Welcome to our August newsletter! 360 Energy Group is proud to announce that we are officially a registered professional for the Chicago PACE program. Read more below to find out how we can help finance your energy and sustainability projects.
360 Energy Group Gives Back!
360 Energy Group had the pleasure of joining the Illinois Green Alliance as a sponsor of the third annual sustainability day camp at the Elliott Donnelly Youth Center in Bronzeville. The campers explored solar and energy efficiency topics through fun, hands on activities such as creating solar night lights out of LED garden lights and building solar cars to race at the end of the day. We are proud to sponsor this green event and happy to educate Chicago's youth on sustainability!
Need Help Financing your Energy Projects?
One of the biggest obstacles our customers face when planning an energy related project is financing. PACE eliminates that obstacle by allowing commercial building owners to obtain low cost financing for 20+ years on projects that enhance building energy efficiency, sustainability, or renewable energy. PACE programs can be found across the country and have funded 2,000 projects thus far. One of the most recent PACE programs launched right here in Chicago as a way for the City to meet its sustainability and economic development goals.
PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy and is a method of providing 100 percent long term, fixed-rate financing for energy efficiency, resilience, water conservation and sustainability upgrades to existing buildings and new developments. Through PACE, a beneficial assessment is attached to the building and paid out through the property tax bill. Commercial and multifamily property owners across Chicago can use Chicago PACE financing to lower both operating expenses and their cost of capital.
Project costs that are eligible for financing through PACE include the cost of materials and labor, project related work, financing costs, and soft costs such as building permits, inspections, commissioning, audits etc. Project examples include building envelope improvements, energy efficiency equipment retrofits, combined heat and power, roof replacements, solar and much more.
360 Energy Group, a Smart Energy Design Assistance Center partner, will work within the Chicago PACE program to provide feasibility studies, incentives and financing, and implementation assistance. Our services include an examination of the major building components, utility bill analysis, and system optimization. We will also provide ongoing implementation assistance including technical expertise, economic analysis, and engineering support throughout your project to verify that all measures are completed as planned. Our team will guide you through the PACE financing process and can assist you in gaining utility incentives for energy efficiency projects and obtaining green building certifications.
Chicago PACE is eligible in the City of Chicago for commercial, industrial, multi-family, and non-residential agriculture facilities. Chicago PACE is not currently available for residential or condominium facilities. To finance your next project through the Chicago PACE program, contact our Project Manager Bryan Tillman at bryan@360eg.com or 773-236-8901.
Quick Tip: Your Building Needs a Tune-Up
You take your car in for a regular tune-up, but what about your building? Just as your car needs to be maintained to run optimally, so do your building systems. More often than not the energy systems in a building, such as HVAC and lighting, are not programmed to match the way a building is used. Not only has your equipment aged since installation, but the needs of the building may have changed. By neglecting your building, you are unnecessarily paying for higher energy bills and frequent maintenance costs while dealing with less than optimal conditions.
Benefits of a building tune-up, often referred to as retro-commissioning, include:
Cost savings
Energy savings
Lower maintenance costs
Low payback periods
Extended equipment life
Improved occupant comfort and air quality
Optimized building controls
Don't wait any longer, get your energy use back on track and start saving. Contact our Senior Program Manager, Ryan Curry, at 312-267-2864 or ryan@360eg.com today.
The Social Media Corner
Are you following us on social media? Stay up to date on all things energy efficiency by giving us a follow. Check out some of our top posts from last month.
Why is Energy Efficiency Important?
Energy efficiency is crucial to reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Why is energy efficiency important to you? Check out our graphic here.
What is Geothermal?
Our 360 team answers your most pressing renewable energy questions in our latest blog post. Like, what exactly is geothermal. Read the full blog post here.
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