Why On-Bill Repayment sits on the meter instead of the house

There's no lien. The balance rides on the Xcel electric meter at the house, and you pay it down as a line on the electric bill.

What it is instead

CCEF's program terms say:

"Land Records Notice filed with the county; no lien placed on property"

The charge belongs to the meter. Xcel's tariff says it "will survive changes in ownership."

What the county notice is for

You sign the notice with the rest of the funding package and get a copy, and the servicer records it with the county. That puts the balance on the public record, so a title search turns it up. CCEF publishes the blank form as Exhibit A of its program package: it lists the amount financed, the rate, the term and the monthly payment, and says it "does not constitute a lien."

If you fall behind

Xcel's normal collection steps apply, and CCEF says that can end in a shutoff. A short payment goes to your electric service first. Call CCEF at (720) 263-2313 as soon as you know a payment will be short. More in missed payments and disconnection.

In a sale or a rental

The tariff says that in a sale, a lease or a rental, Xcel keeps billing the meter even if nobody discloses the charge.

When it's paid off

The tariff says the servicer will "again record a land record notice to indicate the satisfaction of the repayment obligation on the property." Keep your payoff letter until that second notice is on record.

What nobody has published

CCEF and Xcel haven't said how this plays out in a foreclosure, an inheritance or a refinance. Ask CCEF before you count on any answer, ours included.