Solar panels? Maybe later. How about a working furnace?

Salt Lake County's home-energy loan program may pay for environmental eye-catchers such as wind turbines and solar arrays, but most applicants are using the money for something simpler — a furnace, a water heater, windows.

Less than two months after the county announced it would offer $800,000 in low-interest loans to people wanting to make their homes more energy efficient, officials have logged dozens of applications.

The current count: 64.

Applications have come from across the county: Salt Lake City, Copperton, Cottonwood Heights and more. They have included all kinds of projects: swamp coolers, dishwashers, attic insulation. They have listed all kinds of houses: Most from the 1970s, some as old as the 1930s, others erected in the past 10 years.

But the loan program seems to be less about going green than about meeting people's needs.

Bartly Mathews, the county's energy-efficiency coordinator, says one in six applications has been for a low-income household. And some households have been so cash-strapped that they haven't had money to replace an already-broken furnace.

"There is nothing worse than seeing someone in a home with no heat who is trying to stay warm with space heaters," he said. "We can do something to help them."

The loan program is the brainchild of Mayor Peter Corroon, who argues low-interest government help is needed so residents can overcome the financial obstacles that often stand in the way of energy retrofits.

But the program hasn't always been palatable.

A year ago, the county lobbied for state legislation that would have allowed residents to take out government loans, then pay back the money on their property taxes. But bankers resisted, fearing that government loans could get primacy over private ones. The measure failed.

So the county scrapped that approach, partnered with banks and started accepting applications in early November.

Among the applicants was Christella Lake.

Lake hasn't lost her furnace — yet. But the Sandy mother of two fears the end is approaching for a heater installed with the house in 1978. It's making noise. And Lake wonders whether she will wake up one morning in the cold.

"It definitely is a 'when,' not an 'if,' " said Lake, adding with a pinch of humor, "not today, but maybe tomorrow."

So that's the item on Lake's wish list as she appeals to the county for a loan. She likes the interest rate (currently at 5 percent) and the added perk of getting a free energy audit of her home.

The program already has paid off in a small way for Lake, who discovered during a review of her home that her recessed lights let in cold air and that her doors needed weather stripping. Those were problems she could fix — without a loan.

Since early November, the county has received 285 inquiries about the program by phone and e-mail.

"This is just beginning," said Kimberly Barnett, Corroon's environmental policy coordinator. "One of my priorities in the near future is to see how we can grow this program."

The county now has $800,000 — half from government sources and the other half from Morgan Stanley and GE Capital.

It's too early to say how much money will be claimed by the county's first batch of applicants. Although the county has received applications, it still is gathering bids on the projects. The average loan, Mathews suspects, will run from $6,000 to $10,000.

If Mathews is correct, the county still has hundreds of thousands of dollars for projects ranging from swapping out drafty windows to adding solar panels. Those loans are available to any county resident with a credit score of at least 600, with preference given to low-income families.

jstettler@sltrib.com —

By the numbers

$800,000 • Money available for home-energy loans.

$50,000 • Maximum amount residents can borrow.

2,250 • Hits that the home-energy loan website has received.

285 • Telephone and e-mail inquiries about the program.

64 • Applications received.

Source: Salt Lake County —

How the program works

Salt Lake County will conduct an energy assessment of your house. A certified contractor will examine your major appliances (furnace, water heater, air conditioner and more) and conduct a pressure test to see how much air is leaking from doors and windows.

After the assessment, a county official will meet with you to discuss where energy is being wasted in your home. Using that information, the work will be put out to contractors for an estimate.

The county then will figure out financing through its low-interest loan program. The loan will cover the full cost of the project and will be structured so that the annual payments will be less than the amount of money you save in energy efficiency.

To apply: Contact the EnergySmart Loan program at 801-994-7222 or go online at www.energysmartsaltlakecounty.org.