Spokane County Commissioners Approve C-PACER

This afternoon, the Spokane Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to allow Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy & Resilience (C-PACER) Financing in Spokane County. C-PACER financing helps building owners finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resilience projects through a low-interest, long-term loan that is attached to the property itself rather than the property owner. C-PACER financing is an important tool for commercial buildings to comply with the state’s Clean Buildings Act, a mandatory benchmarking and efficiency law.

Advocates have worked diligently for more than four years to bring C-PACER financing to Spokane’s property owners. Initial success came in 2020 when the state of Washington passed the legislation enabling such financing. However, only a handful of counties have opted into the program in the subsequent years. Others, like Spokane County, believed vagueness in certain parts of the bill exposed the county to risk. This year’s SB5862 fixer bill clarified those points, assuring counties that it is a low-risk, high-return opportunity to boost economic activity while benefiting the environment.

“We expect C-PACER to create jobs, increase the value of commercial properties and reduce the environmental impact of the built environment,” says Erik Makinson, Resource Synergy’s founder and Spokane’s leading C-PACER advocate.

Property owners can now access this financing mechanism for new construction, existing building retrofits, and even refinance projects that were completed in the prior three years.