We’re thrilled to share that the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has awarded Nectar Community Investments a $50,000 EmPower Implementation grant to increase access to the benefits of clean energy and reduce the energy burden on historically underserved populations across Essex and Middlesex counties. MassCEC funding will support Nectar residential lending activities, including providing financing to low- and moderate-income homeowners for clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades, as well as ongoing community engagement efforts to increase awareness and education of available offerings. 

As our Executive Director Glynn Lloyd wrote in this CommonWealth Beacon op-ed, a study from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy shows that low-income households face dramatically higher energy burdens – spending a larger share of their income on energy bills – than the average household. At the same time, programs for energy improvements have largely focused on electrifying or decarbonizing units in larger multifamily buildings rather than on single-family homes, and low-income communities are also vulnerable to predatory lending practices. Nectar offers flexible, innovative financing options that empower homeowners to save money, cut emissions, and ultimately enhance home quality and stability, and we’re grateful to MassCEC for its support and leadership as we continue to pursue this work.

To learn more about EmPower, click here.

To learn more about how Nectar supports homeowners, click here.