Going green with Egg Geothermal will now be easier than ever now that Florida Governor Charlie Crist has passed the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) bill.

The PACE program enables property owners to borrow money from their city to buy Egg Geothermal Air Conditioning systems for their homes with little up front expense.

The cities would lend money for a homeowner to install the proven energy-saving device -- say, a geothermal hvac unit. In return, the cities would place a lien on the home until the loan was paid off by the homeowner, who would be assessed a monthly fee for the loan's duration. The fee is not based on the property value but based on a set amount of what it cost to do the installation. The investment could be recouped by lower electrical bills. Each home would undergo an energy audit and cost-benefit analysis before opting into the voluntary program.

Last month, the House and Senate passed Senate bill HB 7179, designed to help communities band together to assist residents in joining PACE. Since then, Gov. Charlie Crist has received the bill and signed it into law on June 1, 2010.

``It's a no-mandate, no taxpayer subsidy that allows people to finance energy efficiency and other clean technologies, like solar, and save energy costs,'' said Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, the House majority leader who cosponsored the bill with Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton.

In the PACE program, the city would pay for the installation of an Egg Geothermal Air Conditioning system. Homeowners also could apply for federal incentives, such as the 30% uncapped geothermal hvac tax credit, to knock the costs down. The benefit would stay with the house should an owner decide to sell sooner. A homeowner seeking to enroll in PACE would agree to a cost-benefit analysis of his or her home, taking into account kilowatt usage, house design, location, trees and other factors.

``It really is such an individualized project. The system size and cost is tailored to the specific homeowner and consumption and can vary dramatically,'' said Tom Staples, president of Cooler Planet, a Washington-based firm that consults homes and businesses.