Legislation introduced by Pennsylvania State Sen. John Yudichak (I-14) and State Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-122) expanding the Pennsylvania Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Program was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf Thursday.
The legislation, Senate Bill 635, creates opportunities for property owners to access private capital and long-term financing to help install energy efficient systems, water conservation solutions, and agricultural clean energy initiatives for commercial and industrial properties. The Pennsylvania bill would expand the C-PACE program to multi-family commercial buildings and broaden the scope of covered projects to include ventilation system upgrades and weather resiliency improvements.
Nationwide, the C-PACE programs have leveraged more than $2 billion in investments and created more than 24,000 jobs, the legislators’ offices said.
“The C-PACE program has proven to be a valuable tool for property owners seeking to upgrade their properties with clean energy and energy efficiency projects,” Yudichak said. “Senate Bill 635 is a strong example of how public-private partnerships can marry good public policy with private financing to improve quality of life in our communities.”
The Philadelphia Energy Authority and the Sustainable Energy Funds said that multi-family units, like senior living centers, “make up a significant portion of the new construction and existing building stock” in the state.
Many other states, like surrounding states Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maryland, have also expanded their programs to include resiliency improvements to strengthen structures to combat wind, storms, rain, and other weather-related impacts.
Indoor ventilation projects will help reduce exposure to indoor contaminants like those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The bill is expected to bring up to a half-billion dollars in alternative financing into the Commonwealth to fund affordable housing projects in rural and urban areas, including projects that benefit our seniors or that bring blighted properties back into use,” Heffley said.