Loans available for energy-efficiency improvements

Snohomish County homeowners now have access to a new loan program to help them make their homes more energy efficient.

The Energy Smart program is a cooperative effort between county government and Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union.

It’s designed to help people finance energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects, including windows and doors, insulation, heat pumps and solar-powered systems. The idea is to complement financing options, rebates and incentives such as those offered by Snohomish County PUD and Puget Sound Energy.

The public-private partnership uses $644,000 in federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy. That amount will be leveraged to provide about $12 million in energy-efficiency loans over the next 20 years.

The loan program will attempt to reach people who don’t qualify for other energy-loan programs or home-equity lines of credit from a bank. For more information, visit a Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union office, call 800-273-1550 or go to www.psccu.org/efficiency.php.

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