Ensuring Multifamily Benefits from the Push By Ravi Malhotra Tax Credit Advisor, August 2023 Since early 2023, ICAST’s articles have covered the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and their potential impacts on multifamily affordable housing. The BIL provided billions for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) on top of the standard allocation, so for the next four …
Electrification Upgrades
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: Optimizing Health and Energy Solutions for Affordable Housing
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 …
Leveraging Federal, State, and Utility Incentives to Fund Solar
By Ravi Malhotra / Tax Credit Advisor May 2023 With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the business case for solar-for-multifamily affordable housing is the best it’s ever been. Multifamily properties can leverage Solar Photovoltaic (PV) (and energy storage) to cut utility bills and/or bridge financing gaps. The IRA increases the baseline Solar Investment Tax Credit …
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act: What ICAST is Watching
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act: What ICAST is Watching Within the space of a year, President Biden signed two bills into law that contain billions of dollars for clean energy and underserved communities. Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will go toward building out the nation’s EV charging infrastructure, incentivizing …
ICAST Presents at NASCSP Annual Conference
ICAST’s Director of Business Development, Ryan Kristoff, and Sales Development Representative, Curt Shepard attended the National Association for State Community Service Programs (NASCSP) Annual Training Conference in late October. ICAST was proud to be both a presenter and exhibitor at the event which focused on discussing two core federal programs the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and the Community Services Block …
December 2022 Policy Blog
Kristen Cheriegate | ICAST Policy Analyst ******************* Biden-Harris Administration Announces State and Tribe Allocations for Home Energy Rebate Program The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) provided an update on the allocation of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for consumer home energy rebate programs that will help households pursue energy efficiency and electrification for their homes. Allocations have been …
ICAST Experts Weigh In: The Need to Grow the Clean Energy Workforce
Audrey Knox | Training Program Coordinator A recent study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has determined that heat pumps are “the central technology in the global transition to secure and sustainable heating” and estimate that heat pumps could provide one-fifth of the world’s heating needs by 2030. In the US, as more ambitious carbon-reduction goals take effect in states …
How Do We Move WAP Funding Into Multifamily Affordable Housing?
How Do We Move WAP Funding Into Multifamily Affordable Housing? By Ravi Malhotra / Issue: October 2022 National Housing & Rehabilitation Association The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provided $3.5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP); a ten-times increase that is to be spent in the next five years. This is on top of the regular WAP funds the states receive annually. As explained …
ICAST Receives Award to Pilot a Multifamily-Focused Redesign of the Weatherization Assistance Program
ICAST Receives Award to Pilot a Multifamily-Focused Redesign of the Weatherization Assistance Program ICAST is excited to announce that we were recently awarded approximately $1.9 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to launch “WAP 2.0″— an innovative redesign of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The WAP, overseen by the DOE, helps reduce low-income (LI) households’ energy costs by …