South Carolina Co-ops Implement “Help My House” On-Bill Financing Pilot

This fact sheet describes the "Help My House" on-bill financing pilot program implemented by South Carolina electric cooperatives to increase residential energy efficiency in a region with lower-than-average family incomes.

• Central Electric Power Cooperative (Central) established energy efficiency goals in 2010, targeting a 10 percent reduction in residential energy use over 10 years and a decrease in average wholesale power costs for residential users.
• The "Help My House" pilot utilized on-bill financing, which allows homeowners to borrow funds for energy efficiency improvements and repay the loan through their electric bills. The program was supported by a $740,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service, enabling a 2.5 percent financing rate for participants.
• South Carolina legislation facilitated the pilot by tying loan repayment to the electric meter rather than the individual borrower, which removed the requirement for credit checks and allowed for power disconnection in the event of non-payment.
• By February 2012, the pilot exceeded its goal of 100 whole-house retrofits, completing 125 retrofits (72 mobile homes and 53 single-family detached homes). The average loan amount was $7,684, with an average projected simple payback period of 5.98 years.
• The pilot achieved "deep impact" savings, averaging 35 percent per home. Most homes required attic insulation, air sealing, and duct sealing (over 90 percent), and 84 percent received HVAC retrofits. The average home saw projected annual electric savings of 11,593 kWh, resulting in a net annual benefit of $406 after loan repayments.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2012). South Carolina Co-ops Implement “Help My House” On-Bill Financing Pilot. https://www.eesi.org/files/Help_My_House_Pilot_070512.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. South Carolina Co-ops Implement “Help My House” On-Bill Financing Pilot. 2012. https://www.eesi.org/files/Help_My_House_Pilot_070512.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=South Carolina Co-ops Implement “Help My House” On-Bill Financing Pilot |date=July 2012 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Help_My_House_Pilot_070512.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2012south, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{South Carolina Co-ops Implement “Help My House” On-Bill Financing Pilot}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Help_My_House_Pilot_070512.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }