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Keene officials move to adopt C-PACE program; ordinance drafting is next step
Summary
City officials described the state-authorized C-PACE program (Senate Bill 4, 2025) as a privately financed tool to support energy and resilience upgrades for commercial and larger multifamily properties; the council endorsed pursuing a local ordinance and outreach to lenders and contractors.
Asa Kramer and guests on the City of Keene podcast said the city will pursue a local ordinance to participate in the state-authorized C-PACE program. Mary Brunner, senior planner, summarized the program: "It stands for clean energy property assessed clean energy and resiliency," and said it is enabled by the legislature in 2025 through Senate Bill 4 and administered by the New Hampshire Business and Finance Authority.
Brunner said C-PACE uses private financing and "doesn't cost any tax dollars," adding the lien remains with the property for up to 30 years so energy savings can transfer with ownership. She described eligible work broadly: energy-efficiency upgrades, energy storage and microgrids, EV charging, flood- and snow-mitigation, air-quality improvements and even lead-pipe remediation.
Gordon Levery, chair of Keene's Energy and Climate Committee, and Brunner said the model shifts most administrative burden to the state authority so municipalities need not staff program administration. Brunner said lenders and contractors will play a key role in informing property owners: loan officers "are going to encourage people to look into the C-PACE program," she said.
City Manager Elizabeth Ferland told listeners the council "liked the idea" and approved moving forward with the recommendation; the next formal step is drafting and adopting a local ordinance authorizing participation and then outreach to banks, contractors and economic development partners to ensure projects can use the financing option.
The city described C-PACE as primarily an economic development tool for commercial and large multifamily properties that can also deliver resilience benefits. Keene officials said about 30 other states have operated prior CPACE programs and that the 2025 statute expands eligibility to a wider set of resilience projects.
Officials did not announce a timeline for final ordinance adoption; staff will prepare draft ordinance language for council consideration and community outreach, after which the council would schedule public hearings and a formal vote.
