Code of Maine Rules › 95 - INDEPENDENT AGENCIES › 648 - EFFICIENCY MAINE TRUST › Chapter 5 - COMMERCIAL PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY (C-PACE) PROGRAM REGULATIONS › Section 648-5-5 - ENERGY SAVINGS IMPROVEMENTS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
1. To be eligible
				for a C-PACE Loan under this Chapter, an improvement or series of improvements
				relating to a Qualifying Property's energy production or energy consumption
				must satisfy the requirements of an "Energy Savings Improvement."
2. The purchase and installation of an Energy
				Savings Improvement must satisfy all of the following, where applicable:
a. Be new and permanently affixed to the
				Qualifying Property;
b. If it
				involves weatherization, then the insulation materials used must not violate
				the provisions of 38 M.R.S.A §
										1613, which restricts the use of
				hydrofluorocarbons, and the project must result in increased energy efficiency
				or substantially reduced energy use;
c. If it involves appliances and equipment,
				then each appliance and piece of equipment must comply with relevant provisions
				of either the federal Appliance and Equipment Standards established in 10 Code
				of Federal Regulations Part 42 9
				or, where applicable, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's
				Appliance Efficiency Standards established at 06-096 Code of Maine Rules
				Chapter 180, and the project must result in increased energy efficiency or
				substantially reduced energy use;
d. If it involves a Renewable Energy
				Installation, then it must meet the elements of that term as defined in Section
				2, sub-section
				21 of this Chapter;
e. If it involves electric vehicle supply
				equipment or any energy storage system, then the equipment must be certified by
				the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., or equivalent safety standard, and comply
				with all National Electrical Code regulations for safety and operation
				requirements;
f. If it involves
				space heating equipment that is not a renewable energy installation, then it
				must produce the lowest carbon emissions of any heating equipment reasonably
				available to the property owner, provided that:
(i) The Program Administrator shall rely on
				the updated US Environmental Protection Agency's "Emission Factors for
				Greenhouse Gas Inventories" to compare carbon dioxide emissions per million
				British thermal units (Btu) of fossil fuels and biomass, which shall be
				published in a table in the Program Guidelines;
(ii) The Program Administrator shall compare
				the emission factors of fossil fuels, biomass and electrically powered heat
				pumps assuming the minimum efficiency standards allowed in the applicable
				appliance standards and a minimum Heating System Performance Factor of a heat
				pump system that would be eligible for a rebate from the Trust, and publish the
				results in a table in the Program Guidelines;
(iii) For any property that is connected to
				the electric utility distribution system, electric heat pumps are presumed to
				be the lowest carbon emission space heating option; and,
(iv) Upon a showing of good cause by the
				Property Owner, the Director may approve the use of the next lowest
				carbon-emitting heating system that is reasonably available;
g. If it is for the construction
				of a new building or facility, then it must be established that the
				improvements significantly exceed the energy standards of the Maine Uniform
				Building and Energy Code, adopted pursuant to Title 10, M.R.S.A. §
										9722, subsection
				6, paragraph B. Pathways to establish
				that a new construction project meets this standard are described in the
				Program Guidelines; and
h. Achieve
				a Savings-to-Investment Ratio (SIR) that is not less than 1.0, where the
				process for calculating the SIR is established in the Program
				Guidelines.