Commercial
Commercial Energy Auditing and Weatherization
We offer comprehensive Commercial Energy Audits. We have highly trained team members that will come into your business and assess your buildings energy efficiency. We look in all of the areas where you can save money such as the building envelope, insulation, HVAC systems, Lighting, high drain appliances, water consumption and building entry systems. We take this information and provide an energy model of your building so you have a detailed report of your building’s energy and resource usage.
We are also involved in the process of having local government buildings and offices undergo comprehensive energy audits to reduce energy costs which fall upon the tax burden of local citizens. We are eager to have local large business such as Anheuser-Busch, Komatsu, Toyo Tires, and others participate in energy audits to reduce their operating costs and reduce carbon footprint.
Businesses in Downtown Cartersville are eligible for a special privilege!
If you own a business in Downtown Cartersville, Georgia or within the city limits of any other Georgia city, you have the chance to qualify for a loan program that is lending money at a super low interest rate of 3.00%. The Georgia Cities Foundation has set up the Green Communities Fund in order to encourage business owners in participating Georgia cities to participate in energy efficient improvements to their facilities. The loan will building improvements if those improvement are to reduce the energy consumption by 20%. These businesses must be within the city limits of a Georgia city and must also undergo an energy audit prior to loan funding. Once the improvements are funded the Green Communities Fund will rebate to the business owner a portion of the cost of the energy audit which is an additional incentive aside from the reduced energy bills that the business receives. Listed below are the details from the Green Community Fund directly.
Green Communities Fund Overview
The Green Communities Fund is a new revolving loan program offered by the Georgia Cities Foundation. Made possible through a grant from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA), the Green Communities Fund provides low interest financing to business and/or property owners for energy efficient improvements to their qualifying commercial properties.
The Green Communities Fund program targets commercial buildings located inside the city limits of any city in the state of Georgia. These low interest loans range in loan size from $10,000 to $250,000. With energy efficiency as the objective of the program, the loans will be used for energy efficient improvements to existing businesses, renovations of existing buildings, as well as for improvements to planned new construction.
Loan Structure
Maximum Loan Amount: Varied, depending on the following project costs:
| Energy Project Cost | $12,000 to $50,000 | $50,001 – $100,000 | $100,001 – $500,000 |
| Financing Structure
(GCF2 – Borrower) |
90% – 10% | 80% – 20% | 75% – 25% |
| Maximum GCF2 Loan Amount | Up to $45,000 | Up to $80,000 | Up to $250,000 |
| Minimum Borrower Equity Participation | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Loan Term | 5 years | 5 years | 10 years, with 15 year amortization |
Minimum Loan Amount: $10,000
Interest Rate: Below market (currently 3.00%).
Green Communities Fund Application Process:
Energy Audit
As a prerequisite for a Green Communities Fund Loan, a comprehensive energy audit of the existing building or an energy model for a new building must be conducted. The audit will identify ways to improve the energy efficiency of the building. Additionally, the audit will predict the best return on investment for each improvement. The audit will identify a list of applicable improvements that may be financed through the Green Communities Fund loan program. The various energy savings investments may include, but are not limited to, the following list:
Examples of Eligible Improvements:
- Insulation
- Lighting Retrofits
- Reflective Roofing
- Weather & Duct Sealing
- High Efficiency Appliances
- High Efficiency HVAC
- Occupancy Sensors
- Solar Thermal Hot Water Heaters
- Tankless Water Heaters
Energy Audit Rebates
The Green Communities Fund offers a rebate program towards approved energy audits that are conducted as a part of our loan program. Once an applicant has been approved for and closes on a Green Communities Fund loan, the applicant is eligible for a rebate of 80% of the energy audit cost up to 10% of the total loan amount. For loan amounts of less than $25,000, the Green Communities Fund will provide a rebate for approved energy audit expenses above the first $500 up to $2,500. All energy audits and related expenses must be pre-approved by the Georgia Cities Foundation prior to completion of the loan application process to be eligible for the rebate program.
Minimum Energy Improvements
To be eligible for the Green Communities Fund loan the borrower must either meet a minimum of a 20% energy savings or have a combined return on investment for the work performed of 10 years or better. The energy audit will provide the ability to determine which combination of improvements will meet these standards. Additionally, the Green Communities Fund can finance renewable energy projects, such as solar, once the building has a building that is 20% more energy efficient.
Historic Buildings
Loan applications for energy efficient improvements to historic buildings should not negatively impact the character of historic buildings. Additionally, the applicant must show that the desired improvements are compliant with the local Historic Preservation Commission (where present) and meets all local design guidelines.
