The interest rate for the loan is 8.74% APR. This rate will be fixed throughout the term of the loan.
You may choose a 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 year terms. The 7 and 10 year terms are only available to loan amounts in excess of $8,000.
No. Only pre-payment in full is allowed. Overpayments will be credited to your utility service account. If you pay more than the balance on the monthly bill, including the Energy Efficiency Loan charge, any overage will be applied as a general credit on their utility account. Your utility company will apply money to the electric and/or gas service first then the Energy Efficiency Loan Installment Amount.
Funds will be applied to your utility service first and the balance will be applied to your Loan installment. Partial payments can result in loss of utility service. Late fees may apply.
The loan installment will appear on your monthly utility bill under a separate line item. You will remit payment each month to your utility on your regular due date.
Depending on when the funds are disbursed to your contractor, remittance of your loan installments may begin on your next bill or the following. Please allow up to two (2) billing periods for the loan installment charge to appear on your utility bill before contacting your utility.
You can visit EFS’s website for a list of approved contractors eligible to perform work in your area.
If you apply online, a decision will be provided within moments of submitting your application. If EFS is unable to preapprove your application at that time, your application will be placed in a pending status, and a manual review will be completed within one (1) business day. You will receive notification of the decision by email and through accessing the online portal. If you submit a paper application, EFS will provide a decision within one (1) business day of receipt of the application to the email address listed on the application or by regular mail if no email address is listed.
You must meet certain utility eligibility standards in order to participate within the Illinois Energy Efficiency Loan Program. You must meet the following utility eligibility standards in order to participate- All borrowers must be listed on the utility account; The borrower must have an active utility account; For rental units, utility account must be in name of the property owner; For leased or rented commercial properties, the utility account must be in the name of the property owner; Qualifying small businesses and multi-family buildings must have peak demand of 100kW or below; Current utility account cannot have been cut off for non-payment in the past 12 months nor have a pending cutoff for non-payment; Utility account cannot be under a deferred payment agreement or have a pending deferred payment agreement; Utility requirements must be met from application through loan closing when a second and final utility eligibility check will be performed; Borrower must have a credit score of 640 or better.
Once all conditions of the preapproval are received and accepted, your loan will go through a final review process for final approval. Once approved, you will receive notification by email that the documents are available for signing in the customer portal if you applied online. If you submitted a paper application you will be provided a set of documents by email or regular mail if no email address is provided. Alternatively, the contractor may be able to print a copy of the loan documents and present to you for signature. The work may commence when (i) all fully executed documents are received and accepted by EFS and (ii) the cancellation period has expired. Once the work is completed to your satisfaction, your contractor will ask you to sign a Certificate of Completion. Upon receipt of the signed Certificate of Completion, EFS will complete the second and final check of the Utility Eligibility Standards before funding the loan and remitting funds directly to your contractor. If you fail to meet the Utility Eligibility Standards at that time, your loan will not be closed and funded and your contractor will not be paid from the loan proceeds. You will remain responsible to pay your contractor for the work completed.
Payments for your loan are collected through your utility bill, please contact your utility to determine your payment options.
The primary account holder must apply for the loan, however, if your home is served by Ameren Illinois Company, People’s Gas Light and Coke Co., or North Shore Gas Company, all parties named on the utility account must apply for this loan. Additional borrowers can be added but they must also be listed on the utility bill and own the home. For rental properties, the property owner must apply for the loan and be named on the utility bill.
Contact EFS at 877-923-2665 to request a payoff quote for up to fifteen (15) days in the future. The date the payoff amount is received by your utility is the date that your loan will be considered paid off. Depending on when your loan payoff amount is received, you may still owe additional utility charges as well as any monthly loan payments that were billed to you before the payoff was quoted. Those amounts must also be paid in order to be considered paid in full. If you are mailing your payment, please add extra time to account for mailing in the payment. At the time of the payoff quote you will be provided with a payoff letter that must accompany your payment to the utility.
