Utilities

The Epic Loan allows Fort Collins Utilities customers to borrow up to $50,000 for Epic Homes energy efficiency upgrades and solar and battery systems.

As a Utilities customer, you simply pay back your loan on your monthly utility bill. Epic Loans also have low rates that are competitive with other loans and don’t require any money down.

Single-Family Home and Rental Property Owners#

Epic Loans help home and rental property owners invest in energy efficiency and solar.

Fort Collins Utilities is developing an Epic Homes “toolkit” for on-bill financing and may offer other support to cities in Colorado who wish to replicate the Epic model in their communities.

Fort Collins Utilities is pleased to partner with the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) in support of Epic Homes. Utilities is helping the CEO, in cooperation with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), develop an Epic Homes “toolkit” for on-bill financing. CEO may offer financing and other support to cities in Colorado who wish to replicate the Epic Homes model in their communities.

General Program FAQ#

Epic Homes is a partnership between the City of Fort Collins and Efficiency Works that facilitates home and rental property energy efficiency upgrades.

Epic Homes connects Fort Collins Utilities’ customers to:

• Free virtual energy advising.
• Discounted ($60) home energy assessments.
• Rebates.
• Attractive loans (Epic Loans).
• An Epic Certificate with a Home Energy Score.
• Real Estate Ally network that’s trained to promote the benefits of an Epic Home.

Improved indoor air comfort and air quality, increased safety of the indoor environment, improved energy efficiency, and reduced energy burden (lower energy costs).

Competitive low-rate loans that allow Fort Collins Utilities customers to borrow up to $50,000 for energy efficiency upgrades as well as solar and battery systems. Customers pay back these loans on their monthly utility bill and money down is not required.

An Epic Certificate documents the rebated efficiency and solar improvements made to a home and helps give value to those improvements in the market. It also provides a Home Energy Score, similar to the miles per gallon (mpg) of your vehicle, allowing homeowners and buyers to estimate home energy use and compare home performance.

By completing an Efficiency Works Home energy assessment either before or after Efficiency Works Homes upgrades are made. After the upgrades are complete, Fort Collins Utilities provides an Epic Certificate.

By showcasing the customer’s efficiency and solar investments, the Epic Certificate helps give value to those improvements in the market to differentiate the home at the time of sale. Customers can use the certificate to estimate home energy use and compare home performance.

Not currently. As of now, this is only available to Fort Collins Utilities residential customers.

Assessments FAQ#

Assessments consist of on-site visual inspections, measurements and diagnostic testing performed by an energy advisor. An energy advisor delivers a customized detailed report of the findings and reviews the report with the customer.

Inspection & testing of home assets, as well as a detailed report with recommended improvements.

Most homes in Fort Collins built before 2012 would benefit from an assessment, however all projects that include insulation, air sealing, and windows in their scope will require an assessment to obtain the rebates and qualify for Epic Loans.

$60 (discounted from the $600 value).

Loan Specifics FAQ#

Yes, you can have one Epic Loan per premise.

Can I take out an Epic Loan for a project on my home this year and then take out another Epic Loan for a project on the same home next year?

No, customers can only have one Epic Loan per premise.

No, not at this time.

Yes, the RENU program is one option to help fill any gaps.

There are many existing tools on the internet to estimate loan payments. You would need to have estimates from the contractors and the rates from our Epic Loans webpage (see the “Rates and Loan Terms” tab) to calculate the estimated monthly payments.

Not currently. Because our billing system is designed for utility bills, on-bill financing with the Epic Loan is a recurring utility bill payment with a set schedule. Any payment toward your utility bill that is in excess of what is owed will become a credit that is then automatically applied to cover the following month’s utility bill. The billing system is not equipped to make separate payments to pay down principal on your loan. You may, however, pay off the loan in it’s entirety if you choose. Please email utilitiesbillinggroup@fcgov.com if you would like to pay off your loan in full.

As soon as you pay an Epic Loan off, you can submit another application.

Check out the Epic Homes Loan Contractor Webinar recording we hosted in June 2024.