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  1. TopTop #1
    Solar Guy
    Guest

    Call to Arms! The Energy Independence program is in jeopardy!

    This is truly a call to arms, We have to fight this to the end.
    This is not just a local issue but nationwide this PACE program is about to be shut down or changed in such a way that it will not be viable to most people. Say goodbye to you ability to secure a loan from the county to purchase energy improvements such as insulation, windows, appliances, solar etc for your home or business. We'll just keep going with using more energy, letting the utility companies and the feds determine our economic and environmental fate.
    I’m sure you have heard of this local program somewhere in the news and on radio. In Sonoma County it’s the SCEIP program. This program over the past year has spread to over 17 states in the country and now it’s in jeopardy of failing or at least its rules changed so it’s not a viable solution for people to use to help them finance energy improvements to their homes or businesses.
    In May 2010, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the same organization we bailed out in 2009) directed banks and credit unions on how to treat assessments under programs such as the SCEIP. These directives stated that energy improvement assessments should be classified as “loans” instead of “assessments,” implying that agreeing to the assessment could be considered a violation of most mortgage documents. Sonoma County vigorously disagrees with this interpretation and is working diligently to reverse their opinion through legislative action and education efforts with the federal regulators. In the meantime, it is important for you to understand what these directives mean to your situation.
    On July 6, 2010, FHFA issued a guidance statement to lenders regarding SCEIP type programs and the assessments being applied. As of July 6th, no new energy improvement loans will be accepted or processed. Basically the program is frozen.
    Visit www.sonomacountyenergy.org for up-to-date information.
    The Federal Housing Finance Agency Statement from July 6, 2010 is available on the SCEIP website for review. We strongly encourage you to contact the Federal Key Decision Makers and share your support of SCEIP and Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) programs.

    It's time to write your supervisors and legistlators again, remind them to do what we hired them to do. The Federal key decision makers document link above has names and contact info for you to write too. Solar sonoma county has pre-written letters if you want to use them.

    Lets get the message out that we want and need energy independance finacing avialiable to all in california and accross the nation.
    Last edited by Solar Guy; 07-10-2010 at 01:10 PM. Reason: there were font messages all over it I cleaned it up.
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  2. TopTop #2
    Solar Guy
    Guest

    Call to Arms! The Energy Independence program is in jeopardy!

    Without the SCEIP program, many or most Californians state wide and others nationwide for that matter have no other means to qualify for energy improvement financing.
    Banks are not hardly loaning money anymore. People cannot qualify, and all of them wanting to save money on their energy expenses, use less energy, save water and natural resources. Most would love to put in solar and help the planet and environment. Were talking about human existence and sustainability.
    WE NEED THIS PROGRAM TO CONTINUE. We have no energy improvement plan for this county other than this loan program. Don't take away our only means of affording energy improvements.
    THE F-MAY, F-MAC are not right on this. These loans are not anything like traditional loans. With traditional loans, people can buy whatever they want, cars, boats, vacations, etc. The Energy Independence tax loans are only specific to permanently installed energy upgrades on existing properties. Just like schools make improvements through buying bonds, SCEIP will buy tax free bonds with the money loaned to support the program. They can pass the tax savings to all within the program.
    IF the Feds are going to change the rules and cause the programs to fail, We should take our program to the state level and go back to local state banking for this program. We as a state should be self sufficient and exclude the FEDS altogether.
    Remember who bailed out F-May, F-mac,? We did, and they need to not be involved in any way with the fate of this loan program.
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