Financing Energy Efficiency Projects

Financing for your home energy-efficiency projects does not have to be provided by you alone. Energy-Efficient Mortgages (EEM) are available through both government-insured and conventional loan programs. These mortgages recognize that the homeowner's energy payments will be less for a more energy-efficient home, and therefore enable a buyer to borrow a larger sum to cover the up-front costs of improving the house's energy-efficiency. 

Louisiana Programs:

• Lousiana's Home Energy Rebate Option (HERO) provides up to $2,000 back to homeowners who have an energy audit done of their existing home and then complete cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades.
• The Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) can help with financing energy efficiency upgrades. 
• Combined tax credits from the state of Louisiana and the federal government currently provide 80% of solar water heating or PV system costs - one of the best tax credits in the U.S.
• New Orleans: Entergy New Orleans' Residential Solutions Program is an energy efficiency program designed to help residential customers understand and make energy efficiency improvements in their home.  This program provides customers cash incentives for assessing and installing eligible energy efficiency improvements in their home.

Arkansas Programs:

• Entergy Arkansas offers programs to residential customers for weatherization, lighting, AC tune-up and Time-Of-Use rates.

Texas Programs:

• Entergy Texas provides energy efficiency programs to customers.

Additional funding opportunities and information on energy-efficiency projects is available at:

• The Alliance to Save Energy Web site provides an overview of energy efficiency-financing and resources on Energy-Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits.
• The Financing an Energy-Efficient Home fact sheet from the Department of Energy features an overview of energy-efficient financing programs from mortgages to home improvement loans.
• Federal Tax Credits for Energy-Efficiency provides information from ENERGY STAR on federal tax credits for home improvements, efficient vehicles, solar energy systems and fuel cells.
• The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program works with states and local governments to enable low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy-efficient.
• The Energy-Efficient Mortgage Program is one of many Federal Housing Authority programs that insure mortgage loans to encourage lenders to make mortgage credit available to borrowers, such as first-time homebuyers, who would not otherwise qualify for conventional loans on affordable terms.
• The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) web site offers state contact information for certified energy raters and lenders who know how to process energy-efficiency mortgages, a home energy rating systems primer and an overview of energy-efficient mortgages.
• The Federal Citizen Information Center site provides additional information on lenders.

Learn more at

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)