MIDDLEBORO — For local residents who thought they couldn’t afford whole-house weatherization or heat pumps, two new no-interest and low-interest loan programs could make all the difference, according to a local non-profit.

“We’ve been asking our utility for 0% loans as one of our top priorities,” said Kimberly French, a leader of the local nonprofit Sustainable Middleboro. “We’re thrilled to now have two programs, one from our local utility and one from the state, that can help households close the gap between available rebates and the cost of these energy upgrades.” 

This year Middleboro Gas and Electric began offering a zero-percent loan for households at or below the state median income, which includes more than half of the households in town, in partnership with Taunton Federal Credit Union. Any household with a higher income can get three percentage points discounted off the interest.

These loans, from $2,000 to $20,000 with a term up to seven years, can be used for weatherization, heat pumps, and heat pump water heaters. The first step is to get an energy assessment. See mged.com/370 to learn more.

The new Massachusetts Community Climate Bank  has also started offering Energy Saver Loans that may work better for some homeowners. The income guidelines are higher, and only the names on the deed are counted toward household income. Households below $113,600 can get a 0.5% interest rate, and households between $113,600 and $191,700 can get 2%.

Eligible weatherization projects must have a projected 20% energy savings. To meet that, homeowners can bundle many other energy-saving measures, such as roofs, appliances, electric upgrades, solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, even shade trees. To learn more, go to the Climate Bank’s website or contact energysaver@cetonline.org or call 413-303-0667.

To help residents learn about weatherization they can do themselves and what to know about hiring a contractor, Sustainable Middleboro is sponsoring a free All About Insulation workshop at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Middleboro Public Library. 

To register and view the nonprofit group’s complete Weatherization Guide for local residents, go to sustainablemiddleborough.org.