Committee advances House Bill 12‑68 to Finance after agreeing to on-bill financing structure, contested use of unclaimed-property funds

The Energy & Environment Committee advanced House Bill 12‑68, a statewide on‑bill repayment program for energy‑efficiency and electrification upgrades, to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation on an 8–4 roll call. Sponsors said the program will reduce upfront cost barriers for residential customers, expand existing utility on‑bill offerings and aim to lower household energy bills while contributing to greenhouse‑gas reductions.

Under the bill as amended in committee, the Colorado Energy Office would receive an interest‑free loan from the Unclaimed Property Trust Fund (UPTF) on Jan. 1, 2026, to seed an on‑bill cash fund. The office would repay that loan by Jan. 1, 2046. The office would then make loans or otherwise provide financing to utilities that operate qualifying on‑bill programs. The sponsors said the fund is large — testimony cited roughly $1.4 billion in unclaimed property assets — and that the…