It’s a scene played out across the country: a rural electricity service area where many residents are low-income, homes are far apart, a number of customers rent, and many live in homes over 40 years old.
Ouachita Electric Cooperative’s members, in an area with a median household income of $25,256, are exactly those who could benefit from the lower electricity bills that come with reduced usage. But its member-customers are often not in a financial position to invest in energy efficiency. The cooperative, located in southwest Arkansas, has found a way beyond these barriers and has embraced an energy efficiency financing technique in their innovative HELP PAYS program (Home Energy Loan Program – Pay As You Save), which uses on-bill financing to fund retrofits. Continue reading
