Old public housing photo

The Inflation Reduction Act’s and the Multifamily Affordable Housing Market’s Future

By Ravi Malhotra Originally posted in Tax Credit Advisor, January 2025 After the 2024 elections, many in the multifamily affordable housing sector worry that key Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds may be clawed back by the incoming administration. These funds provide tax credits, grants and other forms of incentives for green and clean energy deployment and have been crucial to closing …

February 2025 Policy Blog

Kristen Cheriegate  |  ICAST Policy Manager ========== Federal Pause Issued on Clean Energy Funding   On Monday, January 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order that paused all disbursement of any funds related to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The executive order, “Unleashing American Energy,” …

ICAST Experts Weigh In: Community Solar and Low-Income Communities

Solar energy generally comes in two varieties: onsite rooftop solar, which we recently discussed with ICAST’s National Solar Solutions Manager, Walter Cupa, and community solar. Today, ICAST’s Director of Community and Utility Solar Development, Sam Lipman, weighs in on community solar and what it means for energy efficiency and saving money for our communities:  Community solar is an arrangement wherein …

Funding for Green Retrofits

By Ravi Malhotra Originally posted in Tax Credit Advisor, October 2024 Federal Tax Credits, Rebates, Low-Cost or Forgivable Loans, and Grants are Hitting the Ground The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are in their second and third years, respectively. Treasury guidance is now available for almost all of the IRA’s clean energy tax credit provisions. Furthermore, …

ICAST Grows Library of Resources for Scaling Clean Energy in Underserved Communities

New Community Solar Resources: ICAST works nationally with disadvantaged communities (DACs) to develop their assets for solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Recently, we published a new web page discussing our work. The page features: Our community-scale solar PV and BESS projects with Tribal and utility clients and A new guidance document containing best practices and recommendations for states …

Update on ICAST’s Heat Pump Training Program

Update on ICAST’s Heat Pump Training Program Audrey Knox | Workforce Training Manager Ms. Knox manages the implementation of ICAST’s workforce training initiatives in collaboration with ICAST’s partners across the country. Stakeholders across the country recognize that heat pumps are the future of HVAC and domestic hot water. Thankfully, we see growing awareness and adoption of these technologies—note, for example, …

Setting a Course for the Fast-Evolving Incentives Landscape

Influencing vs. Merely Accessing Available Funding Programs By Ravi Malhotra Originally published in NH&RA’s Tax Credit Advisor, May 2024   Government agencies are still racing to get their Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds out the door, and they remain open to input from various stakeholders to help guide this process. In advocating for increased investment …

ICAST Grows Library of Resources for Driving Green Retrofits in Multifamily Housing

Recommendations for Federal and State Agencies: ICAST has created a dedicated webpage containing resources to help federal and state agencies working to expend their Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding on residential markets, especially income-qualified residents. These resources show how and why programs focused on multifamily housing—specifically, multifamily affordable housing—offer the best solution because they are …

Multifamily Housing building

Pulling Federal Investment into Multifamily Housing

By Ravi Malhotra Originally published in NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, February 2024 Most federal and state agencies aiming to spend their Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds for residential clients are finding out that it will not be easy. Most do not think of multifamily affordable housing when they design their residential programs. In focusing on …

Clean Energy Projects: Looking Ahead to 2024

Clean Energy Projects: Looking Ahead to 2024  By Ravi Malhotra, Originally published in NH&RA Tax Credit Advisor, December 2023    At the close of 2023, it’s a certainty that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are catalyzing a huge uptick in clean energy projects across the United States. Unfortunately, it’s equally certain that the multifamily affordable …