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The document examines on-bill financing as a tool to overcome financial barriers to clean energy adoption, specifically for low-and moderate-income (LMI) households and renters. It highlights design features such as using utility payment history instead of credit scores and tying obligations to the utility meter to solve the 'split incentive' problem for renters. The report provides case studies of the Hawaii Green Energy Money Saver (GEM$) and Orcas Power and Light Cooperative's (OPALCO) Switch It Up! programs, demonstrating how these models facilitate the installation of solar PV and beneficial electrification projects while ensuring positive cash flow for participants.

The paper argues that well-designed on-bill financing programs remove financial barriers for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households by eliminating upfront costs and using utility payment history instead of credit scores for underwriting. It highlights that tying financing obligations to the utility meter rather than the individual allows renters and subsequent homeowners to benefit from upgrades, solving the 'split incentive' problem. The author presents two case studies: the Hawaii Green Energy Money Saver (GEM$) program, which focuses on solar PV and energy efficiency, and the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative (OPALCO) Switch It Up! program, which emphasizes beneficial electrification. Both programs report zero defaults in their first year of operation, demonstrating the viability of alternative underwriting and the use of loan loss reserves to manage risk.

Friends of the Earth has sued the U.S. Coast Guard for failing to provide records of shipping incidents in the Salish Sea from 2009 to 2014. The organization argues that this data is essential for an ongoing vessel traffic risk assessment, particularly as pressure increases to export more oil via the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which could increase tanker traffic from one per week to one per day.

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.