What do you do when you have a “perfect south-facing roof” and a dream of being more energy efficient? Install solar with a Minnesota Housing loan. We spoke to Dan, who installed rooftop solar on his St. Paul home in 2025.
Solar as a path to efficiency
Dan’s initial goal in improving his home was to make it more efficient. He knew that energy costs were likely to continue rising and he wanted to find proactive ways to reduce his bills. As Dan and his wife planned their home upgrades, they made decisions to future-proof their investments. First, they purchased an electric vehicle, then decided to install solar panels to help generate the electricity they’d need when they eventually switched their stove and clothes dryer to electric alternatives.
Initially, Dan spoke to friends of the family with solar in Florida and Massachusetts. He said they were “obsessed” with their solar panels, which gave him the push he needed to start doing more serious research.
As Dan and his wife started to look at photovoltaic (PV) systems, also known as solar panels, they experienced “a bit of sticker shock.” They knew their south-facing roof was a good candidate for solar, but as they spoke to more contractors and collected bids, they realized they had more potential than expected. At the end of the process, the family ended up installing a 21.5 kW DC system. While this would provide them with more energy over time, the cost associated with expanding the system was considerable. They started looking for loan options to make the work possible.
CEE is your nonprofit lending partner
By the time Dan was ready to purchase the system he’d chosen, he knew the clock was ticking on the federal tax credits, which expired at the end of 2025. Solar systems in St. Paul also have limited financial incentives outside of the tax credits, so Dan asked his contractor about financing options.
After reviewing three lending options his contractor provided, Dan and his wife chose Center for Energy and Environment. In Dan’s words, they appreciated that CEE was “upfront and transparent” with no hidden fees. “It set the stage for a process that felt honest the whole way through,” he said. They also appreciated that CEE doesn’t charge pre-payment penalties, so they could pay down the loan more aggressively as they were able.
Dan applied for his loan and heard back from his loan officer, DeShaun, the next day. All told, Dan said the longest part of the process was the time it took to receive their check in the mail, and that wait only felt long because everything else was so quick and DeShaun had been so responsive.
In that time, Dan hit a roadblock. Another person by the same name was defaulting on a solar loan in another state, which affected Dan’s credit score and jeopardized his loan. He reached out to DeShaun about the issue. DeShaun’s responsive approach was one of the highlights of the lending process for Dan. “Not only did he reassure me that CEE had handled similar situations before, but he was also empathetic about the impact it was having on me as a person,” Dan said. Luckily, the problem was resolved, and Dan was able to move forward with installation as planned.
Improve your efficiency with a loan through CEE
Overall, Dan spoke highly of his work with CEE and the loan he received. CEE was responsive, provided personalized service, and had low costs — lower than all the other lenders he and his wife considered. “[CEE was] super easy to work with and it was a really painless process.” Today, the family’s solar system produces enough energy to fully offset the home’s consumption.
If you’re interested in making your home more efficient, whether through solar panels or another efficiency upgrade, CEE has several loans available for many types of projects. Our loan officers will work with you, like DeShaun did with Dan, to make sure you get a loan that suits your needs.
