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Fix First Home › South Carolina › Help My House on-bill loans (South Carolina electric cooperatives)

Help My House on-bill loans (South Carolina electric cooperatives) open

Administered by participating electric cooperatives (Aiken, Black River, Santee and Tri-County), with KW Savings as lender.

Help My House lends members of four South Carolina electric co-ops the full cost of high-efficiency heating and cooling, air sealing, duct sealing and insulation, repaid on the electric bill at 5% over up to 10 years, when an audit projects savings that exceed the loan payment. Tri-County charges a $200 fee for the audit.

source · verified 13 October 2026 · amounts in US dollars

What it pays

Help My House loan terms
TermWhat the pages say
Interest rate5% fixed (Tri-County)
RepaymentUp to 10 years, on the electric bill
Maximum loan$15,000 (ECSC); most co-ops up to $12,500 (Tri-County)
AuditTri-County: $200 non-refundable program fee; ECSC: one auditor charges $250, the average is closer to $500
Typical retrofit$7,000 to $12,000 (ECSC)

What it pays for

  • High-efficiency HVAC
  • Air sealing
  • Duct sealing
  • Insulation

Who is eligible

co-ops
Members of Aiken, Black River, Santee or Tri-County electric cooperatives, per ECSC.
owners
Legal owners of the home and lot, with proof of homeowner's insurance.
bill history
A history of paying the electric bill on time; Tri-County runs no credit check.
savings test
The audit must project monthly savings greater than the estimated loan payment.
whole house
Tri-County will not lend for a new HVAC system alone.

Where the application goes

Call your co-op about a lower electric bill; it screens the home, schedules the audit, and arranges the loan and contractor.

Where the application goes
If this is youApply here
Tri-County Electric: Help My Housetri-countyelectric.net
Electric Cooperatives of South Carolinaecsc.org
Tri-County Electric803-874-1215

The thing most pages get wrong

The co-ops' own pages disagree on the loan limit. ECSC says 'the maximum loan amount is $15,000' and the homeowner pays anything above it; Tri-County's FAQ says 'Most co-ops will loan up to $12,500.' Ask your co-op for its own limit before the audit.

Missed payments can cut the power

ECSC says the loans 'are unsecured lines of credit tied to the electricity meter at the home. The participating cooperative has the ability to turn off the power to the home if the homeowner does not pay its electricity bill.'

Not every year at every co-op

ECSC says 'Tri-County does not operate this program every year', and that Aiken retrofits 40 to 50 homes a year, Santee 25 to 30 and Black River five.