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Delaware C-PACE financing guidance

Delaware C-PACE: local requirements and verification

Research checked: 2026-10-28. Draft for VERADUCT review, not a financing commitment or legal opinion.

Local evidence first. Financing availability is not assumed.

Current position

Active; all three counties participate. Delaware has an operating, privately financed C-PACE program, not merely enabling legislation. The responsible statewide organization is the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (DESEU), operating as Energize Delaware. County participation is still a legal/program prerequisite. Sussex adds county review and pre-approval of project summaries, with a stated 30-day review period. Program administrator · Participating counties

Background and history: authority is not the same as launch

Background and history: authority is not the same as launch
MilestoneVerified position
Enabling frameworkSenate Bill 113 (2018), amending the Delaware Energy Act; current authority is 29 Del. C. §8061. It directs the SEU to establish the program and allows participating counties to levy assessments.
First local launchSeptember 10, 2019: Energize Delaware and New Castle County announced launch; New Castle was the first county to opt in.
Full county coverageFebruary 9, 2021: program announcement confirmed Kent and Sussex had joined New Castle. This is evidence of full county participation, not an inference from state law.
Later program developmentMarch 26, 2024 announcement, posted April 1, said the construction-cost financing cap increased from 20% to 30%. It reported four 2023 financing closings totaling more than $27 million.

Current statute · 2018 legislation · 2019 launch · 2021 expansion · 2024 change

Who does what now

  • Energize Delaware/DESEU: program administration, eligibility and program requirements. Its current organizational page names Drew Slater as executive director. The legacy C-PACE resources page still names Tony DePrima as media contact; do not treat that old name as current leadership. Current organization
  • Sustainable Real Estate Solutions (SRS): the program's official 2023 announcement describes technology-enabled technical assistance supporting Delaware C-PACE since 2019. Keep this support role separate from the statutory administrator. Official explanation
  • New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties: local participation, assessment and collection roles under county agreements. Private capital providers: negotiate and fund financing; this is not a grant. Program contact: info@delawarecpace.org; 302-883-3048. Program resources

Eligible properties, measures and geography

Commercial, industrial, agricultural, nonprofit and multifamily properties with at least five dwelling units can qualify in participating counties. New construction is included. The resources page states a $50,000 minimum project construction cost and no stated dollar maximum. Eligible permanent improvements include HVAC and controls, lighting, envelope/insulation/windows, qualifying roofs, solar, geothermal, water-efficiency measures and waste-heat recovery. Related installation costs can qualify; unusual scopes require administrator review. Eligibility and application documents

Do not turn the website's “100% financing” wording into 100% of an entire development budget: it concerns eligible project costs. The 2024 announcement separately discusses a 30% construction-cost cap. The currently linked March 2024 guide expressly caps term at 25 years, limited by useful life; the announcement uses a broader typical 20–30-year description. Use the written guide for the documented program rule and confirm any later amendment rather than treating marketing wording as a changed limit. 2024 announcement · Program overview

Section 8061 requires written consent to the superior lien from all existing properly recorded lienholders before financing or improvements. The voluntary benefit assessment is secured by a property lien; the statute specifies priority, collection, transfer and non-acceleration rules. Future installments remain with the property on sale, including foreclosure, subject to the statute's treatment of amounts due. Do not describe these provisions as a guarantee against lender loss or foreclosure. Current law, especially §8061(d)

Practical sequence: verify county/property eligibility; use the pre-application; develop an audit/feasibility-backed scope; discuss mortgage-holder consent early; obtain capital-provider terms and technical review; complete county/financing documents and assessment; construct and commission. The guide requires current property taxes/municipal assessments and an energy audit or feasibility analysis. The mortgage holder independently decides whether to consent, and capital providers set pricing and prepayment terms. Program guide · Mortgage-holder FAQs

Known projects: amounts and evidence must retain their labels

Known projects: amounts and evidence must retain their labels
Project/locationDate evidencedType and measuresAmountVerified status and limits
Historic DuPont Building, Wilmington, New Castle CountyUndated current program case-study pageMixed-use historic renovation; energy-efficiency upgrades$3.9 million, program case-study figureProgram says financing was leveraged. A later lender article reports $7 million funded and describes HVAC/chiller/boiler/cooling-tower work. Do not add these figures or assume one supersedes the other without tranche reconciliation.
Sandcastle Motel/Hotel, Rehoboth Beach, Sussex CountyJanuary 25, 2022Acquisition/gut rehabilitation, 60-key seasonal motel to planned 66-key Hilton Tapestry$6,072,634 C-PACENuveen says financing provided. The announcement's renovation plans are not proof of completed construction.
Delmarva Corrugated Packaging, Dover area, Kent CountyAugust 11, 2022 program reportNew 457,000-sq-ft manufacturing plant with energy-efficiency measuresC-PACE portion not stated in this sourceProgram report says plant opened almost a year earlier and measures were financed by both C-PACE and Energize Delaware's separate commercial loan program. Do not attribute the entire building cost to C-PACE.
Chestnut Run Innovation & Science Park (CRISP), WilmingtonAugust 16, 2023 release, reposted August 21Redevelopment of 164-acre, 14-building applied-sciences campus$63 million additional debt overall; $50 million described as Fulton Bank together with Nuveen through C-PACE, plus $13 million WSFSFinancing secured for ongoing redevelopment. Exact C-PACE-only share not isolated in the program's wording; $63 million is not a C-PACE amount.

Sources: DuPont program case study · DuPont lender description · Sandcastle lender release · Delmarva program report · CRISP program report

Local applicability, hazard and code checks

All three counties participate, but Sussex's project pre-approval remains a distinct local step. County participation does not eliminate municipal zoning/building review. New Castle County explicitly states that each county or municipality sets its own permitting/floodplain regulations and that local zoning approval precedes state permit applications. County/local permitting guidance

The currently linked Guide v4, March 18, 2024 states up to 25 years, useful-life limited. It permits up to 30% of total eligible construction cost for new construction and describes 5% above IECC 2018/ASHRAE 90.1-2016 modeling. C-PACE guide

Code applicability requires a local transition check. Delaware's amended energy-code regulation took effect April 11, 2026, but §4.1 gives county and municipal codes 12 months after promulgation to meet the referenced requirements, subject to statutory exceptions. Section 4.2 permits earlier project election with the choice identified in construction documents. Identify the actual permitting jurisdiction, adoption and project dates before selecting the applicable code. Obtain the C-PACE administrator's written modeling baseline separately; neither an older guide nor a state effective-date summary determines every permit's requirements. DNREC final order, §4

DNREC's May 2026 multifamily EV rebate guidelines distinguish permit applications before versus on/after April 11, 2027. This corroborates a transition in that separate rebate program; it does not establish C-PACE eligibility or a universal project exemption. DNREC EV-program implementation guidance, p.2 General summaries remain useful context, not parcel-specific determinations: DNREC code update, DOE state code status.

For coastal/Special Flood Hazard Area property, the local floodplain administrator determines ordinance/permit compliance. DNREC published a Delaware-specific V-Zone certificate in September 2026 for coastal high-hazard development review. This is a permitting/documentation tool, not a new C-PACE eligibility category. No blanket stand-alone hurricane/flood-hardening eligibility was verified in the reviewed Delaware C-PACE materials: obtain measure-specific approval rather than infer it from hazard exposure. DNREC local responsibilities, 2026 V-Zone resource

Next steps and exact gaps

  1. For a live property, confirm county parcel, Sussex pre-approval if relevant, eligible costs, useful life, current term/cost cap, mortgage consent, fees and lender underwriting before quoting proceeds.
  2. Obtain current transaction-level closing data to reconcile DuPont's $3.9 million versus $7 million descriptions and isolate CRISP's C-PACE component.
  3. Current all-time financed volume/project count was not established. The 2023 annual closings figure is historical and not a statewide cumulative total.
  4. Completion and measured operating results are not established for all financing announcements. Projected savings must remain projections; no rates or savings guarantees are supplied here.

Continue your project research

Compare the national C-PACE financing structure; Organize state and local project requirements; Prepare a commercial-building improvement scope. This page provides guidance only; it does not accept an application or submit information to a provider.

References

  1. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Program administrator. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/about/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  2. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Participating counties. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/participating/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  3. www.delcode.delaware.gov (n.d.) Current statute. Available at: https://www.delcode.delaware.gov/title29/c080/sc02/index.html#8061 (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  4. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) 2018 legislation. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/wp-content/uploads/DE_C-PACE_Legislation_SB_113_Final.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  5. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) 2019 launch. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/2019/09/10/energize-delaware-launches-commercial-pace-program/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  6. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) 2021 expansion. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/2021/02/09/kent-and-sussex-counties-partner-with-energize-delaware-to-launch-commercial-pace-programs/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  7. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) 2024 change. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/2024/04/01/energize-delaware-raises-cap-on-d-pace-projects/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  8. energizedelaware.org (n.d.) Current organization. Available at: https://energizedelaware.org/about-us/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  9. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Official explanation. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/2023/12/04/energize-delaware-launches-no-cost-technical-assistance-program-to-improve-energy-efficiency-in-small-and-mid-size-commercial-buildings/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  10. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Program resources. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/resources/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  11. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Program guide. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/wp-content/uploads/DE_C-PACE_Program_Guide.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  12. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Mortgage-holder FAQs. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/mortgage-holders/mortgage-holders-faqs/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  13. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) DuPont program case study. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/case-study/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  14. www.nuveen.com (n.d.) DuPont lender description. Available at: https://www.nuveen.com/greencapital/news-and-blog/the-top-5-sustainability-measures (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  15. www.nuveen.com (n.d.) Sandcastle lender release. Available at: https://www.nuveen.com/greencapital/news-and-blog/nuveen-green-capital-provides-c-pace-financing-for-sandcastle-hotel-renovation (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  16. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) Delmarva program report. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/2022/08/11/delmarva-corrugated-packaging-built-to-be-energy-efficient/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  17. www.delawarecpace.org (n.d.) CRISP program report. Available at: https://www.delawarecpace.org/2023/08/21/mra-group-secures-63m-in-additional-financing-for-the-continued-redevelopment-of-chestnut-run-innovation-and-science-park/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  18. www.newcastlede.gov (n.d.) County/local permitting guidance. Available at: https://www.newcastlede.gov/775/Local-Permits (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  19. regulations.delaware.gov (n.d.) DNREC final order, §4. Available at: https://regulations.delaware.gov/api/register/april2026/fe7110b6-25ca-4118-8eba-98b3d4af1398 (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  20. documents.dnrec.delaware.gov (n.d.) DNREC EV-program implementation guidance, p.2. Available at: https://documents.dnrec.delaware.gov/energy/transportation-program/Multi-Family-Charging-Station-Rebate-Program-Guidelines.pdf (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  21. dnrec.delaware.gov (n.d.) DNREC code update. Available at: https://dnrec.delaware.gov/climate-coastal-energy/energy-office/efficiency/building-energy-codes/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  22. www.energycodes.gov (n.d.) DOE state code status. Available at: https://www.energycodes.gov/status/states/delaware (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  23. dnrec.delaware.gov (n.d.) DNREC local responsibilities. Available at: https://dnrec.delaware.gov/watershed-stewardship/waterways/floodplains/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.
  24. dnrec.delaware.gov (n.d.) 2026 V-Zone resource. Available at: https://dnrec.delaware.gov/watershed-stewardship/waterways/floodplains/communities/ (Accessed: 2026-10-28 UTC). Transferred source review; current parcel, transaction and outcome limits are stated in the guide. Not a new integrator retrieval.

Written by VERADUCT Editorial. Herve Drompt, VERADUCT Owner — publication authorized; not professional or legal review. Page version 1.0.1. Publication authorization is not professional, legal or scientific peer review.