Hurricanes can cause tremendous stress to homeowners, even before they hit. From grocery stores jam-packed with frantic shoppers to gas stations lined up with thirsty cars, preparing for an upcoming storm causes stress for just about everyone around town. And even after the storm has passed, it often may leave countless obstacles scattered in its wake. One of the most daunting post-hurricane challenges is assessing the damage to your home (and figuring out how to pay large, unexpected bills to repair the damage).
Now imagine a different way. Instead of the usual stress and frustration associated with such an ordeal, you can be calm and collected while assessing the storm’s aftermath. You’re able to do this because you were fully prepared to face the storm before it hit. Your home was already armed with a backup generator, storm shutters, and wind- and water-resistant measures securely in place. The best part is, you were able to do it all through 100% financing with no money down.
A unique and efficient program called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) makes this possible. Scientific American has proclaimed the PACE program as one of its top 20 “world-changing” ideas; PACE is an affordable program that allows homeowners to make energy efficient and hurricane protection improvements to their homes that will continue to benefit them long after hurricane season has passed.
According to a survey by the National Hurricane Survival Initiative, 66% of Floridians identified installation of impact-resistant windows as one of their top three home-hardening preferences. With wind and water damage contributing significantly to a hurricane’s disastrous after-effects, PACE eligible storm protection improvements can greatly reduce the potential damage of a hurricane, including high-impact doors and basement membrane waterproofing.
“Everyone wants their home to be able to withstand the worst of a hurricane, but not every family’s budget has the means to make home hardening possible,” says David Kelly, Senior Vice President of Sales with Ygrene, a PACE provider and national leader in clean energy financing for storm home improvements. “Floridians are fortunate that the state is one of just three in the nation that allow residential PACE, so they should take advantage by investing in their future while increasing their property’s value now.”
The process for getting PACE financing approval is simple, taking just three easy steps:
- Get qualified
- Select a project
- Choose a contractor.
Homeowners can get prequalified in less than thirty minutes with an online application, and their entire project is 100% financed with no money down. Even repaying the financing is easy; payments are added onto and made with the owner’s property tax bill and can be delayed up to a year or more, with the cost spread out over the lifetime of the financing agreement (sometimes up to 30 years). Eligibility is primarily based on factors other than credit score, such as home equity.
PACE projects aren’t just proactive ways to start preparing for the inevitable challenges of hurricane season. PACE home improvement solutions can also result in a more sustainable home for you and your family. Options such as solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and wind turbines may help lower your utility bills.
In the end, the greatest value of PACE-financed improvement is the peace of mind that comes with knowing your home is properly hardened against the forces of nature, before they happen. The more prepared you are before the hurricane, the less you’ll need to worry once it arrives.
Ygrene PACE Financing How it Works from Ygrene Energy Fund on Vimeo.
For more information regarding Ygrene and how you can begin the PACE process today, visit Ygrene.com.