BGE and SMECO and FirstEnergy and Delmarva Power and Pepco and Washington Gas customers, Maryland · Loan
Clean Energy Advantage (CEA) Loan
Run by Maryland Clean Energy Center (with Montgomery County Green Bank)
Loans of $3,000 to $50,000 at 0% APR for the first 24 months for HVAC, insulation, windows and other upgrades done through your utility's EmPOWER rebate program.
Amounts
How much you get
Loan of $3,000 to $50,000 per address. 0% APR for 24 months, then market rate minus 0.5%. Terms of 3, 5, 7 or 10 years. No dealer fees.
Eligibility
Do I qualify?
You need to meet all 4 of these.
Served by BGE, SMECO, Potomac Edison, Delmarva Power, Pepco (not in Montgomery County) or Washington Gas.
You must use an approved contractor.
What to doPick a participating contractor from the CEA contractor finder. Get a quote from a contractor
The project must go through your utility's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, Home Energy Improvement Program or HVAC rebate program.
What to doEnroll in your utility's EmPOWER rebate program for the same project.
Credit scores as low as 580 may qualify, subject to underwriting.
Equipment
What equipment counts
Applying
How to apply
Your contractor applies for you.
- Find your utility and pick a participating contractor.
- Plan the upgrade with the contractor and enroll in the utility rebate program.
- Get pre-approved for the loan.
Stacking
Use it with
Your address
Next steps
Check that it covers your address. Then, if you want, ask for a contractor quote.
Is it available at your address?
Before anything else
Your quote request is in If a contractor we work with serves your ZIP, they can contact you. We take one request per person; contact us to change it.
Get an email if this program changes
We'll write if its amount, status or deadline changes. Nothing else.
FAQ
Questions
How much does Clean Energy Advantage (CEA) Loan pay?
Up to $50,000 loan.
Do I need to be a BGE, SMECO, FirstEnergy, Delmarva Power, Pepco or Washington Gas customer?
Yes. It’s only for homes in BGE and SMECO and FirstEnergy and Delmarva Power and Pepco and Washington Gas customers, Maryland. See Do I qualify for the details.
Do I have to use a contractor?
Yes. You must use an approved contractor.
Do I need approval before I buy?
The project must go through your utility's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, Home Energy Improvement Program or HVAC rebate program. Enroll in your utility's EmPOWER rebate program for the same project.
Is it still available?
Yes. It was open when we last checked, on October 19, 2026.
Plain words
Words used on this page
- EmPOWER
- EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s energy-saving program, run through your electric and gas utility.
References
Sources
This page is built from these official pages, run by the program itself.
When one of these pages changes, we re-check this page against it.
Nearby
More in Maryland
All of Maryland
BeSMART Home Loan Program
Up to $30,000 loan
Unsecured loan of $5,000 to $30,000 at 6.99% APR for up to 10 years, for ENERGY STAR HVAC, water heaters, insulation, windows and other efficiency upgrades for Maryland homeowners.
Checked Oct 19, 2026
All of Maryland
EmPOWER Maryland Limited Income Energy Efficiency Program
Work done at no cost
Free energy audit and efficiency upgrades for limited-income customers of BGE, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison, Pepco, SMECO or Washington Gas. Income limits are higher than the Weatherization Assistance Program's.
Checked Oct 27, 2026
All of Maryland
Net Zero Loan Program (Energy Efficient Homes Construction Loan)
Amount varies
Low-interest construction loans (2-5%) for building a new net zero home or doing a deep energy retrofit that reaches a HERS rating of 50 or lower.
Checked Oct 27, 2026