With the support of local businesses around Needham, Green Needham and our Mass Save partner, Next Step Living, have signed up dozens of electric customers for no-cost home energy assessments at “tabling events” around town this summer. It is not actually “free” – we all pay a small “conservation” charge on our Eversource (formerly NSTAR) bills every month, which pays for the Mass Save-run program, but there is no charge to get the assessment. If you’ve already had an energy assessment, but it was more than 2 years ago, you can get another one (and if it’s been five+ years, you should definitely get another one). During the assessment, which can be done on Saturdays as well as weekdays, an Energy Advisor will check your home’s heating/cooling systems, appliances, insulation levels, suitability for solar, and other areas for opportunities to make your home more energy efficient, helping you save money and energy. In addition, the Energy Advisor will:
- Replace all incandescent light bulbs with CFLs, and, in high-traffic areas, up to two LCDs
- Install a programmable thermostat in every zone in qualified homes
- Install low-flow shower heads & faucet aerators
- Install one “smart” power strip
- Weatherstrip doors and windows as needed to minimize air loss
He will also give you a complete write-up of any additional work, and the respective cost, that would make your home more energy efficient, as follows:
Free
- Air Sealing
- Insulate/weatherstrip most attic hatches
- Any additional door and window weatherstripping that could not be completed during the assessment
MA Save pays 75% of the total cost, up to $2,000 per year
- Blown-in insulation (walls & attics)
- Rolled insulation (attics)
All Mass Save Rebates/Incentives Currently Available For:
- High efficiency heating/cooling system upgrade
- Energy efficient appliance replacement
Get more information or sign up for your Home Energy Assessment!
Green Needham and Next Step Living would also like to thank the following local businesses and the RTS for hosting our “tabling events”:
- Café Fresh Bagel
- Harvey’s Hardware
- Hillcrest Gardens
- Needham Farmers Market
- Needham RTS
- Stacey’s Juice Bar
- Sudbury Farms
- Volante Farms
More tabling events may be scheduled – so stop at the table if you see the Next Step Living or Green Needham sign. Next Step Living is usually at the Needham Farmers Market on Sunday afternoons from 12-4, and will be at the RTS on a few more Saturdays – you can sign up for your home energy assessment while you buy your local produce or unload your trash/recyclables!
