The EAG of North America

Energy Efficiency

LocationContact Us | Follow Us GmailGoogle+Linked-InTwitterYouTube
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Company History & Overview
    • Charity & Community
    • Careers
  • What We Do
    • Our Four Cores
    • Kilowatts for a Cause™
    • Project Development
    • Training
  • Blog
  • News
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
  • Projects
  • Locations
  • Resources
    • Reports
    • Video
    • Links
    • Podcasts
    • Webcasts

America’s Greenest City Continues to Empower Sustainability

August 30, 2017 by Kerry Kilpatrick Leave a Comment

Sustainability

Mayor Rosalynn Bliss

Curt Monhart was talking with an affordable housing developer who will soon launch a multi-family housing project. The developer wants to maximize the energy efficiency of the building to minimize the cost of living in the facility. The developer asked Monhart the question “what are all the energy saving options we can use at this property?”

The developer requested the meeting following the announcement by the City of Grand Rapids about the newly enacted Property Assessed Clean Energy financing option. Less than a week after the city officially approved PACE the developer was ready to put the energy specific financing into action to meet the sustainability goals of his project.

“This is a way for individual investors and businesses to help us reduce our carbon footprint…It is totally in line with our sustainability plan.” Eric DeLong, Grand Rapids deputy city manager

Recognized by Fast Company in 2008 as America’s Greenest City, Grand Rapids, Michigan continues to ramp up support for businesses, property owners and organizations that are committed to long term sustainability within the city.

Recently elected mayor Rosalynn Bliss has a passion for sustainable development and was a driving force behind the passage of PACE. Following the unanimous vote for PACE Mayor Bliss commented “why did it take us so long to get here?”

While the county in which Grand Rapids resides has been aware of the program for over three years,  a classic chicken or the egg dynamic resulted in zero action. County officials described little public interest in PACE as their reason for not moving the initiative forward. The reality was those most inclined to use the rapidly expanding program had little interest in learning about a mechanism that was not yet approved or available.

As an alternative, Mayor Bliss took the approach “build it and they will come” and was instrumental in passing PACE last week. Once it was approved interest has skyrocketed!

In less than one week since the passage of PACE, EAG’s V.P. Curt Monhart has already held multiple meetings with developers interested in implementing a PACE strategy!

“I am pleased that my colleagues on the City Commission joined me in approving a PACE program. PACE provides a critical tool for property owners. It is an exciting step toward our sustainability goals and is a tremendous boost to the Grand Rapids 2030 District.” Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss

Energy Audits

Curt Monhart, EAG V.P.

In his announcement regarding the passage of PACE Monhart described the newly available program in this way:

PACE is an innovative funding mechanism specifically designed for energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy projects in the commercial, industrial, multi-family and non-profit sectors. It offers a number of key benefits versus traditional funding options and answers a common question for these projects: ‘how do we pay for it?’

Although the funding question is a key issue on most projects, it’s especially critical for those projects that have an energy efficiency component such as those set forth in Grand Rapids’ decision to become a 2030 district. The goals of GR2030 are:

  • A 50% reduction in energy and water use compared to a 2003 national benchmark across existing buildings by 2030, as well as emissions from transportation
  • For new buildings, an immediate 50-percent reduction compared to 2003 national benchmark of use, with a goal of net-zero by 2030

EAG’s President Scott Ringlein applauded the 2030 goals that go beyond only existing buildings. Even new buildings, constructed to today’s accepted building codes, are often equipped with technologies that are extremely inefficient. PACE makes it affordable to incorporate the most efficient equipment that will help meet the GR2030 goals.

As Ringlein noted “PACE insures that our buildings are being built with energy efficiency and long term preventive maintenance in mind.”

“Many states still allow for the installation of some very inefficient and expensive-to-maintain technologies in their new construction.” Scott Ringlein EAG President                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

With the implementation of PACE in Grand Rapids the surrounding cities of East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood and Walker are also considering making PACE available. It is just one more tool for launching an ever growing number of “green building” projects.

See Also:

Financing Clean Energy – Property Assessed Clean Energy
1.5 minute PACE video
Ten Questions to Ask Before an Energy Efficiency Upgrade – free report

Share this:

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Grand Rapids, PACE, Property Assessed Clean Energy, Sustainability

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Blog and News via Email

Receive notifications of new blog and news posts by email. Enter your email address to subscribe.

Recent Posts

  • The Hidden Psychological Benefits of Green Buildings
  • The Advantages of Efficiency in Commercial Real Estate
  • IoT-Equipped LED Lighting Systems Enhance Energy Efficiency
  • Event Highlights Sustainability and Economic Development
  • The Hidden Benefits of Solar Powered Energy

Sign Up for the EAG Newsletter

  • Enter your name and email address below to subscribe to updates from The Energy Alliance Group of Michigan.

Case Studies

City of Perry Case Study

Copyright© 2023 · The Energy Alliance Group of North America · 1-844-EAG-MICH (1-844-324-6424) · Designed by Moxie Grafix · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.