ICAST Experts Weigh In: Green Upgrades – Customer Satisfaction and Keeping Costs Low

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By Rob Foley | Technical Solutions Specialist  Mr. Foley supports the organization with his expertise in energy auditing, capital need assessments, and energy modeling.   New incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have elevated high-efficiency heat pump HVAC technology in our news feeds and conversations. ICAST has been promoting and installing these systems for years because we recognized their potential …

August 2023 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Update on Biden Administration’s Investing in America Tour President Biden and team recently toured the U.S. to directly communicate with communities impacted by his Investing in America Agenda. During the tour, the President discussed how federal investments including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are driving a manufacturing and …

Free Online Clean Energy Safety Training Available

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A Department of Energy-funded program is providing free online education and training on the safety and installation of solar, energy storage, electric vehicle supply equipment, and high-performance buildings (a group of technologies collectively called, “distributed energy resources,” or DERs). The EMPOWERED program, this initiative offers videos, guides, CEU-bearing courses, and more on two websites: CleanEnergyTraining.org and CleanEnergyClearinghouse.org.   The EMPOWERED resources …

July 2023 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* IRS and Treasury Release Additional Guidance on Low-Income Community Credit Program The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Treasury recently closed the comment period on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the low-income communities’ bonus energy investment credit program. Established under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), this Program is designed to …

Heat Pump being repaired

Electrification Upgrades

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A New Generation of Heat Pump Systems Increases Efficiency By Ravi Malhotra Tax Credit Advisor, July 2023 More and more states have regulations and mandates requiring multifamily affordable housing properties to decarbonize (i.e., replace the use of natural gas, oil, or propane with electricity). This can be accomplished by upgrading systems for space and water heating. Electric heat pumps are …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: What We Can Learn from Other Countries About Scaling Heat Pump Technology

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Jeff Hargis | ICAST Senior Technical Project Manager  Mr. Hargis supports the organization by leveraging his expertise in energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and project management to help drive ICAST’s green retrofit projects.   Heat pumps for space and water heating are receiving growing attention in the U.S. as a means of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reducing utility costs. More …

Taking Advantage of Federal Funds to Preserve and Construct Affordable Housing – Lessons Learned from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

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If you follow ICAST’s blog, you know we have been hard at work leveraging opportunities created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to scale green solutions in underserved communities. For example, as previously reported, the BIL provided $3.2B for the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) on top of the $1.6B standard WAP …

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Green Tech Insights – Why ICAST is Electrified by Heat Pump HVAC

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Heat pumps for space conditioning and water heating are an increasingly important part of ICAST’s efforts to deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits in the multifamily housing market. Heat pump HVAC systems provide heating and cooling, transferring heat from one area to another rather than generating heat. They can be several times more efficient than conventional space heating and cooling …

June 2023 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Environmental Protection Agency Releases Framework for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new details on implementing the $27B Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Funds for the GGRF were provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); this Program will leverage public investment with private capital to finance clean energy projects …

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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 …