| Clinton Cites Financing as Retrofit Hurdle |
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Inadequate financing mechanisms have stalled efforts to create a national energy-efficiency program to retrofit residential and commercial buildings, says former President Bill Clinton. “I’ve concluded the main reason people argue against this is the complete absence of parallel financing and the fact that all costs are up front and the benefits spread out,” he is quoted as saying in an article at the BNET web site. Among his solutions: energy retrofit bank loans backed by large energy service companies; retrofit-oriented small business loan guarantee programs; local programs like the Berkeley model (see “Solar Company Expands in Mass.,” May 13, 2009; see archives) that help homeowners pay for retrofits over time through property taxes or mortgage payments; and legislation to require the decoupling of utility-company profits from electricity sales, enabling the utilities to finance retrofits. |
