Energy-efficiency bill clears House panel
Gargi Chakrabarty
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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A bill that would let cities and counties help homeowners and businesses take out loans to install solar, wind and energy-efficiency improvements won unanimous approval Tuesday in the House Transportation Committee.
House Bill 1350, sponsored by House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, and Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, would let people who invest in renewable-energy and efficiency improvements pay back loans through a property lien over 20 years.
"Even with rebates, the average homeowner might not think they can afford to install energy-efficiency or clean-energy improvements in their homes," Madden said. "Now they can."
The bill goes to the full House this week for debate.
Pam Kiely, program director for Environment Colorado, a coalition of environmental groups, said that homes and businesses can help themselves.
Community leaders have supported the bill.
"Financing energy-efficiency measures and renewable-energy sources has always been a challenge. The governor has asked every Coloradan to work with him in cutting the state's greenhouse gas emissions," Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor said.
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
Comments
Posted by SASQUATCH on April 2, 2008 at 7:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"A bill that would let cities and counties help homeowners and businesses take out loans to install solar, wind and energy-efficiency improvements..."
Glad to hear its loans to borrowers and not the usual taxpayer subsidies. Let the borrower pay the interest on his loan and then enjoy the resulting unreliable energy at 2-3X the cost of conventional sources. Pardon the image, but its like taking your dinner into your bathroom. Seems fair to me.
Posted by justright on April 2, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't get it? You can go to the bank now and get a loan. What is the city or county offering that a bank can't already do? Could it be that part of your properity taxes could be used to pay for this "loan"? Is the city lending you money like a bank and therefore collecting additional taxes in the form of interest? If so why aren't banks and credit unions protesting this attack on their piece of pie?
The whole artical smells! The only thing green in this article is goverment collecting green as either taxes or interest.
Posted by WThomasPayne on April 3, 2008 at 6:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps the previous two people making should read the Bill, instead of commenting on it without knowing what it says.
http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLIC...
The bill provides for bonding authority, to issue low-interest loans for the installation of renewable energy generation capacity and for home improvements that will make a property more energy efficient. The bonds are backed by mortgages on the real estate.
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