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Texas PACE Authority urges Coppell to promote property-assessed clean energy financing
Summary
A representative of the Texas PACE Authority asked council to let staff present PACE program details to local building owners and the Chamber of Commerce and urged aggressive city energy reduction goals to support grid reliability.
Valerie, representing the Texas PACE Authority and the Institute of Sustainability, used a public-comment slot to brief the council on the PACE in a Box program and to offer further outreach to local officials and businesses.
Valerie said the Texas PACE Authority was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit to streamline PACE implementation in Texas. She described the enabling law as a 2013 Senate bill that allows local governments to create property-assessed clean energy districts and said PACE financing enables property owners to make energy- or water-related improvements and repay the cost over up to 20 years via an assessment on their property.
Why it matters: Valerie urged council to set aggressive energy-reduction goals and to consider local matching foundations to support PACE grants, arguing that broader use of building retrofits will reduce demand on the Texas grid. She referenced ERCOT projections in noting that electricity demand in Texas is expected to rise and said PACE can provide long-term financing locally: "Local banks can become PACE lenders. Local contractors can become trained and become Texas PACE Authority service providers. Local businesses can upgrade their equipment and reduce energy consumption," she said.
Ending: Valerie offered staff and the Texas PACE Authority as resources and invited staff to schedule presentations to council, the Chamber of Commerce and local building owners.
