Holland, MI

This case study describes the City of Holland, Michigan's Community Energy Plan and the subsequent creation of the Holland On-Bill Loan Program, a financing mechanism designed to increase energy efficiency in residential buildings.

• In 2011, the City of Holland established a long-range Community Energy Plan to improve energy security, affordability, sustainability, and efficiency. To support this, the Holland Energy Fund, Inc. was formed as a nonprofit to finance initiatives, including a project targeting the energy efficiency of 7,400 single-family homes.
• Launched in late 2016, the Holland On-Bill Loan Program allows residential building owners (four units or less) to borrow between $5,000 and $30,000 for eligible energy-efficiency improvements. In its first three years, the program invested over $2 million into 116 homes.
• The loan program offers interest rates based on the term length: 4.99% for terms up to ten years and 5.99% for terms between ten and 15 years. The Holland Energy Fund Board of Directors sets these rates, which are legally capped at the prime interest rate plus 4%.
• Loan eligibility requires 12 consecutive months of on-time electric utility payments and no unsatisfied money judgments or significant financial delinquencies (bankruptcies, foreclosures, or repossessions over $1,000) within three years of discharge. Repayment is made via a per-meter charge on the monthly electric bill; nonpayment can lead to electric service disconnection.
• Eligible improvements must be installed by an authorized contractor after a whole-home energy audit and must be documented in the Michigan Energy Measures Database. Examples include air-source heat pumps, geothermal systems, and insulation. Renewable energy upgrades are only allowed if the home's Home Energy Score exceeds eight, as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (n.d.). Holland, MI. https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/hollandMI

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Holland, MI. n.d. https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/hollandMI.

Wikipedia

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

BibTeX

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