Solar power - Boston launches solar loan pilot for homeowners
At a glance
Who: Boston Home Centre (BHC); Mayor’s Office of Housing (MoH).
What: BHC, a division of MoH, has announced the launch of the Solar Loan Pilot Programme, designed to help low- and moderate-income homeowners reduce energy costs through rooftop solar installation.
Why: It aims to expand BHC’s efforts to help residents remain safely and affordably housed, while reducing the financial burden of rising utility costs and supporting building electrification.
Where: City of Boston is holding informational workshops covering how rooftop solar works on 9 July.
The Boston Home Centre (BHC), a division of the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MoH), has announced the launch of the Solar Loan Pilot Programme, designed to help low- and moderate-income homeowners reduce energy costs through rooftop solar installation.
The programme advances the goals in Boston’s 2030 Climate Action Plan, a roadmap for how the City will achieve its carbon emissions reduction and climate resilience targets, which mayor Michelle Wu announced last month.
Supporting building electrification
The Solar Loan Pilot Programme offers 20 eligible households up to $25,000 in 0 per cent deferred-interest financing to install rooftop solar systems and complete related project work on owner-occupied one- to four-unit homes in Boston.
It aims to expand the Boston Home Centre’s efforts to help residents remain safely and affordably housed while reducing the financial burden of rising utility costs and supporting building electrification.
“Too many Boston residents are forced to make impossible choices between paying for heat, electricity, or keeping up with their mortgage”
The loan may be pursued independently or paired with existing BHC financing to support roof repairs or replacements needed before solar installation. Loans are forgiven after 20 years of continuous owner-occupancy and are otherwise due upon sale, refinance, or transfer of the property.
“Too many Boston residents are forced to make impossible choices between paying for heat, electricity, or keeping up with their mortgage,” said Dan Lesser, chief of staff for the Mayor’s Office of Housing. “This programme gives homeowners a new tool to lower their energy costs and access a stable, low-cost, and carbon-free source of electricity. By investing in rooftop solar, we are helping families build resilience, reduce utility expenses, and benefit directly from the clean energy transition.”