March 2024 Policy Blog

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  Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Analyst ========== States Pledge to Boost Heat Pump Sales An agreement was signed by environmental agencies in nine states, calling for electric heat pumps to comprise 90% of residential heating, air conditioning, and water heating sales in the signatory states by 2040. Though not legally binding, the memorandum of understanding (MOU) holds that these …

ICAST Grows Library of Resources for Driving Green Retrofits in Multifamily Housing

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Recommendations for Federal and State Agencies: ICAST has created a dedicated webpage containing resources to help federal and state agencies working to expend their Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding on residential markets, especially income-qualified residents. These resources show how and why programs focused on multifamily housing—specifically, multifamily affordable housing—offer the best solution because they are …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: The State of Solar & Storage Markets

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Sam Lipman | Director of Solar Programs Mr. Lipman is responsible for developing shared solar projects, thus furthering ICAST’s work to help underserved communities benefit from clean energy solutions.  Looking at the solar landscape today, we’re seeing innovations in solar and storage laying the groundwork for increased efficiency and reduced costs. Further, since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed …

Multifamily Housing building

Pulling Federal Investment into Multifamily Housing

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By Ravi Malhotra Originally published in NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, February 2024 Most federal and state agencies aiming to spend their Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds for residential clients are finding out that it will not be easy. Most do not think of multifamily affordable housing when they design their residential programs. In focusing on …

Clean Energy for All: Optimizing Beneficial Electrification for Customers

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Originally published in AESP’s Energy Intel Magazine – Q4 2023 Issue “Beneficial electrification” involves transitioning customers away from energy-inefficient and harmful appliances such as gas- and propane-based HVAC, water heaters, cook stoves, and clothes dryers (and even resistance electric systems), to better, high-efficiency, solutions such as heat pump HVAC and Water heaters and induction cook stoves. While this can reduce …

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 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 …

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 …

Heat Pump Installations Slow, Impeding Biden’s Climate Goals

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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 …