FAQ:

The Registered Installer Program is designed for solar installation companies that want to offer Clean Energy Credit Union’s loan products directly to their customers. Registered Installers gain access to our financing platform, loan portal, and support resources to streamline the clean energy financing process. The purpose of the Program is to ensure high-quality service for both our members and their contractors/installers, Clean Energy Credit Union requires that solar loan applicants work with approved solar dealers ensuring an efficient lending process.

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.

We will do our best to send periodic emails to update you on your status as we work through our review. If you have pressing questions, you can reach us by sending an email to energyteam@cleanenergycu.org.

• Time in business: Registered Installers must have been operational for at least 3 years to meet the requirement of submitting 2 years of financials.
• Installing solar: Our priority is to work with solar installers rather than other 3rd party organizations.
• Financial stability: Businesses must demonstrate financial stability and show no risk of going out of business.
• Staff Requirements:
  • At least one NABCEP certified installer on staff.
  • At least one Master Electrician on staff.
  • At least four employees.
  • Customer centric business practices:
• Customer centric business practices:
  • Transparent pricing
  • Avoids high pressure sales

Once you have completed the initial application, our team will begin our review. From there the process includes:

1. Complete the application on the Clean Energy CU website.
2. A mutual NDA will be sent to you via email. Please complete it so we can move forward with the application process.
3. If your company’s application is approved, you’ll then complete the remainder of our Registered Installer application which requires submission of company financials, business formation documents, tax returns and more.
4. Once those documents have been reviewed, we will schedule a meeting with your team so that we can get to know each other better and allow for Q&A in both directions.
5. If accepted to become a Registered Installer your company will sign a dealer agreement and we will begin providing instructional materials and training for your team and portal logins.
6. Once onboarding is complete and your team can begin initiating loans with your customers in our Installer portal.

The wait time varies based on our team’s capacity to effectively manage the needs of current dealers and onboard new dealers. We receive applications daily and try to move them through the process as efficiently as possible. Upon our review of your initial application, we will send out an email notification updating you on next steps.

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.