Frontlines of Climate Action: Turning Utility Bills Into Buying Power
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Rewriting mortgage math to create a new playbook for affordable, sustainable homeownership.
In order to shift from price per square foot to value per square foot, the financing model has to evolve alongside building science. In my latest Frontlines of Climate Action interview, I sat down with Don Worthington of PRMI to unpack an elegant but radical idea: Treat a home’s utility spend as an asset you can redeploy—not a monthly drain you’re stuck with.
Worthington’s background sits at the nexus of real estate, renewable energy, and mortgages, and his north star is clear: “Sustainability should equal affordability.” The product he and his team developed, Lowtility, aims to make that true in practice by converting projected utility costs into mortgage-qualified buying power that funds efficiency, electrification, solar + storage, and smart controls.
“We turn the utility payment into buying power,” Worthington says. “If a homeowner has a $300 monthly utility bill, that’s roughly $50,000 of buying power we can unlock without increasing their total monthly outlay.”
Here’s the logic: most buyers effectively budget PITI (principal, interest, taxes, insurance) and then tack on utilities. Lowtility reframes the equation as PITI + U (utility bills) and asks: If we reduce or eliminate that “U” through efficiency and onsite generation, can we roll the freed-up dollars into the mortgage to fund the very upgrades that cut the bill? In many markets, the answer is a resounding yes.
Unlocking the “U”
There is a robust—and uncomplicated—value proposition for buyers and builders.
For buyers, the same monthly payment now buys a future-proofed home with heat pump HVAC and water heating, induction cooking, smart panels, solar + storage, and leak detection—without the predatory add-on financing too many homeowners stumble into post-closing.
For builders: Lowtility becomes a differentiation engine as well as a profit driver. “For the exact same monthly payment, a buyer can get $50,000 of equipment, and the builder doesn’t have to eat the cost,” Worthington notes. That’s value per square foot in action—faster sales, happier buyers, stronger margins.
Furthermore, pairing solar, batteries, and a smart panel gives the home a “brain”, automating when to draw from PV, the grid, or storage, and positioning communities for virtual power plant participation and potential new revenue streams.
A Solution for the Frontlines
We talk constantly about codes, incentives, and technology—but financing is the gatekeeper to scale. Mortgage vehicles like Lowtility align incentives across the value chain: Buyers get comfort, health, and lower operating costs; builders sell a better product without squeezing margins; lenders de-risk through better loan performance; and communities gain clean, flexible load that supports grid reliability.
And the cultural reframing matters. As Worthington put it, the perception that “an energy-efficient house is more expensive” is a false narrative we can retire—this is, if we stop ignoring the obvious line item every homeowner pays, every month.
“In 2025, your home should have a brain,” he said. “Let it decide whether to pull power from solar, the grid, or batteries. We can do all of that today by reallocating funds that are already being spent on utilities.”
There’s plenty more in our conversation—how PRMI underwrites the savings, regional flexibility (Phoenix ≠ Seattle), and why PITI + Utilities should become the new affordability standard across mortgage lending.
As cofounder and CEO of Green Builder Media, Sara is a visionary thought leader and passionate advocate for sustainability. A former venture capitalist, she has participated in the life cycle (from funding to exit) of over 20 companies, with an emphasis on combining sustainability and profitability. She lives in Lake City, Colo., with her husband, where she is an avid long-distance runner, snowboarder, and Crossfit trainer. She is also on the Board of Directors at Dvele, runs the Rural Segment for Energize Colorado, and is a former County Commissioner.
Frontlines of Climate Action: Turning Utility Bills Into Buying Power
Rewriting mortgage math to create a new playbook for affordable, sustainable homeownership.
In order to shift from price per square foot to value per square foot, the financing model has to evolve alongside building science. In my latest Frontlines of Climate Action interview, I sat down with Don Worthington of PRMI to unpack an elegant but radical idea: Treat a home’s utility spend as an asset you can redeploy—not a monthly drain you’re stuck with.
Worthington’s background sits at the nexus of real estate, renewable energy, and mortgages, and his north star is clear: “Sustainability should equal affordability.” The product he and his team developed, Lowtility, aims to make that true in practice by converting projected utility costs into mortgage-qualified buying power that funds efficiency, electrification, solar + storage, and smart controls.
“We turn the utility payment into buying power,” Worthington says. “If a homeowner has a $300 monthly utility bill, that’s roughly $50,000 of buying power we can unlock without increasing their total monthly outlay.”
Here’s the logic: most buyers effectively budget PITI (principal, interest, taxes, insurance) and then tack on utilities. Lowtility reframes the equation as PITI + U (utility bills) and asks: If we reduce or eliminate that “U” through efficiency and onsite generation, can we roll the freed-up dollars into the mortgage to fund the very upgrades that cut the bill? In many markets, the answer is a resounding yes.
Unlocking the “U”
There is a robust—and uncomplicated—value proposition for buyers and builders.
For buyers, the same monthly payment now buys a future-proofed home with heat pump HVAC and water heating, induction cooking, smart panels, solar + storage, and leak detection—without the predatory add-on financing too many homeowners stumble into post-closing.
For builders: Lowtility becomes a differentiation engine as well as a profit driver. “For the exact same monthly payment, a buyer can get $50,000 of equipment, and the builder doesn’t have to eat the cost,” Worthington notes. That’s value per square foot in action—faster sales, happier buyers, stronger margins.
Furthermore, pairing solar, batteries, and a smart panel gives the home a “brain”, automating when to draw from PV, the grid, or storage, and positioning communities for virtual power plant participation and potential new revenue streams.
A Solution for the Frontlines
We talk constantly about codes, incentives, and technology—but financing is the gatekeeper to scale. Mortgage vehicles like Lowtility align incentives across the value chain: Buyers get comfort, health, and lower operating costs; builders sell a better product without squeezing margins; lenders de-risk through better loan performance; and communities gain clean, flexible load that supports grid reliability.
And the cultural reframing matters. As Worthington put it, the perception that “an energy-efficient house is more expensive” is a false narrative we can retire—this is, if we stop ignoring the obvious line item every homeowner pays, every month.
“In 2025, your home should have a brain,” he said. “Let it decide whether to pull power from solar, the grid, or batteries. We can do all of that today by reallocating funds that are already being spent on utilities.”
There’s plenty more in our conversation—how PRMI underwrites the savings, regional flexibility (Phoenix ≠ Seattle), and why PITI + Utilities should become the new affordability standard across mortgage lending.
Click here to watch the full interview.
Publisher’s Note: Green Builder's 20th Anniversary celebration is sponsored by: Carrier, Trex, and Mohawk.
By Sara Gutterman
As cofounder and CEO of Green Builder Media, Sara is a visionary thought leader and passionate advocate for sustainability. A former venture capitalist, she has participated in the life cycle (from funding to exit) of over 20 companies, with an emphasis on combining sustainability and profitability. She lives in Lake City, Colo., with her husband, where she is an avid long-distance runner, snowboarder, and Crossfit trainer. She is also on the Board of Directors at Dvele, runs the Rural Segment for Energize Colorado, and is a former County Commissioner.Also Read