Programs · Colorado

Rural Colorado shouldn't have to choose between comfort and cost

Tri-State's Electrify and Save program gives electric co-op members two ways to afford a modern heat pump: rebates from your local co-op, and $0-down financing repaid right on your electric bill. Zero Homes is a named partner in the program. We do the engineering and the install.

A 40-year-old co-op program, rebuilt for heat pumps

The program

Tri-State Generation and Transmission supplies wholesale power to rural electric co-ops across Colorado and neighboring states. Its Electrify and Save program has paid out more than 10,000 electrification and efficiency rebates over four decades. Today the program centers on the cold-climate heat pump, and it has two parts that work together: your local co-op pays a rebate that cuts the upfront price, and the on-bill repayment program finances the rest with no money down, no credit check, and interest that won't exceed 5%, repaid as a fixed line on your monthly electric bill.

Approved on your bill history, not your credit score

$0 down

Step 1

Qualify

Own a home in a participating co-op territory with 12 months of on-time electric payments. No credit check, no loan application.

Step 2

Install

A fully screened contractor installs your heat pump. You own the equipment from day one, and any rebates reduce the amount financed.

Step 3

Repay

The cost comes back as a fixed charge on your monthly co-op bill, at an interest rate that won't exceed 5%. Pay it off early anytime, no penalty.

Named on the program, accountable for the install

The partnership

When a co-op member applies for on-bill repayment, Tri-State's program routes them to two partners: the Collective Clean Energy Fund, which handles the financing, and Zero Homes, which handles the project. Every project starts with a Manual J load calculation, the room-by-room math that determines what size system a house actually needs at design temperatures well below zero. The quote is fixed, the rebates are already applied, and the install is done by a vetted local crew.

Three pieces, one net price

The math

Co-op

Your co-op rebate

Set by each co-op; GCEA, for example, pays $1,000 per ton for gas or propane conversions. Amounts differ by territory and are first-come, first-served.

State

Colorado heat pump credit

$1,000 for air-source systems in 2026, with at least $333 passed through as an upfront invoice discount. The contractor files it; the homeowner does nothing.

Financing

On-bill repayment

Whatever remains after rebates can be financed at $0 down through on-bill repayment in participating territories.

Electrification that reaches past the Front Range

Why we do this

Most electrification programs concentrate where the customers are dense and the installs are easy. Electrify and Save points the other way: at mountain valleys, the eastern plains, and towns where winters are long, propane is expensive, and the nearest specialty HVAC contractor might be two counties over. Zero Homes exists to make a well-engineered electric home available anywhere, not just where the trucks already are. Remote design means a home in Meeker or Westcliffe gets the same engineering as a home in Denver.

Go deeper

Tri-State heat pump rebates, explained: the full 2026 picture, which 7 co-ops participate, and the fine print that matters.
On-bill repayment with $0 down: how the financing works, who qualifies, and what happens if you sell your house.
Your co-op's rebates: current, dated rebate breakdowns for GCEA, MVEA, and San Luis Valley REC members.

See what your co-op membership is worth

We design your system from a scan of your house, apply your co-op's rebate and the state discount upfront, and show you the exact monthly cost with $0 down. See your real net cost before anyone visits.