Assemblyman Lloyd Levine's Bill Making Home Energy Efficiency Improvements Affordable Gets the Green Light in Los Angeles

Los Angeles – The Los Angeles City Council today unanimously passed a resolution supporting Assemblymember Lloyd Levine’s (D-Woodland Hills) bill providing low-interest city loans to homeowners and small businesses to install solar panels and other energy efficiency improvements.

“One of the major stumbling blocks for homeowners is being able to afford the upfront costs of installing solar panels and other energy efficiency products,” Assemblyman Lloyd Levine testified before the Los Angeles City Council. “This bill allows California cities to pay those upfront costs.”

Assembly bill 811 authorizes cities to give low-interest loans to homeowners and small businesses for solar panels and permanent projects including dual pane windows and high efficiency heating and air conditioning units. The loans would be paid back through small assessments on city utility and property tax bills.

“It is a win-win situation because  in the end, homeowners will have solar energy coming into their homes for free, the value of the house improves and so does the environment,” Assemblymember Levine said.

AB 811 is now in the California Senate. Assemblymember Levine wants to make the bill an urgency matter so the low-interest loans can take affect immediately.

Assemblyman Levine is one of the authors of California’s Solar Initiative bringing 3000 megawatts of solar energy to the state in the next decade.

The following radio links are from today’s testimony by Assemblyman Levine to the Los Angeles City Council.

Assemblymember Lloyd Levine’s opening statement to the Los Angeles City Council as they considered AB 811.

Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, in response to a question from an LA City Council member, explains how the home energy efficiency program works.

Assemblymember Lloyd Levine says other California cities want to, implement similar programs.