Governments  can provide “soft loans” with lower interest rates or longer repayment terms that facilitate greater participation in energy efficiency retrofits by allowing the amortization of costs over a longer period of time. On-bill financing is where the program administrator - typically a utility - offers loans that are repaid through utility bills. On-bill repayment programs are similar, but require a third-party lender (e.g. municipality, bank, etc.) to provide capital and underwrite loans for repayment through utility bills.