One of the more popular (or at least noteworthy) ways to fund solar installations may get tried to boost the popularity of energy efficiency retrofits.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Eric Mar are going to introduce legislation that will allow homeowners and commercial building owners to pay for green upgrades and energy retrofits by taking out loans, and paying back those loans as a 20-year surcharge on their property tax. In this way, the loan is attached to the property rather than the individual. Thus, the owner can make the retrofits and later sell the property without worrying about the cost of the retrofits being watered down in the overall sales price of the house or building.

Berkeley, across the Bay, put together a similar program for solar installations which has proven popular. The San Francisco program would allow homeowners to buy solar panels, but also do things like install water saving technologies or other equipment. The city is currently looking for a financial institution to participate.

Personally, I think it's an idea whose time has come. Building retrofits potentially can save more energy than solar panels alone and can cost less. However, federal and state legislation currently favor solar over energy efficiency. The feds will give you a 30 percent tax credit on solar systems. The tax credit on energy efficiency retrofits, while also 30 percent, is capped at $1,500. 

Matt Golden at Sustainable Spaces has been championing this idea and lately traveling quite a bit to Sacramento and Washington D.C. Aides to California Attorney General Jerry Brown told us once that Brown is looking into issues like this. (Brown and Newsom are both running for Governor.) Who knows? We might see a Golden Brown Act on the state level too (that has nothing to do with the wonderful taste of Pop Tarts).

And if you live in San Francisco and own a home, it could be time to call up your contractor.