San Marcos City Council and Vista City Council each passed a resolution to adopt the HERO Financing Program and make the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program available to its residential and commercial property owners. The HERO Program enables property owners to finance home-improvement projects through their property taxes, allowing them to pay for permanently affixed renewable energy, energy-efficient, and water-efficient systems over time. The program is designed, in part, to lower energy costs, stimulate job creation, increase property values, and lower emissions.
The HERO program is the largest and most successful residential PACE program in the country with more than 8,000 applications from homeowners and over $150 million in approved projects in nearby communities. These communities have already seen a significant economic impact from the program in the form of sustainable jobs, reduced carbon emissions, energy savings and the promise of increased property values.
“We are so pleased to come to San Marcos and Vista and look forward to helping city leaders promote job growth and help homeowners save energy and save money,” said Dustin Reilich , Director of Municipal Development at Renovate America.
San Marcos and Vista homeowners and commercial property owners will be able to finance home energy and water efficiency upgrades, including installing solar panels, efficient windows and doors, and efficient heating and cooling systems, through the HERO Program. These upgrades make homes and businesses more comfortable while saving enough on utility bills to surpass the amount of money invested in the projects.
“There are over 40 cities in California providing the HERO Program for their residents, and we can already see our business grow in those areas. We look forward to the long-term job creation HERO will bring to our area,” said general manager Brian Miliate of Baker Electric Solar, a local contracting company. “HERO will make it possible for homeowners in Vista and San Marcos to get started on home improvement projects that lower their utility bills and increase their property values.”
HERO Financing will be available to San Marcos and Vista residents in a few months. Several other San Diego County cities and the County itself have also expressed an interest in making PACE financing available to property owners in their jurisdictions. If every city in San Diego County adopted HERO Financing for their jurisdiction, over 2,000 sustainable construction jobs would be created in the first year. The HERO program is now available to any city or county in California that wants to help property owners improve their properties and save money on utility bills. Local governments simply pass a resolution in order to join HERO, and participation is voluntary for homeowners.