HERO Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements Hits $50 Million
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The HERO (home energy renovation opportunity) financing program allows homeowners in Western Riverside County to finance home energy and water efficiency improvements through their property taxes. The Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) has announced that $50 million in home energy retrofits have been financed since the program was launched in December 2011. The size of the program has increased rapidly, with half of the total dollars financed through HERO since July alone. With $325 million to be invested, WRCOG expects the HERO program to create as many as 4,000 jobs and save about 15 million kilowatt-hours in the area.
“The rapid expansion of the HERO financing program shows us that this is the right program at the right time for Western Riverside County residents,” said City of Calimesa Council Member Jim Hyatt, who also chairs WRCOG. “Homeowners are ready to make these investments, and convenient access to affordable financing encourages them to make their properties more energy and water efficient.”