The Mass Heat Loan Program Offers Low Interest Loans to Eligible Homeowners

 

It’s probably safe to say that all Massachusetts homeowners want to save money on their home energy bills. In many cases, though, homeowners are restricted by their budgets. It’s one thing to want to upgrade your energy efficiency with purchases like heat pumps and high-efficiency furnaces and appliances, but it’s another thing entirely when you consider the upfront costs, regardless of the savings. 

Unless you get a Mass Save® heat loan. These low interest loans are specifically designed to give you the money you need to make the pricier home energy purchases, but it’s important to know the requirements and how to negotiate the process of getting a heat loan. With that in mind, let’s review what’s involved. 

 

How the Mass Save® Program Works 

Mass Save® is a comprehensive program designed to help Massachusetts homeowners become more energy efficient. It represents an opportunity to get a complete home energy assessment that gives them a complete report identifying upgrades to improve energy efficiency. 

These upgrades may include free services to seal or repair air leaks in your home, and you can get serious discounts on home insulation as well. 

The report may also recommend upgrades in appliances, and low-cost solutions like programmable thermostats that can significantly lower home energy costs. 

The biggest opportunities are those recommended for homeowners who want to upgrade their home heating and cooling systems to attain maximum energy efficiency. That includes technology like heat pumps, high-efficiency furnaces and central air conditioning systems that meet the Mass Save® requirements. 

 

Mastering the Heat Loan Financing Process

There are some steps involved in getting a Mass Save® heat loan, but overall the process is simple. Here’s a rundown of what’s involved:

• Determine eligibility and schedule a home energy assessment: To be eligible for a Mass Save® heat loan, you have to be a customer of a Massachusetts utility provider, and you need to go through a contractor approved by Mass Save®. That includes Revise, Inc., and we can help you determine your eligibility when you call us to set up your home energy assessment. When you get your home energy assessment report, we’ll help you determine if you need a heat loan. We’ll also tell you how much money you’ll need to make the necessary upgrades, what the costs will be, and how much money you’ll save. 
• Get contractor quotes and apply for the loan: It’s important to get contractor quotes from vendors who are approved by Mass Save®. Once you have the best quotes, you can apply for the loan and include the relevant information such as the vendor or contractor, the size and scope of the project, and the basic cost estimates. 
• Loan approval and closing: When you get the loan you’ll be notified by letter, and you can schedule a closing meeting to verify and finalize the terms. 
• Get the work done: This is the payoff! It’s where you get to add whatever technology and equipment was recommended in the home energy assessment report. Once it’s done, you’ll get an invoice from the contractor or vendor, and you’ll receive the necessary funds to start making payments. 
• The repayment process: Heat loans are typically paid off over a period of seven years, and you can access this payment information in your utility bills as well.  

 

Minimum and Maximum Loan Amounts and Your Credit Score

You can get a Mass Save heat loan for as little as $500, but HEAT loans are zero-interest loans that are typically used to fund larger purchases that maximize energy efficiency. The maximum amount is $25,000, with a payment period of up to 7 years. 

While the necessary credit score for your heat loan will vary according to your specific financial situation, the standard number is usually a FICO score of 620, which is considered good. 

There are other variables, however. The Mass Save® program contains stipulations and incentives for low-income Massachusetts residents who are homeowners, and at Revise, Inc. we can help you explain how it all works and guide you through the paperwork.  

 

Getting Approval and Learn How the Payment Process Works

The approval timeline for getting a Mass Save heat loan can vary based on several different factors. One factor is your application, and Revise Inc. can help you make sure it’s filled out properly with no errors that could otherwise slow down the approval process. 

Lenders take different amounts of time to verify the loans, and the amount you’re requesting also plays into that timeline. The equipment you’re buying has to be eligible under the terms of the Mass Save® program, and that eligibility also has to be verified. 

The approval process for a smaller amount can be as little as a few days, but the normal timeline for approval can take up to several weeks. 

Approval can take a month or two for larger loan amounts, and this also varies according to the demand for Mass Save® products and loans, which have proven to be quite popular for Massachusetts homeowners.  

 

Do You Need Checking Accounts or Savings Accounts to Get a Heat Loan?

No, you don’t need a checking or saving account. You must be a homeowner, and you need to have an established electrical account with a Massachusetts utility provider. You’ll also need to set up an account with the lender, which will usually be a bank or credit union approved by Mass Save®. 

 

Learn How to Get Low Interest Loans Through Mass Save® With Revise, Inc.

At Revise, Inc., we want to see you save all the money you can when you go to make your home more energy efficient. We’re proud to be a designated contractor under the Mass Save® program, and we’ve helped hundreds of customers get excellent loans that have changed their lives by saving money on home energy efficiency. 

We also go the extra mile to make the process as simple as possible. Our home energy assessors are professionals who are extensively trained to take you through the Mass Save® loan process, and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have or explain anything from the basic information that might be confusing. We want you to understand that it’s a lot easier to get a low interest loan, and we can show you how to start making those changes.   

To get the ball rolling, call us at 800-885-7283 (SAVE), or you can go to our website, www.callrevise.com. We’ve got some great information about low interest heat loans there, so it’s an excellent place to start if you’re curious and you want to get some background material about how to use the money from this kind of loan to become more energy efficient.