Providing city loans for energy efficiency improvements
February 28, 2010
I introduced an ordinance to make Milwaukee one of the first cities in the country to set up a revolving loan fund program for energy efficiency improvements.
Promoting solar power is critical not only for our environment, but for our economy and for job creation as well. Solar emits no greenhouse gases, as fossil fuels do. Additionally, solar would allow us to purchase less fossil fuel from overseas, and create jobs in the installation and manufacturing market.
Historically, the barrier to people installing solar panels has been the high upfront cost. This rotating loan fund requires a minimal amount of money up front, and the homeowner can pay the city back over a 15-year time period. The idea is that most of the money will come from money saved as a result of not having to purchase power from a carrier.
Milwaukee has received a federal grant to fund the initial lending program, and is actively soliciting funds from foundations and other outside sources in order to expand service to more homes. In these tight fiscal times, it’s crucial that we continue to assemble great programs like this with minimal tax impact.
This ordinance was considered before the Community and Economic Development Committee Feb. 22. I have broad support for this legislation, and anticipate it being approved by the full council when it next meets March 2. Anybody who is interested in participating in this loan fund should contact me at (414) 286-3769 or tzielinski@wi.rr.com.
Tony Zielinski is the city of Milwaukee’s alderman for the 14th District, which includes Bay View. He can be reached at tzieli@milwaukee.gov or (414) 286-3769.
Vicky on Mon, 1st Mar 2010 9:32 am
This is good news! This program will surely benefit people and the environment. Green products such as window tints would be a great idea in pursuing green buildings or even green homes and green cars. Green oriented sites such as http://www.TintBuyer.com discuss how window tints can be labeled as one of the most effective way to conserve energy consumption for less compared to other green related technology. Window tint is a known and trusted “Green” technology, it is cost-effective, energy-efficient and above all, it is eco-friendly.
Theresa on Sat, 24th Apr 2010 4:22 am
Energy efficient programs will really help people and the environment to conserve our energy in its simplest form. As an additional aspect of helping one could also use house materials as part of their energy efficiency improvements which can also help in the conservation of energy and electricity. One example of this type of products are window tints which can be commonly found in our home windows and car glasses. These window tints can block summer heat and improve winter heat retention. To know more about this kind of materials, visit http://www.Tintbuyer.com.