Take Advantage of Energy Retrofit Program

Argus-Courier Editorial

Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 6:51 p.m.

One year ago, the county of Sonoma launched an exciting and innovative new program that provides property owners with a low-cost way to finance energy and water-saving home improvements.

The Energy Independence Program allows residential and commercial property owners to enter into an assessment contract whereby the county pays the up-front cost of allowable-energy or water-saving improvements that are later repaid on the property owner’s tax bill over a five-to-20 year period at a rate of 7 percent interest.

The program, which has rapidly become a model nationwide, has resulted in hundreds of approved applications countywide for installing everything from solar panels to tankless water heaters, reflective roofing, smart irrigation controllers and attic insulation. Clearly, people want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while saving money in the process.

Where the pioneering energy conservation program has faltered is here in Petaluma. Out of 1,129 applications submitted countywide, only 109 have been received from Petaluma property owners, nearly identical to the 108 applications received from Sebastopol, a city with one-seventh the population.

Why is Sonoma County’s second largest city lagging so far behind its neighbors in taking advantage of this valuable energy saving program? In part, it’s because Petaluma did not begin participating in the program until last June. Compounding the city’s late entry into the energy-saving game was an onerous provision in Petaluma’s program requiring property owners to get approval from their mortgage lenders before they could participate. Since lenders had no incentive to process and notarize such time-consuming requests, many applications submitted last year languished, leaving many of Petaluma’s initial applicants frustrated and confused.

To correct the problem, the Petaluma City Council voted last September to remove the burdensome requirement, and that has since resulted in a significant uptick in the number of applications received from Petaluma residents and commercial property owners.

Still, when the volume of requested energy program financing from Rohnert Park is nearly four times that of Petaluma, we have to question why more local property owners are not taking advantage of the program’s enormous financial and environmental benefits.

For more information on how to utilize this low-cost energy efficiency program to reduce your carbon footprint, call 521-6200 or visit www.sonomacountyenergy.org.