As part of its Resilient Reading initiative, the city will host a free virtual roundtable\u00a0for commercial building owners hoping to improve energy performance in their buildings.<\/p>\n
The program will be presented Jan. 13 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in partnership with the Green Building Alliance.<\/p>\n
It will focus on Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, or C-PACE, financing that can help owners modernizing, rehabilitating or restoring their older buildings, transitioning to renewable energy or upgrading for energy savings.<\/p>\n
C-PACE is an innovative tax law policy that allows commercial property owners to make clean energy upgrades with no money down, through a favorable loan repaid through property tax assessments.<\/p>\n
It provides low-cost, long-term financing to support small businesses and property developers looking to maintain and modernize their buildings in ways that simultaneously benefit their bottom line and the broader community, organizers said.<\/p>\n
The roundtable will feature a panel of experts who will introduce and demystify the C-PACE program and offer case study examples of recently completed clean energy building upgrades financed through the program.<\/p>\n
Panelists will include\u00a0Elaine Evosevic-Lozada, leader, C-PACE Program, Sustainable Energy Fund;\u00a0Garett Vassel, founding president, Optima Durant Group, owner of The Commodore, a mixed-use redevelopment in Easton; and\u00a0Shelah Wallace, senior vice president, Originations, Bayview Asset Management.<\/p>\n
Wallace\u2019s experience in real estate lending, particularly in C-PACE capital provider leadership roles, brings expert perspective to the discussion, organizers said.<\/p>\n
Examples of eligible C-PACE projects include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Whole-building insulation<\/p>\n
\u2022 Geothermal heating and cooling<\/p>\n
\u2022 Combined heat and power<\/p>\n
\u2022 Smart building systems<\/p>\n
\u2022 State-of-the-art chillers, boilers, or furnaces<\/p>\n
\u2022 Heat recovery systems<\/p>\n
The free event is part of series presented by the city in cooperation with the alliance.<\/p>\n
The Pittsburgh-based nonprofit works with communities to create spaces that are as healthy for people as they are for the environment.<\/p>\n
The alliance partnered with the city to provide expertise on sustainable building practices, present the series and offer free annual energy and water use assessments to building owners in Reading<\/p>\n