Explore Financing Options

Not sure where to start on energy efficiency or renewable energy financing? Use this page to explore financing options and see how they compare to each other. Anywhere in the page, click on a Financing Option Button to learn more about that option, including how to connect with providers who can finance your projects. For more information on how financing for energy projects is done within each sector, view the sector energy financing primers below.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY FINANCE 101

Energy efficiency and renewable energy can reduce operating costs, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the resiliency of buildings. However, upfront costs are a major barrier to getting these projects done. Many organizations don't have the capital available to pay for the equipment, installation, and servicing of energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades out of pocket. Even those with plentiful cash may prefer to spend it on their core operations instead.

That's where financing comes in. In the broadest terms, "financing" simply means using someone else's capital to fund projects in your facilities and then paying it back over time. In practice, there are a variety of strategies and structures to accomplish this, each with their own pros, cons, and nuances. These are often called financing products, financing mechanisms, or, as we call them in the Navigator, financing options. They range from simple options like loans and leases, to more specialized options designed to overcome specific challenges, such as property assessed clean energy (PACE) or efficiency-as-a-service.

As demand for energy efficiency and renewable energy financing has grown, the diversity of financing options available in the marketplace—and the number of companies that provide them—has grown as well. This means that there is probably a financing option in the market that will fit your needs. But it also means that most building owners, executives, and other decision-makers don’t have time to understand and compare all of the available options.

That’s why we built the Navigator: to help you learn about the options, decide which might be a good fit, and begin connecting with financing providers within a few minutes.

Ready to take the next step? We recommend you start by briefly reviewing the information below. You can click on any financing option button for a simple fact sheet about that option. After that, answer a few questions that will help you find financing options and providers that are right for your organization. Or, if you want to skip ahead, you can begin connecting with Financial Allies right away.

FINANCING LANDSCAPE

The diagram below summarizes the energy efficiency and renewable energy financing options available in the market. “Traditional” options are commonly used to finance energy projects in addition to other types of goods and services, whereas “specialized” options are specifically designed for energy projects. Organizations can also fund projects internally without seeking third-party financing. For a more detailed typology of financing options, see LBNL's "Current Practices in Efficiency Financing" report.

Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Financing
- Traditional Financing
  - Leases
  - Loans
    - Commercial Loan
    - Below-Market Loan
- Specialized Financing
  - On-Bill
    - On-Bill Financing (OBF)
    - On-Bill Repayment (OBR)
  - Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
    - Commercial PACE
    - Residential PACE (not included in Navigator)
  - Energy Services
Internal Funding
Green Bonds
Color Key
- Energy Efficiency (EE)
- Renewable Energy (RE)
- Both RE & EE

BROWSE FINANCING OPTIONS

Here you can sort the available financing options according to a variety of attributes such as balance sheet treatment, contract complexity, and typical close time. Simply select an attribute from the drop-down menu to sort accordingly.

Traditional

Specialized

Ready to take the next step? Answer a few simple questions that will help you find financing options that are right for your organization, or connect with financing providers directly.

Each building sector faces different challenges and opportunities regarding financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The sector-specific financing primers provide a summary of how energy financing is done within each sector.

Commercial Energy Financing

The commercial sector is large, diverse, and represents substantial energy savings potential as commercial buildings represent just under one-fifth of U.S. energy consumption. Companies in the commercial sector range from large corporations with hundreds of properties across the country to small businesses with one or two properties. A range of financing solutions are available to companies of all sizes and structures that are looking to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Healthcare Energy Financing

The healthcare sector accounts for over 4.1 billion square feet of floor space in the United States and spends over $5 billion annually on energy. Energy costs can consume 1-3 percent of a typical healthcare facility’s operating budget, which often represents an estimated 15% or more of profits. The sector has been a market leader in the adoption of innovative internal funding strategies for energy projects, and other common financing solutions for energy efficiency and renewable energy include leases, loans, and energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs).

Higher Education Energy Financing

The higher education sector accounts for over 5 billion square feet of floor space in the United States and spends an estimated $6 billion annually on energy costs. Higher education institutions play a unique role in their communities as labs for innovation and research, and many schools are using innovative financing strategies to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy. The sector has been a market leader in the adoption of energy savings performance contracting (ESPC) and, more recently, green revolving funds. Other common financing approaches include leases, loan and debt financing, and other forms of internal funding.

Industrial Energy Financing

The industrial sector is a significant consumer of energy, accounting for nearly a third of energy consumption in the US. Industrial facilities are often energy intensive due to their size and the energy consumption of process and cross-cutting industrial technologies such as furnaces and compressed air systems. There are important opportunities to save energy by implementing best practices and energy saving technologies. Manufacturers are using a variety of financing strategies to fund energy efficiency, some of them quite innovative.

Multifamily Energy Financing

There are more than 18 million market-rate and affordable multifamily housing units in the U.S., and one in six American households resides in a multifamily building. Financing energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects in multifamily buildings can be challenging as the sector’s diversity, complexity, and unique characteristics create barriers to implementation, but new financing mechanisms and other resources are creating opportunities for building owners.

Public Sector Energy Financing

Energy consumption in state and local government buildings totals 980 trillion Btus annually – more than half of the total energy use of all government-owned buildings in the United States. With a 20% improvement in energy performance, these buildings could save $6 billion annually in avoided energy costs. Energy efficiency in the public sector reduces operational costs, frees up much-needed funding for public priorities, and demonstrates good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

The toolkits below contain guidance, resources, and proven best practices for different energy efficiency and renewable energy financing options.

Finance and Resilience

The Finance and Resilience Roadmap is designed to help commercial building owners develop a plan for measuring, managing, and mitigating resilience risk. It is the result of the Department of Energy's Finance and Resilience Initiative, which brings together leading experts from finance, insurance, real estate, and other fields to foster clarity, collaboration, and guidance on emerging resilience issues and how they affect energy and financial performance in buildings.

A Guide to Efficiency-as-a-Service

This toolkit provides resources and project case studies for building owners, operators, and occupants that may want to take advantage of efficiency-as-a-service to improve energy and water performance in their facilities.

Commercial PACE Financing for New Construction

This toolkit provides energy resources and energy project case studies for building owners and developers to take advantage of commercial PACE for new construction.

Financing for Resilience with Commercial PACE

This toolkit provides an overview of CPACE financing to help building owners, operators, and occupants improve resilience in their facilities.

Green Revolving Funds

This toolkit provides cross-sector guidance on establishing a green revolving fund to overcome the common barrier of dedicated funding. A green revolving fund is an internal capital pool that is dedicated to funding energy efficiency, renewable energy, and/or sustainability projects that generate cost savings. A portion of those savings is then used to replenish the fund.

Better Buildings Financing Navigator

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY FINANCE 101

FINANCING LANDSCAPE

BROWSE FINANCING OPTIONS

Traditional

Specialized

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