Every month, Teamsters Local 848 pays an average of about $2,500 in energy bills to power its meeting hall on the 3800 block of Cherry Avenue.
But when it’s done with its energy-efficient project, the group representing some 7,000 delivery and bus drivers and warehouse workers can see that cost shrink to as low as $10 a month.
This week, the Teamsters broke ground on the first Los Angeles County Property Assessed Clean Energy-funded energy-efficiency project, which will include new solar panels, a new “cool roof” and improved lighting.
The $236,350 project, financed with a property tax bill assessment, will create up to $75,000 in savings and allow the building be sustainable year-round, according to the county.
“We are impressed that the Teamsters are paving the path for other commercial property owners to use Los Angeles County PACE financing to complete their green building upgrades,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe said in a statement. “The first of many projects to come, we hope other commercial property owners look to the Teamsters’ meeting hall in the Fourth District as an example of the financial opportunities PACE offers — lowering building operating costs and increasing property values.”
The county created a team of finance and community and economic development experts last October to help commercial property owners to develop more sustainable projects.
The Teamsters’ project is the first of more than 29 projects being developed through PACE financing for more than $24 million worth of sustainable improvements, according to the county.
“With the project pipeline growing at an extraordinary rate, we are excited to see more property owners use PACE to make cost-effective energy-efficient upgrades that lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” Howard Choy, General Manager of the Los Angeles County Office of Sustainability, said in a statement.
Teamsters Secretary-Treasurer Eric Tate said he was made aware of the program while inquiring about solar paneling for his own home.
The project was so successful that Local 848 is encouraging all of the other Southern California Teamsters Locals to install solar power panels on their buildings, Tate said.
The solar panels will create about 80 percent of the building while the cool roof will lower roof temperatures by about 20 degrees and the new lighting will reduce energy use by 38 percent annually, according to the county.
“It’s a huge money saver and will allow us to put money back into other things,” Tate said. “I can’t wait to do it at home.”
For more, visit lapace.org.
Article by Karen Robes Meeks of Press Telegram, appearing courtesy PaceNow.
