Swimming in Savings: Californians on Track to Conserve 5B Gallons of Water through HERO-Financed Projects

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Renovate America today announced that California residents are actively pursuing home water efficiency projects despite the loosening of state-imposed water restrictions. Many homeowners are using HERO financing to pay for the upgrades. HERO is a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program that is available to the vast majority of California residents.

To date, water saving projects financed through HERO are projected to save five billion gallons of water over the useful lifetime of the products and systems. Five billion gallons of water could provide drinking water to every person on the planet for one day, fill 8000 Olympic swimming pools, or provide showers for 160 million people.

"Californians understand that most of us live in a very arid climate – one with lots of sun and very little rainfall," said J.P. McNeill, CEO of Renovate America, the company that administers the HERO Program. "As such, long-term conservation solutions are essential to support California's farming and urban areas.  Homeowners throughout the state are doing their part by making their homes and yards more water efficient enabling us to conserve our most precious resource: water."

Water savings through HERO have been growing exponentially over recent months, with nearly half of the overall savings obtained since Governor Brown mandated a 25% reduction of water use in urban areas last summer.

HERO financing allows homeowners to make water- and energy-efficiency improvements and install solar power panels and to pay for them over time through their property tax bill. Eligible water-saving retrofits include high-efficiency toilets, faucets, and showerheads; drip irrigation systems; rainwater catchment systems; gray water systems; and artificial turf and other drought-tolerant landscaping.

In California, saving water has the added benefit of conserving a significant amount of electricity. Moving and treating water uses a lot of electricity, especially in southern California, where much of the water is imported from the north. Five billion gallons reduces energy consumption in the state by approximately 10 million kWh.

Since its inception in December 2011, the HERO Program has provided $1.63 billion in financing for projects in 70,000 homes throughout California. The program is a public-private partnership with municipalities, and has been adopted by 426 communities within 48 of California's 58 counties. It is currently available to 87% of California households. In addition to spurring significant water savings, HERO has financed projects that together will save more than 10 billion kWh of grid electricity.

The HERO Program offers the strongest consumer protections in the home improvement industry. These include ensuring contractors are licensed and bonded; certifying pricing does not exceed fair market value; and guaranteeing all installed products are federally rated energy- and water-efficient. HERO also obtains homeowner sign-off before paying any money to contractors and provides additional protections for customers age 65 and up.

For more information please visit www.HeroProgram.com. To schedule interviews with local HERO representatives, elected officials, homeowners, or contractors, or for a media kit, please contact Severn Williams at 510-336-9566 or [email protected].

About Renovate America
Renovate America partners with state and local governments to offer HERO, a property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing program, to communities. HERO is the leading residential PACE program in the U.S. and has financed more than $1.6 billion of improvements. This unique public-private partnership offers consumers access to financing for more than 60 types of products that reduce energy and water consumption, without the need for government funding. The HERO Program has received a number of recognitions including a Climate Leadership Certificate for Innovative Partnerships by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, inclusion in the 2016 White House Water Summit, the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in California, and the Urban Land Institute Best of the Best.

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SOURCE Renovate America