Columbia Water & Light - Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Loan

Columbia Water & Light's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program lets you finance energy efficiency improvements—including insulation, HVAC systems, windows, and solar water heating—through low-interest loans up to $15,000 for single-family homes with terms up to 10 years at rates from 1–5% depending on loan length. Start by contacting a certified contractor for a roughly $400 assessment (which you can finance), then apply for a loan, and once approved, complete your upgrades and schedule a final inspection to claim rebates up to $1,200 for eligible measures like attic insulation, window replacement, and air sealing.

Certified Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors conduct the initial building assessment and guide customers through identifying cost-effective efficiency measures; you must be listed on CWL's approved contractor roster and certified by the Building Performance Institute. Customers can finance improvements through low-interest loans (1–5% depending on term length) and claim rebates on eligible work, and you'll support them in meeting efficiency requirements including attic insulation to R-50, duct insulation to R-13 in unheated areas, window U-values of 0.30 or better, and air sealing to 0.5 ACH or lower.

The program funds residential and multifamily energy efficiency retrofits via low-interest loans (maximum $15,000 for single-family, $30,000 for multifamily) with flexible terms and rates, plus rebates up to $1,200 per household on eligible measures; staff conduct post-project inspections, process rebate applications with required documentation (invoices, NFRC stickers for windows), manage loan approvals within one month, and administer a first-come, first-served allocation subject to funding availability. The program targets existing CWL electric customers with good credit history who own eligible properties and serve to increase participation in energy efficiency through accessible financing and contractor certification oversight.