Fort Collins

This case study describes the Epic Homes Program, an on-bill financing initiative launched by Fort Collins Utilities in mid-2018 to support residential energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades in Fort Collins, Colorado.

• Fort Collins established greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, with a broader goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.
• The Epic Homes Program, launched in mid-2018, provides low-interest loans up to $25,000 for residential energy efficiency retrofits, rooftop solar PV, and water conservation projects, with repayment periods up to 15 years. Loan rates are tiered by repayment window: 2.95 percent for 3-5 years, 3.15 percent for 7-10 years, and 3.25 percent for 11-15 years.
• Between August 2018 and December 2019, Epic Homes issued 44 loans totaling $540,500. Since the inception of on-bill financing programs in Fort Collins in 2013, a total of 211 loans have been issued, amounting to $2,284,400 in investments with no defaults.
• Epic Homes leverages third-party capital to fund its loans, including $3.25 million over 15 years from Vectra Bank (secured via the Colorado Clean Energy Fund) and $3.3 million from U.S. Bank and the Colorado Energy Office. The program was also supported by a $1 million Bloomberg Philanthropies U.S. Mayors Challenge grant and a $200,000 grant from the Colorado Energy Office.
• The program is open to detached single-family dwellings, duplexes, attached townhomes, and rental properties, though condo units in multistory buildings are excluded. Underwriting requires a minimum FICO score of 640, six months of utility bill payment history, and no bankruptcy or foreclosure in the last five years.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (n.d.). Fort Collins. https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/FortCollins

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Fort Collins. n.d. https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/FortCollins.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Fort Collins |url=https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/FortCollins |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitutendfort, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Fort Collins}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, url = {https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/FortCollins}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }