Installer FAQs

No, there are no required “dealer fees” (or “seller’s points”) for buying down a Customer’s loan rate, and instead, this
is completely optional. However, Contractors must pay a technology fee for each loan that is closed/funded via the
Blueprint online dealer portal (which is deducted from the loan disbursement to the Contractor). Currently, the
technology fee is $35, but this amount is subject to change. Also, Contractors may optionally access an early loan
disbursement (outlined above) for a net $250 fee.

Here is the link to the portal: Blueprint Portal

We offer payment terms of net 15.

Credit approvals and loan rates are valid for 6 months from an applicant’s original pre-approval date.

• All loan proceeds need to be approved by Clean Energy CU for disbursement to the dealer within this 6- month validity period. 
• After the 6-month validity period expires, credit approvals may be extended another 4 months:
  • Clean Energy CU can do a hard credit pull – after obtaining explicit permission from the customer. 
  •  If the hard credit pull results in a credit score that has dropped by more than a nominal delta, then Clean Energy CU may need to ask for updated proof of income and/or re-underwrite the loan app more comprehensively. Extensions or re-approvals are not guaranteed. 
• Clean Energy CU includes language about the 6-month validity period in the footnotes of each pre-approval and full approval email: “The credit approval and loan terms associated with this loan application will be valid for up to six months from the date on which you were originally pre-approved. If your loan(s) are not fully funded/closed within this six-month time frame, then credit approval will expire, after which an extension may be possible – but not guaranteed – which may require us to re-underwrite your loan application. This may involve re-pulling and re-approving your credit, re-pricing your loan terms, and re-verifying your income, among other things.”

The time it takes to go from pre-approval to full approval depends largely on how quickly the member uploads the required documents to the blueprint portal. It also depends on their attentiveness to our correspondence through email, blueprint portal messaging, and phone calls. Typically the loan can get held up during the verification of income or the membership/ID Pal identity verification process. If the member has any trouble, we are available via chat and phone at 720-479-7900 for any questions. You can also direct them to resources featured above in the applicant resources section of this page. This section features instruction documents and tutorial videos of our loan process and membership application.

We highly recommend waiting until the loan has been fully approved to ensure the project will be funded by Clean Energy Credit Union. After your customer has submitted the required documents and taken the necessary steps as shown in our loan instructions document, our underwriters will then be able to make a decision on the loan. The reason we recommend waiting is there is at least some risk that your customer may not provide the verification of income documents required, or sometimes they may choose to delay in establishing their membership with Clean Energy Credit Union, etc.

Some examples of circumstances that might result in a loan potentially being rejected are: (a) if the customer loses
their job; (b) if the customer’s actual income and/or employment does not match what they entered into their loan
application; (c) if it turns out that the customer does not actually own the home (either directly or via a company
under their control) and the owner of the home is not willing to be a co-applicant on the loan; or (d) if the customer
or one of two co-applicants dies.

Payment terms are net 15 starting from when Clean Energy Credit Union approves the required documents. For example, using our combo loan, once the loan as been fully approved and installation has commenced, please send us your invoice for the first 30%. Upon receiving the invoice, Clean Energy CU will disburse 30% of funds within 15 days. To receive the remaining 70% of funds, please send us an invoice and the final project documents. Upon approving the final project documents, we will disburse the remaining 70% of funds within 15 days as long as installation has been completed. If our single loan is being used, the payment timeline will remain the same as the combo loan, however, the amounts will be 50% at each disbursement. For any single disbursement loan products such as; our GHI, long-term only, or short-term only, 100% of the funds will be disbursed within 15 days of Clean Energy CU approving the final project documents as long as installation has been completed. When disbursing funds, ACH transfers or a check will be sent to the contractor within 24-48 hours of the customers signing their loan documents. Loan documents are sent to customers both by email and text every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until they are signed.

Up to 45% of a solar PV loan proceeds can be used to finance non-solar PV, “mission-aligned project scope” items such as:

• Electric Vehicle  Chargers
• Roofs – Roofing requests must be reviewed by Clean Energy CU prior to approval. A list of rated materials can be found at this website: https://coolroofs.org/directory/roof.
• Heat Pumps
• SPAN/Smart Panel
• Other Eligible Products – See our list of Eligible Products for all qualifying items.

Included in this 45% limit, up to $4,000 can be use for other “ancillary costs” if they are necessary for the effective installation and operation of the solar PV system. These can be items such as:

• Main service panel upgrade
• Minor roof repairs – such as roof vent rerouting, rafter upgrades, ect.
• Tree trimming
• For any other items you may have questions on, please reach out to dealers@cleanenergycu.org

For project scope that may exceed the 45% limit, or for batteries-only projects (e.g. adding batteries to a previously installed solar PV system), these may be financed via a green home improvement loan (which would be separate from the solar PV system loan). Please see the graphic below which helps illustrate the 45% limit versus the $4,000 limit.

Example: If you’re utilizing a $50,000 solar PV loan, that means up to $22,500 (45%) can be used for other qualifying items. The $4,000 ancillary costs would be a part of the $22,500 “Scope Flexibility” allowance.

What documentation does the credit union need to approve the “mission-aligned project scope” and/or the “ancillary costs?”

• The borrower’s purchase/installation contract should include an itemized list of costs for the solar PV work scope versus all other work scopes, equipment, etc. It should include sufficient descriptions (e.g. Equipment manufacturer and model, description of each task/service, etc.) and be self-explanatory in complying with the requirements described above.

No, the solar PV system loans are secured solely by the project equipment. However, Clean Energy Credit Union conducts a UCC-1 filing at both the State and County level.

• For solar electric system loans, geothermal system loans, and secured green home improvement loans, Clean Energy Credit Union files a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) form called a “UCC-1 filing” at both the State and County level in order to give public notice that you have entered into a security agreement with Clean Energy Credit Union that specifies your project equipment as the collateral for your loan.
• If your mortgage provider were to ever need to foreclose on your home, or if you tried to sell the home without first repaying your loan, then the UCC-1 filing would show up in a title search in the public records. It would notify other parties that the project equipment is not a part of the residence or “real property” (instead, it is removable personal property) and that it is being used as collateral for your loan.
• The UCC-1 filing includes your name, address, a description of the collateral (which is an itemized list of your project equipment), as well as the words, “THIS SECURITY AGREEMENT DOES NOT CREATE A SECURITY INTEREST IN THE DEBTOR’S REAL PROPERTY TO BE RECORDED IN THE LAND RECORDS.”
• So, the UCC-1 filing is technically not a lien on your real property (i.e. your residence or real estate), nor is it technically a “fixture filing.” However, it is filed via a similar process as a fixture filing so that it can be found more easily as a public record.
• Clean Energy Credit Union will remove the UCC-1 filing after your loan is fully paid off.
• Clean Energy Credit Union can assist with subordinating or temporarily suspending the UCC-1 filing if you refinance your mortgage in the future and your mortgage provider requires it.
  • Technically, since Clean Energy Credit Union’s UCC-1 filing is only on the personal property that’s represented by your solar electric system equipment, there shouldn’t be any conflict with the mortgage lender’s lien on your residence (i.e. your real property), but many mortgage lenders still require a subordination agreement. Fortunately, the process for providing one is relatively simple and straight-forward.
  • Clean Energy Credit Union charges a flat fee of around $100 (but please refer to our fee schedule for the current amount) to execute a notarized subordination agreement and can provide a one-page instruction document and a standard subordination agreement upon request.

Our credit union finances: solar, geothermal, EV, eBikes, and Green Home Improvements. Details about our loans can be found here and a full list of projects we can finance via our Green Home Improvement loans can be found here.

Up until 2026, Clean Energy Credit Union offered members a “Geothermal combo loan” which is actually two separate loans that, when combined, offered customers a no-money-down finance strategy that accommodates the 30% federal tax credit which expired at the end of 2025. Here’s how the two parts
work.

• PART 1 OF 2: Short-Term Balloon Loan for 12 or 18 Months: The intention of this short-term balloon loan is to float the amount of this 30% tax credit until after your next annual tax filing. As a result, the principal and interest from this short-term loan MUST be repaid in full within 12 or 18 months of your Geothermal system installation. Significant penalties apply
  for late repayment (17.99% interest over your full loan term). As such, this loan is best fit for homeowners
  who are able to use the full 30% tax credit to pay off their loan on time. This short-term loan can be prepaid at any
  time without penalty and homeowners are encouraged to schedule a one-time, automatic balloon payment on or
  before their loan maturity date.
• PART 2 OF 2: Long-Term Loan for 12, 15, or 20 Years
  The remaining 70% of the cost of your Geothermal system installation is covered in the form of a long-term loan subject to a fixed interest rate and payable in identical monthly installments of principal and interest for a period of either 12, 15, or 20 years. This long-term loan can be prepaid at any time without penalty, and
  homeowners are encouraged to schedule automatic monthly payments.

See additional information here here.

All solar installers who would like to offer Clean Energy Credit Union’s solar loans must become a Registered Installer. For non-solar projects such as geothermal and green home improvement projects, there is no requirement to become a Registered Installer. Your customers can apply for financing through our website application. See our list of eligible products for more information on what can be financed via our green home improvement loans.

Clean Energy Credit Union is currently offering checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs, IRAs, debit cards, a residential solar electric system loan, a clean energy vehicle loan, a residential geothermal system loan, a green home improvement loan, an electric bicycle loan, and online/mobile banking services. In the future, we plan to offer credit cards, mortgages, home equity loans, and commercial loans. Click here to learn more about our Savings Products and Loan Products.