January 2024 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst New York Opens States First Publicly Funded Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Using federal funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, Kingston New York opened the state’s first public electric vehicle (E.V.) charging stations. This is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda to build a reliable E.V. network connecting …

COP28: A Debate Between Soft Commitments vs Decisive Action

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By Kristen Cheriegate: Senior Policy Analyst | Ms. Cheriegate navigates ICAST through the policy world to obtain real-world solutions, funding resources, and networks with potential partners to provide more services to low- and moderate-income households. The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Summit, the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28), took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between …

New Resource to Help Multifamily Affordable Housing Access Funds for Projects

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By Ravi Malhotra, Originally published in NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, January 2024 The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are providing the best business case ever, for “greening” multifamily affordable housing (MFAH). Between the massive amounts of new funding and the growing pressure to decarbonize your MFAH properties, “business as usual” designs or retrofit solutions are rapidly …

ICAST Project wins Utah Green Project of the Year

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Cinnamon Springs has recently been honored with the Green Project of the Year award from the Utah Housing Coalition. This 144-unit “naturally occurring affordable housing” multifamily apartment complex received energy efficiency upgrades that benefited the property owner and significantly improved the living conditions for the residents. Upgrades included new cold-climate heat pumps, new gas furnaces for a “dual fuel” heating …

Vermont Electric School Buses to Help Prevent Grid Blackouts

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Originally published in the New York Times, November 8, 2023 Four electric school buses in South Burlington, Vermont represent a test of the idea that electric vehicles could be a buffer that soaks up power when there is too much and provides it when demand for electricity surges. While buses sit idle during school hours the local utility, Green Mountain Power, …

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ICAST Experts Weigh In: Optimizing Health and Energy Solutions for Affordable Housing

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Max Wilkinson | Healthy Homes Program Manager Mr. Wilkinson helps design and shepherd ICAST’s efforts to improve home health for tenants in multifamily affordable housing. ICAST’s goal with every multifamily retrofit is to increase home health, safety, comfort, and affordability for low- and moderate-income tenants. We have a custom, whole-building approach—in other words, we identify and deliver the best solutions …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: 2023 Trends and What to Watch for in 2024

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Ryan Kristoff | Director of Grant Programs  Mr. Kristoff grows the organization by securing the funding and partnerships necessary to build new programs, expand to new geographies, and add services to its one-stop shop. THE 30,000-FOOT VIEW Unsurprisingly, ICAST’s 2023 has primarily focused on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). We have been collaborating with federal …

In Case You Missed It: ICAST Affiliate Offering New Services for Green Projects

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In September, TBL Fund (ICAST’s affiliated Community Development Financial Institution) announced a new bridge loan product to streamline the financing process for its customers’ green projects. Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will not be available forever, and specific dollars, such as the investment tax credit (ITC) will not reach stakeholders until after the projects …

December 2023 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Path to Update Energy Efficiency Standards DOE is required to establish and periodically review minimum energy efficiency standards that products such as light bulbs, clothes dryers, air conditioners, etc., must meet. By law, these standards must save energy, be cost-effective, and be technologically feasible for manufacturers. While energy …

Clean Energy Projects: Looking Ahead to 2024

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Clean Energy Projects: Looking Ahead to 2024  By Ravi Malhotra, Originally published in NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, December 2023    At the close of 2023, it’s a certainty that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are catalyzing a huge uptick in clean energy projects across the United States. Unfortunately, it’s equally certain that the multifamily affordable …