September 2024 Policy Blog

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Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Manager ========== Xcel Energy’s Clean Heat Plan for Colorado Moving Forward  Colorado’s largest investor-owned utility, Xcel Energy, should soon receive a written order from the state’s Public Utilities Commission to finalize and implement its “2024-2028 Clean Heat Plan.” The plan directs more than $440 million over the next three years towards electrification and energy efficiency, …

TBL Fund Closes Bridge Loan

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TBL Fund’s new Bridge Loan product is designed to help customers take advantage of the various incentives created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). After project completion and validation, many of these dollars are only disbursed to customers. Bridge loans provide essential capital upfront, enabling stakeholders to initiate and advance their green projects and repay …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: Redesigning the Federal Weatherization Assistance Program

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By Ryan Kristoff | Vice President, 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. In April, through Tennessee’s new Multifamily Weatherization Assistance Program, ICAST completed its first multifamily weatherization project, covering 80 units at the Summercrest Apartments in North Knoxville. The …

Tapping Grants, Loans, and Incentives to Cut Project Costs

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by Ravi Malhotra How should the multifamily affordable housing market ensure it maximizes its benefits from the various federal, state, and local government resources on offer? Government programs typically do not consider or emphasize strategic and meaningful leveraging and collaboration with other programs, much less provide valuable guidance to do so. The lack of coordination within and between agencies and …

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TBL Fund Announcing New Bridge Loan Product to Facilitate Green Projects

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Originally published on tblfund.org The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has created a wealth of opportunities to scale green solutions like heat pumps, solar, energy storage, and weatherization in underserved communities. To pursue holistic clean energy solutions, stakeholders can access tax credits, grants, and other incentives. Triple Bottom Line Foundation’s (TBL Fund) focus is serving indigenous communities and multifamily affordable housing …

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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 Empowers Multifamily Affordable Housing: New Resources Unveiled for Clean Energy Upgrades!

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ICAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology), a national 501c3 nonprofit, has spearheaded a transformative initiative to empower Multifamily Affordable Housing (MFAH) communities to take advantage of the windfall created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). With support from experts across the housing, energy, and financing fields, ICAST has crafted three comprehensive Resource Guides that …

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Accessing Federal and Utility Incentives for Green Projects

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By Ravi Malhotra / NH&RA Issue: April 2023 The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provided the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) $3.2 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). This is on top of the ongoing ~$1.6 billion allocation (the standard WAP allocation independent of the BIL money for WAP) over the next five years. The BIL funds allow for some …

green houses

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

ICAST MarketingIndustry News, Blog, ICAST News Leave a Comment

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 …

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Clean Energy Financing Insights – Why Green Retrofits Offer Better Bang for the Buck

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It is understandably challenging for cost-constrained multifamily affordable housing (MFAH) property owners and managers to spend their carefully budgeted dollars on unfamiliar green tech (e.g., heat pump-based HVAC) vs. familiar technologies with lower upfront costs. While “going green” can be expensive, traditional or “business as usual” retrofits have limited benefits. They may solve an immediate problem (e.g., addressing/replacing failed HVAC …