Judge rules all Florida counties must collect money for home energy program [Video]

When the shingles started falling off Nicole Bernhardt’s Spring Hill home, she had few options to pay for a new roof.

Bernhardt said her income dropped after a multiple sclerosis diagnosis forced her to leave her job.

Traditional financing options, such as a bank loan, were out of reach. Then she heard about the property-assessed clean energy program, commonly known as PACE, a funding option for people who don’t qualify for a typical loan.

PACE loans cover storm hardening and energy-boosting home improvements like roofs, windows, and air conditioning units. Homeowners pay them off through special assessments added to their annual property tax bills.

The project would add less than $200 a month to her property taxes, but it was a 30-year commitment. Bernhardt said she figured it was the only way she could pay for a new roof. The roofer replaced her shingles in August. Two months later, the …