Preliminary Results of the Ouachita Electric HELP PAYS® Program
Earlier this year, the Arkansas Public Service Commission voted unanimously to approve an
opt-in tariff for cost effective energy efficiency investments at the request of Ouachita
Electric Cooperative. 1 Within 45 days, the utility switched from offering loans for energy
efficiency to offering inclusive financing called HELP PAYS®, a tariffed on-bill program
based on the Pay As You Save® (PAYS®) system.
With HELP PAYS, the utility can serve all customers, regardless of income, credit score, and
renter status. The tariffed terms provide immediate net savings for the customer with no
new debt obligation, and it assures the utility a low risk path to cost recovery with a charge
on the bill that is less than the estimated savings from the upgrades. The utility assures the
upgrades continue to function throughout the period of cost recovery, and once cost
recovery is complete, all upgrades belong to the owner.