HERO Program
The HERO Program is a U.S. financing option that helps homeowners and business owners pay for energy-saving, water-saving, and renewable energy upgrades. HERO stands for Home Energy Renovation Opportunity and uses PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing. In approved communities in California and Missouri, HERO covers 100% of eligible upgrade costs, and repayment is made through the property tax bill—usually for up to 20 years. If you sell, the remaining payments can transfer to the new owner in some cases, depending on lender rules.
HERO began in 2010, created by Renovate America with the Western Riverside County Council of Governments (WRCOG) in Western Riverside County, the first area to offer HERO. Today, it reaches many Californians. By 2014, HERO funded about $250 million for 12,500 homes and supported roughly 2,400 construction jobs.
Eligibility basics: you typically need at least 10% home equity, be current on property taxes and mortgage payments, not have recently filed for bankruptcy, and meet other requirements. When a property is sold, the tax assessments often stay with the property, depending on lender rules. For a PACE program to be available, PACE laws must exist at the state or federal level.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:50 (CET).