Ygrene Energy Fund hired Stephen Tich as chief operating officer of the Santa Rosa-based originator of property-assessed clean energy, or PACE, loans.

David Downs still carries around his electric bill from last June, eager to bring it up at any opportunity. It may seem like an odd conversation piece, but one peek shows why it comes in handy in his line of work selling residential solar panels.

Morningstar Credit Ratings said PACE loans present little risk of driving a borrower into a foreclosure, and could bolster property values and save the homeowner money in efficiency improvements.

Ygrene stressed that it had been selected by 320+ cities and counties across California and Florida, making the firm what it described as the nation’s leading multi-state residential and commercial PACE provider.

As financing of energy-efficient projects through property assessments becomes more widespread, concerns and misconceptions regarding its use and oversight have become more common. Morningstar Credit Ratings LLC explores three misconceptions it has heard from market participants regarding the residential property assessed clean energy (PACE) sector.

Hillsborough County is close to creating a new way for property owners to pay for upgrades to make their homes or businesses more energy-efficient or hurricane-resistant.

The property-assessed clean energy (PACE) model is an innovative mechanism for financing energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements on private property.

Ygrene, a provider of residential and commercial property-assessed clean energy financing, named Rocco Fabiano as CEO.