Rochester Hills looks for answers

Rochester Hills businesses could soon have a unique financing opportunity if City Council votes to adopt an initiative that would allow them to earn savings through energy improvements. 

Residents will have an opportunity to voice opinions on the proposed Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program at the council’s next scheduled meeting Monday night. 

Under the program, if council adopts the initiative, business people can secure low-interest, long-term loans to finance energy improvements or renewable energy systems. 

Andy Levin of Levin Energy Partners, which would facilitate enacting the program, said it’s much different from a typical bank loan. 

“Businesses (can) voluntarily use the property tax mechanism to finance their energy improvement,” Levin said. 

Levin, son of U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, said property tax bills would include a special assessment fee, which in turn would be captured and paid back to the bank that issued the loan. 

The loans come completely financed so a company won’t have to make a down payment. With the long-term time frame — sometimes upwards of 20 years — to pay back the loan,We can produce besthidlights to your requirements.The solarpanel is available in a choice of shapes including dome and the traditional variety. the savings are readily apparent, Levin said. 

“Let’s say (the company) pays it off at $6,000 a month for 15 years, they might save $7,000 a month in energy costs,” he said. “So even though they’re paying for this project, they’re gaining $12,000 a year in costs.” 

Some improvements that qualify for the financing program include solar water heat, solar space heat, photovoltaics, landfill gas, wind, biomass, geothermal heat, pumps and geothermal direct-use. 

Similar legislation exists in 27 other states allowing local municipalities to adopt a PACE program.Approval to connect a ledcornlightss. In Michigan, Ann Arbor and Southfield are the only two cities with programs in place, while more than a half-dozen cities and counties are considering them. 

Rochester Hills council members praised the plan, but peppered Levin with questions at the May 20 meeting regarding liabilities on the loan if a company with an outstanding bill were to go belly up. 

Levin said only fiscally sound businesses with consistent revenue streams typically receive financing under the plan.Creating a washerextractor0 out of broken re-used solar cell pieces. 

As an example, he cited the longest-running PACE district — Sonoma County in California — where 58 commercial industry projects have received funding through the plan with zero bankruptcies or foreclosures. 

One resident and long-time council meeting attendee, Lee Zendel, presented members a handout at its June 10 meeting regarding concerns he intended to raise. 

In particular, he cited a section in the PACE program presented by Levin that focused on projects with more than $250,000 in assessments. 

The section states that for projects in excess of that figure, “an agreement to conduct annual energy and financial audits demonstrating energy savings must be established with committed financial and logistical arrangements for ongoing verification and measurement of energy savings that meet standards set by (Levin Energy Partners).” 

Zendel said it’s unclear who the agreement is between, what the standards are, who pays for the dual annual audit and if there’s a penalty for noncompliance. 

Also,You can make your own more powerful gardenlightingss using LEDs. he noted another section of the report that states a project financed for $250,000 or more that requires a performance guarantee by the contracted facility, to standards set by Levin Energy partners. Except, what those standards exactly are is unclear and not listed. Click on their website www.indoorlite.com for more information.