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Do you want to learn more about inclusive utility investments? Use the categories on the left side to find what you’re looking for or start with our introductory tool kit below.
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Inclusive utility investments can pay for home energy efficiency improvements that make your home more comfortable and healthy, and save money on your electric bill with no up-front costs, loans or debt. And it’s for renters too, as well as homeowners. This video provides a brief overview of how inclusive utility investments work.
View VideoThis issue brief rom the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA) explores how the inclusive utility investment model works to finance energy upgrades while also eliminating loan default risk for both the resident and the utility because the transaction U.S. Department of Energys not involve making a consumer loan.
View Fact SheetClimate Justice, Y’all! is a podcast dedicated to lifting up and centering the climate and environmental justice movement in the South. This podcast features Holmes Hummel and Tamara Jones from Clean Energy Works discussing inclusive utility investments.
View PodcastDr. Holmes Hummel and Dr. Anthony Kinslow II sat down with Nick Hylla and Amanda Schienbeck of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association to discuss inclusive utility investments and how they help make a more equitable clean energy economy.
View PodcastThe 2022 Status Update for programs based on the Pay As You Save® (PAYS®) system has been compiled from information provided by the implementing utilities.
This brief covers the information on how inclusive utility investments can be applied to the electrification of the transportation sector, including investments in the batteries and chargers of electric school buses, electric transit buses and potentially all EVs.
View ReportWith an innovative financing mechanism, electric utilities are using their borrowing power to finance energy efficiency upgrades in homes at no upfront cost to their customers.
View NewsCalifornia needs an equitable emissions reduction strategy. If we are to reach the state’s policy objectives, a building decarbonization strategy must be robust enough to enable the participation of California’s low- and moderate-income (LMI) and renter households, who together represent more than 40 percent of the state’s population. The Building Decarbonization Coalition launched the Accessible Financing Project to address these barriers and expand access to clean energy upgrades with a combination of funding and financing.
View ReportThis Q&A covers inclusive utility investments for energy efficiency upgrades in buildings. It is intended to for utility audiences who already have experience with inclusive utility investments as it goes further into depth on technical issues. It is not recommended for those just learning about inclusive utility investments.
View Q&AIn this video presentation Holmes Hummel introduces inclusive utility investments and shares how they can be used for building energy efficiency upgrades.
View VideoA webinar sponsored by CoBank featuring Curtis Wynn, CEO, Roanoke Electric Cooperative & President, NRECA, Dr. Holmes Hummel, Executive Director and Founder, Clean Energy Works, Leslie Holloway, Manager, Member Services, Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corporation, and Wesley Holmes, Director of Strategy and Development, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance discussing the application of inclusive utility investments.
View VideoDr. Holmes Hummel took part in this panel at The Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training in Atlanta, GA. When it comes to the fossil fuels polluting our environment and changing the climate, low-income families and communities of color get hit the hardest. How can we make the transition to a clean energy economy just and equitable? Dr. Hummel shares a vision for inclusive financing enabling all people to participate in this transition.
View VideoRural, economically-distressed areas across North Carolina consist heavily of low-income residents who face high levels of energy burden. Energy burden, or the share of income spent on energy bills, limits what households can spend on other necessities such as food, medical supplies, and transportation. High energy burden often results when a dwelling lacks proper air sealing, insulation, and maintained equipment. Residents facing high energy burden can face greater health risks such as reduced air quality, mold, and pest infestations. In 2015, REC launched its energy efficiency program Upgrade to $ave to offer relief to member-owners facing high energy bills.
View VideoThis report provides a comprehensive overview of common disconnection protections and policies employed by utilities nationwide, explores critical issues that should be considered in the development of disconnection policies, and calls for concrete action toward establishing policies that protect the well-being of all utility customers and the eventual elimination of utility disconnections.
View ReportEnergy Efficiency Institute, Inc. launched the Pay As You Save® (PAYS®) concept with their 1999 NARUC-sponsored paper on the subject and in 2001 designed the first PAYS pilots for two New Hampshire utilities. They are the foremost experts on PAYS and tariffed on-bill efficiency programs. Their current work includes the development and design of resource efficiency and renewable energy programs using PAYS®
View WebsiteLibertyHomes partners with Clean Energy Works to scale up solutions to upgrade millions of homes.
View Slide DeckOverview of some specific program design options for low-income, single-family homes explored by partners in the Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator (CELICA). While some of the models may have applicability to other housing types, CELICA partners primarily applied them with a focus on low-income, single-family home retrofits.
View Fact SheetThis news article showcases the inclusive utility investment program based on PAYS in place at Ouachita Electric Cooperative.
View NewsPAYS Pals is a newsletter produced by LibertyHomes to share information among different stakeholders who are working towards inclusive utility investment solutions. Please visit their website to subscribe.
View NewsPublished in the ACEEE 2020 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this study analyzed weather normalized hourly meter data from Roanoke Electric Cooperative’s Upgrade to $ave energy efficiency upgrade program based on the PAYS system.
View Peer ReviewKey considerations before investing in resource efficiency and rooftop solar through an inclusive utility investment program.
View ReportAn introduction to inclusive utility investments – how they work and where programs are being implemented.
View VideoThe Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance & Clean Energy Works present this comprehensive webinar series on Inclusive Financing for Energy Efficiency (EE). This series provides 8 episodes features nationally recognized experts and on the ground program operators. The first 2 sessions provide an overview of program concepts for general stakeholders. The next 6 will address technical questions for practitioners actively designing and implementing on bill tariff programs.
View VideoThis document guides the reader through resources about on-bill financing, tariffed on-bill programs, and the Pay As You Save® (PAYS) system. An understanding of these resources is necessary for the design and implementation of a successful tariffed on-bill program.
View ReportPAYS for Clean Transport reduces the upfront cost of electric vehicles, starting with transit buses, by harnessing a utility’s capacity to invest in on-board batteries and recover its cost as a service charge. In the cities that implement it, the mechanism can lower costs of rapid transit, while completely eliminating tailpipe emissions from transit buses.
View VideoPAYS for Clean Transport was endorsed by The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance in 2018. This profile gives an overview of the instrument.
View WebsitePAYS for Clean Transport was endorsed by The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance in 2018. This overview of the instrument was prepared by The Lab analysts.
View ReportPAYS for Clean Transport was endorsed by The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance in 2018. This is the full analysis of the instrument prepared by The Lab analysts.
View ReportStatus of inclusive utility investment regulatory proceedings and legislation as of October 2020.
View Fact SheetSouthern Environmental Law Center Review of National Consumer Law Center’s Tariff On-Bill Recommendations in the Context of the Pay As You Save® System’s Built-In Consumer Protections
View ReportThis article describes Minneapolis’s pursuit of an inclusive utility investment program.
View NewsThis article describes Ameren Missouri’s Pay As You Save program that would spare customers the upfront cost of energy efficiency projects. Missouri’s largest electric utility plans to offer 1,000 of its customers access to energy efficiency improvements minus the often substantial upfront cost.
View NewsOuachita Electric Cooperative prepares to ask state regulators to lower rates for its 7,000 members in five south Arkansas counties. The decrease was fueled by advances in solar power and energy efficiency programs based on inclusive utility investments.
View NewsOuachita Electric Cooperative contracted with OptiMiser LLC in October, 2017, to conduct an evaluation of the energy savings realized by the program. This report reports the results of that evaluation.
View ReportAn example financial analysis of the Pay As You Save® tariffed on-bill energy efficiency investment system prepared by Meister Consulting Group (now A Cadmus Company) for a Southeast-based electric member cooperative utility with support from the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance and the Energy Foundation.
View ReportThis video was produced by Libbie Weimer and other partners at Duke University. The second segment is on energy affordability and housing affordability, and the third is on a solutions-oriented response from Roanoke Electric Cooperative.
View VideoThis 2-page document summarizes the 2018 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings paper that reviews and analyzes field data performance from existing PAYS® programs.
View MemoWhile many stakeholders in the clean energy economy claim poverty, there’s good news: Equitable financing models exist for decarbonizing our local energy and transportation systems! Dr. Holmes Hummel speaks at VERGE — showing how financing the clean energy infrastructure transition is not just a social imperative, but also a business opportunity.
View VideoAs part of the LIFT Solar Everywhere project, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office Award Number DE-EE0008567, Clean Energy Works released this research on applying PAYS for energy efficiency to on-site solar, the regulatory precedents for PAYS at the state level, and possible financial structures that would enable tax-exempt utilities such as rural cooperatives to adapt PAYS to monetize the federal solar tax credit for their members. This overview summarizes all three parts of our analysis.
View ReportPart 3 of the Clean Energy Works report “Applying the PAYS® System to On-Site Solar to Expand Access to All” (pp. 114-150) “Limited Technical Review of Tax Structuring for PAYS® for On-site Solar” was authored by NextResource Advisors
View ReportThe report quantifies an open-source financial model for inclusive utility investment in on-site solar to help more analysts explore this option in specific contexts. This model allows users to change inputs to explore a host of possible scenarios and shows the value streams for both utilities and customers in their local economic conditions. This report was part of the LIFT Solar Everywhere project.
View ReportWith support from Convergence Blended Finance, Clean Energy Works conducted a feasibility study and found promising results for the implementation of electric technologies in transit and the innovation of PAYS for Clean Transport in Lima, Peru.
View ReportEarlier this year, Clean Energy Works completed their feasibility study in Lima, Peru, and published their findings based on their initial project for transit buses. To learn more about their design funding experience, we recently connected with Clean Energy Work’s Executive Director, Holmes Hummel and International Program Director, Margarita Parra, who walked us through their journey.
View VideoDr. Holmes Hummel presented on PAYS for Clean Transport at Forth’s Roadmap conference. This presentation includes findings from our Lake City Case Study showing benefits to both the Transit Agency and the Utility from using a PAYS for Clean Transport model.
View Slide DeckDr. Holmes Hummel presented on PAYS for Clean Transport for the second year in a row at C40’s Clean Bus Finance Academy. This event took place in Los Angeles, CA with representatives from 13 global cities who are seeking to electrify their bus fleets.
View Slide DeckFor years, utilities have resisted the distributed energy revolution already underway. Yet, electrification of the transportation sector presents a historic opportunity for growth, and it is a critical path for climate stabilization. What’s new? In the last year, plummeting battery costs have helped the some vehicles — specifically, long-range electric transit buses — finally approach cost parity on a lifecycle basis when compared to diesel buses. At the same time, an innovative finance mechanism is gaining traction in the utility sector that would allow utilities to invest and recover costs for the on-board batteries. With these developments, utilities could drop the upfront cost of all-electric vehicles, set off a surge in sales, and rapidly capture the prize of market share for transportation fuels. But will they?
View VideoHow inclusive financing can help scale clean energy investments in distributed energy solutions from better buildings to clean transit.
View VideoPublished in the ACEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper reports and synthesizes Pay As You Save® program performance data from 23 utilities in 10 states from 2002 to 2021, highlights key program attributes and consumer protections, and characterizes the state of the field and future opportunities for inclusive utility investment. Written by: Jill Ferguson, Stephen E. Bickel, Harlan Lachman, Paul A. Cillo, and Holmes Hummel
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ACEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper explores the mechanics and potential reach of inclusive utility investment through Pay As You Save® with strong consumer protections, highlighting policy precedents (via utility commission order, legislation, and cooperative board approval) and promising developments in California, Illinois, and New York. Written by: Holmes Hummel, Jill Ferguson, and Stephen E. Bickel
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ACEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper analyzes Roanoke Electric Cooperative’s (REC) Upgrade to $ave inclusive utility investment program, evaluating weather-normalized measured electricity reduction at upgraded homes, system-wide coincident peak demand reduction, utility net present value, and internal rate of return. Written by: Stephen E. Bickel, Jill Ferguson, and Daniel Kauffman
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ACEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper presents new analysis of the energy and financial performance of Midwest Energy’s How$mart (Pay As You Save®) program, comparing program features and outcomes with four other PAYS® programs; it concludes PAYS® programs enable energy upgrades that reasonably balance benefits with tariff costs and have served areas with income, education, and employment levels below the national average. Written by: Jeff Deason, Sean Murphy, and Greg Leventis, LBNL
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ECEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper analyzes Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corporation’s (OECC) HELP PAYS® inclusive utility investment program, evaluating weather-normalized measured electricity reduction at upgraded homes, system-wide coincident peak demand reduction, utility net present value, and internal rate of return. Written by: Stephen E. Bickel, Jill Ferguson, Ethan Goldman, Hassan Shaban, Ph.D.
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ECEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper introduces a pilot diagnostic tool developed for Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corporation’s HELP PAYS® program, which uses open standard CalTRACK methods and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) hourly data to inform a diagnostic system aimed at guaranteeing program performance. Written by: Ethan Goldman, John Theurer, Stephen E. Bickel
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ECEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper reports and synthesizes Pay As You Save® program performance data from 23 utilities in 10 U.S. states from 2002 to 2021, highlights key program attributes and consumer protections, and characterizes the state of the field and future opportunities for inclusive utility investment. Written by: Jill Grey Ferguson, Stephen Bickel, Harlan Lachman, Paul A. Cillo, Holmes Hummel
View Peer ReviewPublished in the ECEEE 2022 Summer Study for Energy Efficiency in Buildings Proceedings, this paper explores the mechanics and potential reach of inclusive utility investment through Pay As You Save® with strong consumer protections; it highlights policy precedents (via utility commission order, legislation, and cooperative board approval), promising developments in California, Illinois, and New York, and examples and potential abroad. Written by: Holmes Hummel, PhD, Jill Grey Ferguson, Stephen Bickel
View Peer ReviewGetting started with inclusive utility investments
These introductory materials provide an initial overview of how inclusive utility investment works and performance of these programs. They are a useful foundation for fully understanding many of the other resources.
Introduction to inclusive utility investments
This introduction to inclusive utility investments post provides an introduction to inclusive utility investments and how they work. This post also provides links to other introductory materials.
Case study for inclusive utility investments
Learn how participants in Benham $aves are benefitting from the program.
Attributes of financing approaches for energy upgrades
This chart compares key features of Inclusive utility investments based on the PAYS® system to On-bill Loans and PACE.
Introduction to Inclusive Utility Investments for Energy Efficiency
This video is the first in a comprehensive webinar series based on the experience of 8 utilities in 3 Southern states that have already put millions of dollars to work right in the communities they serve – from the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance and Clean Energy Works.
Utility Guide to Tariffed On-Bill Programs
Read this clear, comprehensive guide written for utility decision makers from the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance.
Performance of PAYS® programs
Learn about the performance of PAYS® programs with this chart.