Everything Concert Finance actually requires to write a Propel loan, and everything the program will and will not cover. Credit thresholds, term options, project limits, property and roof eligibility, and the timing windows that catch people out.
Concert Finance uses a commercial ownership structure to unlock federal tax credits no longer available to residential homeowners. Those savings are passed to you as a real, upfront discount before any loan amount is set.
For years one through five, Concert Finance holds commercial ownership of the solar system. This structure qualifies the system for commercial-tier Section 48E Investment Tax Credits unavailable to residential buyers.
The credit value is passed to you as an upfront discount before the loan is calculated — up to 20% on a PV-only system, and up to 35–40% when battery storage is included, with Energy Community and domestic content bonuses stacking on top. You borrow a genuinely reduced amount from day one, not an inflated one.
Your Propel payment is set at 8.99% APR, on a term you choose from 5 to 25 years. No escalator, no dealer markup buried in the balance, no surprises at year five or year fifteen.
At the five-year mark, the system is yours outright. It adds to your home's assessed value and produces power at zero marginal cost for the remaining life of the panels.
Built by Concert Finance exclusively for authorized partners. These are terms your neighbors won't find on a standard solar loan application.
Applied before financing. A PV-only system earns up to 20%. Adding battery storage raises the ceiling to 35–40%, and Energy Community and domestic content bonuses stack on top — a project qualifying for both can reach 37% or more.
8.99% APR* on a term you choose, from 5 years up to 25. Your Propel rate today is your rate in year 20. No escalator, no rate resets, no surprises.
Concert pulls TransUnion only, with a 660 minimum. Once you are approved, the loan must be signed within 60 days, and the credit approval stays valid for 180 days in total.
Concert Finance holds temporary commercial title, then full ownership transfers to you at the five-year mark with no additional out-of-pocket cost.
Pay off the loan early at any time. Accelerate ownership on your schedule with zero exit fees.
Restructure the loan balance at months 12, 24, and 36. This is rare in the solar lending market and lets you lower your monthly payment with a lump-sum contribution.
Most solar loans inflate the financed amount with 20-30% dealer fees. Propel charges none. You borrow the real system cost.
A low year-one payment is not the same as the best 25-year outcome. Here is what the math actually looks like across the most common solar financing options available to California homeowners today.
| Feature | ⚡ Propel by Concert Finance | Traditional Solar Loan | Monthly PPA / Lease |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost to start | $0 to start | Often required or inflated | $0 to start |
| Upfront discount applied | Up to 20% PV only, 35–40% with storage | None | None to homeowner |
| Dealer fees in price | Zero dealer markup | Often 20-30% added | N/A |
| Payment escalation | Fixed for 25 years | Fixed | 1-3% per year common |
| System ownership | Transfers at year 5 | Immediate (inflated price) | May never own |
| Prepayment penalty | None | Often yes | N/A |
| Tax credit access | Up to 35–40% via commercial structure | Residential ITC expired 2025 | Not available to homeowner |
| Credit check required | Yes, 660 FICO minimum | Yes, typically 680+ | Varies by provider |
| Home sale complexity | Simple, tied to borrower | Simple | Lease transfer required |
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These are real numbers from finalized Propel proposals. Monthly payments and discount amounts vary based on system size, utility territory, and Energy Community status.
Savings projections model 6% annual utility rate escalation based on historical CA averages. Actual results vary. These are historical proposals; current Propel discount tiers are set by whether the system includes storage, plus Energy Community and domestic content bonuses, so your figures may differ. Discount amounts are finalized at signing.
The single biggest factor is whether your system includes battery storage. A PV-only system earns up to 20%. Adding storage raises the ceiling to 35–40%. From there, IRS Energy Community status and domestic content each add a bonus, and a project qualifying for both can reach 37% or more. Propel passes that value to you as an upfront discount before any financing is calculated.
Including battery storage in the system raises the discount ceiling to 35–40%. This is the single largest lever on your Propel number, and it is worth modelling even if a battery was not in your original plan.
Energy Community and domestic content bonuses stack on top of this. A project qualifying for both can reach 37% or more. Your advisor confirms your exact zip against the IRS database before the proposal is built.
A solar-only Propel system earns up to 20%. That is a genuine discount applied before financing, but it is roughly half what the same project earns once storage is added.
If you are comparing a PV-only Propel quote against a Participate prepaid lease, this is usually the reason the numbers diverge. We run both.
IRS Energy Community designation map. EC zip codes unlock a bonus adder that stacks on top of the storage and domestic content tiers.
The complete published terms of the Propel loan, including the caps and eligibility rules that decide whether a project can actually be written. Most surprises late in a solar deal come from this table, not from the pricing.
| Term | Propel by Concert Finance |
|---|---|
| Product type | Loan |
| Discount / rebate | Up to 20% on PV only. Up to 35–40% on PV plus storage. Energy Community and domestic content bonuses may apply, and a project qualifying for both can reach 37% or more. |
| Dealer fee | None |
| Loan terms | 5 to 25 years at 8.99% APR |
| FICO requirement | 660 minimum, pulled from TransUnion only |
| Project cap | $10,001 minimum to $135,000 maximum. The loan must be signed within 60 days of credit approval, and the approval is valid for 180 days in total. |
| Price-per-watt cap | California: $4.85/W (PV). Texas: $3.60/W (PV). Add $2,000/kWh for battery storage on either. |
| System size | 5 panels / 2 kW minimum |
| Second systems | Allowed as a completely separate system. Non-export systems are not permitted. |
| Eligible property types | Single-family residential on a permanent foundation. Manufactured homes built after 6/15/1976 are eligible. Multi-unit properties up to 4 units, where separate deeds mean separate loans. New construction is not eligible before occupancy. |
| Roof restrictions | Not allowed: copper, slate, spray foam, wood shake, and reverse tilt. |
| Ground mounts | Not available |
| Occupancy | Primary, rental, vacation and secondary residences all qualify. Trusts, LLCs and corporations are allowed subject to criteria. Tribal land is not eligible. |
| Leased land | Allowed, with a 99-year minimum lease. |
| Spanish-language contracts | Not available |
| States available | California, Colorado and Texas. Colorado is newly live. |
Terms reflect the Propel program as of 2026 and are subject to change. Your specific discount, term and pricing are finalized at application and confirmed on your proposal before you sign anything.
Get a custom Propel Financing proposal built from satellite imagery of your roof, your exact utility rate, and your actual energy usage. Free and specific to your home.
