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Fix First Home › Massachusetts › DOER MLP Z-Loan for municipal light plant customers

DOER MLP Z-Loan for municipal light plant customers open

Administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), with Energy New England, NextZero and participating lenders.

Since September 2026, homeowners served by Massachusetts municipal light plants, who cannot use Mass Save's HEAT Loan, can borrow $500 to $25,000 at 0% for up to five years for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, insulation and the repairs that must come first. A home energy assessment decides what the loan can pay for.

source · verified 3 October 2026 · amounts in US dollars

What it pays

Loan terms
TermDetail
Interest rate0%
Amount$500 to $25,000
LengthUp to 5 years
PaymentA two-party check to the homeowner and contractor
Program budget$9.7 million

What it pays for

  • Heat pumps
  • Heat pump water heaters
  • Insulation
  • Work needed first: electrical wiring, structural repairs, mold or vermiculite removal

Solar panels, EV chargers and anything not recommended in the assessment are excluded. Measures must pass cost-effectiveness rules and a check after installation, and a licensed contractor must do the work.

Who is eligible

who
Owners of residential property with electric service from a municipal light plant, heated by MLP electricity, municipal gas or a delivered fuel such as oil or propane.
not eligible
Anyone eligible for Mass Save programs.
credit
A participating lender's credit check decides; DOER lists 28 lenders, some requiring membership.
assessment
A qualifying home energy assessment through Energy New England or NextZero, depending on your light plant, before any work.

Where the application goes

Schedule the assessment, get a contractor's proposal, then apply at myz-loan.com and wait for a lender's approval before the work starts.

Where the application goes
If this is youApply here
Applymyz-loan.com
DOER program pagemass.gov
Energy New England assessments888-772-4242

The thing most pages get wrong

DOER's announcement says the loan is for owners with 'electric or gas service from a municipal light plant'. The program page is narrower: you need MLP electric service and heat from MLP electricity, municipal gas or a delivered fuel. A home on MLP power heated by a Mass Save gas utility is not on that list.

Use it with town rebates

DOER's commissioner said the Z-Loan can be used with existing light plant rebates and incentives.

Why it exists

Municipal light plants serve more than 50 Massachusetts cities and towns outside Mass Save. DOER says many of their customers cannot use the Mass Save HEAT Loan, and the Z-Loan, modeled on it, fills that gap.