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Decarbonization is advancing like never before. If you are a building owner or a building developer, you should be thinking about decarbonizing your building stock. You may call it “renovations”, “retrofits”, or “upgrades,” but the result is the same. You are making the building more energy and water-efficient which results in reduced carbon emissions. You…

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is a common metric being used to define a building’s energy efficiency, as well as a factor when assessing its riskiness as an investment. EUI measures a facility’s energy performance on a per square foot basis. It’s calculated by dividing the total amount of energy a building consumes in a year…

Now offering many ways to qualify for our lowest rate! PACE Equity offers a program that includes reduced rate C-PACE financing along with a green building certification. Our program is called CIRRUS and includes a few different ways to qualify. PRESCRIPTIVE METHOD: This method includes a checklist of efficiency items that result in a an…

Building Performance Standards U.S. commercial buildings account for nearly 40 percent of energy consumed and more than 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and can be a source of much higher emissions in cities (US Department of Energy). As we see the results of climate change in rising sea levels, escalating ocean temperatures, extreme heat,…

A Little History About Historic Tax Credits  For more than three decades, the federal government has had a hand in the preservation of U.S. historic resources. In 2000, the National Trust for Historic Preservation created the National Trust Community Investment Corporation (NTCIC) to support the historic preservation movement through direct investments. The organization supports the…

Buildings are responsible for 40 percent of total energy use in the United States (NREL.gov), including 75 percent of all electricity use and 35 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions. There are a lot of decarbonization efforts underway across the country, and many are tackling the challenge of decarbonizing buildings— the design and materials as…

“If this Las Vegas hotel can build Low Carbon, so can you.” This was the title of the presentation given by Tricia Baker, Senior Vice President, at the New Building Institute’s 2024 Getting to Zero Forum. The “Las Vegas hotel” in this talk is the multi-branded Symphony Park AC Hotel by Westin & Element by…

Five states recently passed Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) legislation, adding to the growing list of states that enable C-PACE to be used in commercial property financing. This list of states using C-PACE financing translates to better building stock, increased job creation and an increased focus on climate change. Those states are Georgia, Idaho,…

Building Performance Standards (BPS) are being implemented in cities, counties, and states across the country. These standards are very familiar to developers in early-adopter cities like New York, but in other places, developers may just be starting to hear rumblings about them. Rest assured, even if you haven’t heard much about them, you will.  A…

CIRRUSTM Low Carbon, the only private financial product in the country with a lower cost of capital when you develop or renovate with a lower carbon design, has been revolutionizing the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) industry since its inception. The goal of CIRRUS Low Carbon, and PACE Equity, is to offer financing solutions…