly Bill 811, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger on July 21, 2008, allows cities and counties to use their financial wherewithal and/or bonding authority to provide preferential loans for property owners. The Bill amends the streets and highways codes that provides for compulsory and voluntary assessments for public goods like sidewalks and sewer lines. Now, "efficiency fixtures" that stay with the property in the event of sale, and renewable energy systems on private property, are explicitly defined as in the public benefit, thus eligible for assessment funding. Palm Desert's program will be available for all property owners.

EcoMotion has been Palm Desert's program design consultant. The Energy Independence Program goes to Council just yesterday, August 28, for final review -- and was passed unanimously. The program is to the credit of Mayor Pro Tem Jim Ferguson; he had the vision, passion, and tenacity to guide the bill through the Legislature and to craft this new funding source for efficiency and renewable energy, solar in particular. The Energy Independence Program has a huge vision, providing residents and businesses with the information and financing necessary to achieve the property owner's and the City's goals. EIP is critical for the City to fulfill its 30:30 electric and gas savings commitment in five years. It is also a key ingredient in the City's broader drive for energy responsibility and self sufficiency.

What's special about AB 811 is that property owners can now affix the costs of efficiency fixtures and renewable energy systems to their property taxes, regardless of credit scores, employment status, etc. Cities can provide or borrow money, loaning it to property owners, thereby reinvesting locally. And in the event that a property owner sells a property, the unpaid balance of the Energy Independence Program Loan is transferred to the next property owner. By extending the terms of the loan, the City help participants achieve cash-flow neutral situations, in which bill savings are equal to or exceed monthly loan costs.

For more information, contact EcoMotion.