Efficiency Kansas

February 26, 2015

Summary

The Efficiency Kansas revolving loan program is a public-private partnership that helps Kansas residents make cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to their homes, rental units, or small businesses by facilitating energy audits and access to low-interest financing.

Energy Audit

First, participants select an Efficiency Kansas qualified energy auditor to conduct a thorough inspection and evaluation, including the blower door test.

Once the comprehensive energy audit is completed, the auditor creates an Energy Conservation Plan—a prioritized list of recommended upgrades based on cost-effectiveness—containing bid packages with specifications for each component of a project. This makes it easy for participants to solicit bid requests from contractors or specialists required to carry out the recommended projects.

Financing

After contractor bids have been solicited, participants can arrange for project financing through Efficiency Kansas Participating Utilities. For approved energy-efficiency improvements, the maximum loan is $20,000 for residential and $30,000 for small businesses.

The loan for the approved improvements is attached to the property's utility meter and is repaid through an additional charge on the participant's monthly utility bill.

Depending on the term of the loan, interest rates will range from 5% to 8.5%, and participants can repay the full balance on the loan at any time with no penalty. Loans are considered regular utility service and are tied to the customer's utility meter. See the EK Program Manual for more information.

Post-Retrofit Inspection

After project completion, the Efficiency Kansas energy auditor returns to conduct a post-retrofit inspection. The inspection verifies improvements followed the Energy Conservation Plan and that there are no air-quality or safety issues.