By Editorial Board Friday, November 4th, 2011

A revised emPowerSBC program for energy efficiency upgrades was unveiled in Santa Barbara County on Nov. 1.

Greatly revised from earlier efforts, emPower offers property owners up to $4,000 in loans for upgrades, with funding coming from Coast Hills Federal Credit Union and Ventura County Credit Union. It also ties in with statewide programs designed to maximize rebates and other discount programs.

To get the program off the ground, Santa Barbara County was able to get funding from the Department of Energy’s BetterBuildings Program, one of only two counties in California to get access to this funding.
EmPower can do a lot to improve the energy efficiency of housing across the county.

Perhaps someday the entire region will be able to participate.