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
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
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
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
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 …
Heat Pump Installations Slow, Impeding Biden’s Climate Goals
By Santul Nerkar and Madeleine Ngo Originally published in The New York Times, Nov. 9, 2023 More Americans are buying heat pumps, an environmentally friendly alternative to furnaces and air-conditioners that can significantly lower monthly energy bills. But the pace of installations has slowed in the past year, posing an obstacle to the Biden administration’s climate plans. Rising interest rates and inflation combined …
Case Study: IRA, BIL Bringing Big Pots of Money to Green Affordable Housing
By Mark Fogarty NH&RA November 2023 If Timed Right, Financial “Braiding” Techniques May Cover Whole Cost of Retrofits There’s a brave new world of opportunities for “green” multifamily affordable housing renovation and development coming with the ever-quickening ascendancy of green buildings. This is according to one of the early adopters of clean energy solutions in multifamily, Ravi Malhotra—founder and president of ICAST. …
ICAST Experts Weigh In: 2023 State Legislative Wrap-Up and Looking Ahead to 2024
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. State legislatures are gearing up to pre-file bills for the 2024 season, but before we close the books on 2023, we wanted to provide some …
November 2023 Policy Blog
Kristen Cheriegate | ICAST Policy Analyst White House Takes Action to Create More Affordable Housing The Biden-Harris Administration has released a fact sheet that highlights new actions to support the conversion of high-vacancy commercial buildings to residential use, including through new financing, technical assistance, and the sale of federal properties – creating much-needed affordable housing, energy-efficient, near transit, and good …
Tying it All Together
Tying it All Together Timing and Key Considerations for Green Funds and Programs By Ravi Malhotra, NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, November 2023 Federal agencies have steadily made progress in rolling out the new funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Multifamily property owners can fold these dollars into capital stacks for projects that incorporate solar and …