C-PACE Energy Efficiency Loans
Go Clean & Green
C-PACE funding provides 100% cost effective financing of environmentally beneficial upgrades of commercial real estate. All of the energy efficiency, sustainable, renewable energy, water conservation, resiliency improvements and related costs are included in renovations and retrofits, loan refinance, and ground up new construction scenarios. The financing is collected with regular local real estate tax payments over the useful life of the project.
Benefits of a C-PACE Financing Program for Your Commercial Property
C-PACE funding allows property owners to finance projects through voluntary assessments placed on the property by a state economic development agency. The assessment attached to the property and remains on the property in the event of sale to a new owner (i.e. no personal guarantees needed by an owner).
Commercial real estate projects must demonstrate cost savings through reduced water usage or energy consumption or increased energy generation to be eligible. e.g. solar panels, HVAC, furnace and boiler systems, insulation, lighting, green roofs, motors/pumps/fans, water heating and low flow water, etc.
The program brings major benefits to the property owner or real estate developer to get long-term, low-cost financing on eligible projects from $75K all the way to $100M such as:
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low, fixed rate financing for up to 30 year terms (non-recourse, the loan stays with the property, it transfers to new owner)
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100% financing of hard and soft costs (no upfront costs on efficiency projects!)
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with no out of pocket costs, a better ability to afford the installation of expensive environmentally efficient upgrades on commercial properties (and keeps lines of credit open for other things)
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close the funding gap: replace expensive mezzanine debt with capital at a lower rate and/or reduce the amount of equity required to be contributed
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improved systems/equipment decrease utility, energy, and maintenance costs
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increases net operating income and property value/life of the building
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ability to recover funding costs as an operating expense (i.e. tax/assessment payments)
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for the public good: promotes economic development, urban revitalization, and a positive environmental impact
The program is available in four different scenarios intended to bring forth environmentally efficient commercial real estate structures:
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Renovation (improve an older building): up to 30% funding of building value for costs to install more efficient systems
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C-PACE Refinance (real estate already has a C-PACE loan structure): lower the rate
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Ground up new construction (build a structure to be environmentally efficient from day 1): up to 20% funding of the total development value for costs to install more efficient systems
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Retrofit (an older building had recently installed efficient systems): replace debt for this previous cost with C-PACE funding
In the USA, C-PACE lending is available in states where legislation has been passed to allow property owners to enter into this kind of assessment financing. C-PACE legislation has been enabled in 36 states and locally activated in most of those states, including Texas, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. With our operations based in Cincinnati, we can assist with C-PACE funding in any state while we are most active with Ohio or Kentucky-based energy-efficient real estate projects. Several dozen C-PACE commercial real estate projects in both states have been completed to date.
Get in touch with us today to discuss the possibilities for your energy efficient commercial building project.