Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO)

The 'Switch It Up!' program, launched in April 2019 by the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO), provides debt-free, on-bill financing for residential and commercial members to replace fossil-fuel equipment with electric alternatives. Funded initially by a $5.8 million USDA Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) loan and later supplemented by an additional $15 million, the program covers air-source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, and EV charging stations, with borrowing limits up to $36,000. Repayments are tied to the electric meter over up to 10 years at a 2% interest rate, removing barriers for low- and moderate-income households. In its first year, the program completed 96 projects totaling over $800,000, with plans to expand into rooftop solar, battery storage, and community solar projects.

• The 'Switch It Up!' program provides on-bill financing for the replacement of fossil-fuel equipment with electric alternatives and the installation of EV charging stations, with a goal of financing 100 projects annually for 10 years.
• The program is funded by the USDA's Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), starting with a $5.8 million zero-interest loan and adding a subsequent $15 million loan to expand services to include rooftop solar, battery storage, and energy efficiency retrofits.
• Eligible members can borrow up to $36,000 for projects including heat pumps, water heaters, EV charging, and fiber optic internet (when paired with a smart energy device), with repayments tied to the meter over up to 10 years at a 2% interest rate.
• In its first year of operation, the program completed 96 projects representing over $800,000 in upgrades, primarily consisting of air-source heat pumps and five heat pump water heaters.
• OPALCO is expanding into community solar, exploring five megawatts of projects and participating in the DOE-funded Cooperatives Archiving Equity in Solar (CARES) project to improve solar affordability for low-resource communities.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (n.d.). Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO). https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/OPALCO

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO). n.d. https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/OPALCO.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) |url=https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/OPALCO |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitutendorcas, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO)}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, url = {https://www.eesi.org/obf/case-study/OPALCO}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }