Blog

Signs seem to be pointing to the operating lease going the way of the dodo bird, or my favorite dinosaur, the Dimetrodon.   Extinct may not be the right term, but much like today’s chickens may be living relatives of the dinosaurs of old, the capital lease may soon be the only living relative of theRead more

Having been in this business long enough at this point, an interesting pattern emerged that just didn’t quite make sense to me: Energy Services Companies (ESCO’s) seem work almost exclusively in the Municipal, University, Schools and Hospitals (MUSH) market, and don’t really seem to touch on similar buildings in the commercial sector.  Why would this be? WhatRead more

  One of Harcourt Brown & Carey’s latest engagements is with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).  In 2015, HB&C completed a Finance Tune-Up for this office, providing recommendations on how existing funding could be used to strengthen clean energy finance offerings to better meet its goals.  In 2016, HB&C will be supporting DCEO through developingRead more

Harcourt Brown & Carey spends a lot of time working with, developing, refining and reporting on the efficacy of utility-based demand side management programs (of course HB&C’s focus is always finance-based).  So it was very encouraging today to read some findings provided in a recent Greentech Media article point to the fact that while real US GDP hasRead more

This new report highlights the essential drivers behind some of the country’s most innovative and effective Energy Investment Partnerships (EIP’s, which are basically public-private partnerships) and distills some of the core characteristics of successful state-and community-scaled partnerships advancing clean energy investment. Through the development of strategic partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit entities, participants expand their capacity toRead more

A lot of opinions and reports have been published on the historic Climate Change agreement reached Saturday, the 12th of December, 2015.  The general consensus seems to be a cautious optimism that this is a turning point in geopolitical action to stem atmospheric C02 levels.  I say “cautious” because success is predicated on a number of elementsRead more

While HB&C’s primary focus is moving capital to clean energy projects, we frequently encounter a related and more fundamental challenge, lack of projects.   In the non-residential sector OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), ESCos, contractors and utilities have been very successful serving the MUSH  (municipal, universities, schools and hospitals) market with performance contracting but less soRead more

Download Harcourt Brown & Carey’s “Multi Family Financing Recommendations for Energy Efficiency”   Executive Summary Harcourt Brown & Carey’s (HB&C) Client for this assessment was a large non-profit multi-family housing corporation (The Client) with a 30+ year history of emphasis on providing housing for people currently underserved by the marketplace. We worked closely with TheRead more

HB&C recently completed work on the Program Guide for Colorado’s new commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program.  This guide represents something close to the culmination of a year-long effort to launch commercial PACE in Colorado.  HB&C is excited at the near-term prospect of the PACE launch, and feels that the program we have designed,Read more

On Aug 11, 2015, HB&C principals Matthew Brown and Dave Carey gave a presentation to New York State’s investor owned utilities, sponsored by the New York Green Bank. This presentation was the focus of a half-day convening among the Green Bank and the utilities to discuss how they might develop an on-bill financing program for energyRead more