Section 648-5-5 - ENERGY SAVINGS IMPROVEMENTS1. To be eligible for a C-PACE Loan under this Chapter, an improvement or series of improvements relating to a Qualifying Property's energy production or energy consumption must satisfy the requirements of an "Energy Savings Improvement."2. The purchase and installation of an Energy Savings Improvement must satisfy all of the following, where applicable: a. Be new and permanently affixed to the Qualifying Property;b. If it involves weatherization, then the insulation materials used must not violate the provisions of 38 M.R.S.A §1613, which restricts the use of hydrofluorocarbons, and the project must result in increased energy efficiency or substantially reduced energy use;c. If it involves appliances and equipment, then each appliance and piece of equipment must comply with relevant provisions of either the federal Appliance and Equipment Standards established in 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 42 9 or, where applicable, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's Appliance Efficiency Standards established at 06-096 Code of Maine Rules Chapter 180, and the project must result in increased energy efficiency or substantially reduced energy use;d. If it involves a Renewable Energy Installation, then it must meet the elements of that term as defined in Section 2, sub-section 21 of this Chapter;e. If it involves electric vehicle supply equipment or any energy storage system, then the equipment must be certified by the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., or equivalent safety standard, and comply with all National Electrical Code regulations for safety and operation requirements;f. If it involves space heating equipment that is not a renewable energy installation, then it must produce the lowest carbon emissions of any heating equipment reasonably available to the property owner, provided that: (i) The Program Administrator shall rely on the updated US Environmental Protection Agency's "Emission Factors for Greenhouse Gas Inventories" to compare carbon dioxide emissions per million British thermal units (Btu) of fossil fuels and biomass, which shall be published in a table in the Program Guidelines;(ii) The Program Administrator shall compare the emission factors of fossil fuels, biomass and electrically powered heat pumps assuming the minimum efficiency standards allowed in the applicable appliance standards and a minimum Heating System Performance Factor of a heat pump system that would be eligible for a rebate from the Trust, and publish the results in a table in the Program Guidelines;(iii) For any property that is connected to the electric utility distribution system, electric heat pumps are presumed to be the lowest carbon emission space heating option; and,(iv) Upon a showing of good cause by the Property Owner, the Director may approve the use of the next lowest carbon-emitting heating system that is reasonably available;g. If it is for the construction of a new building or facility, then it must be established that the improvements significantly exceed the energy standards of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, adopted pursuant to Title 10, M.R.S.A. §9722, subsection 6, paragraph B. Pathways to establish that a new construction project meets this standard are described in the Program Guidelines; andh. Achieve a Savings-to-Investment Ratio (SIR) that is not less than 1.0, where the process for calculating the SIR is established in the Program Guidelines.