Mass Save (loan, house, crawl space)

[BostonTankah]

So have any homeowners used the program?
If so, can you share you experiences both positive and negative.
Deal is locked in on a house and I'd like to hear some stories if they actually rebate the stuff they advertise. Going from municipal owned power to private ( yuck ) utility company upon final closing.
Last time I had the private utility company my wallet was raped monthly lol.
Thanks!

[Aara5]

Yes, they do. Make sure you have them come inspect before you make the updates or it won't be reimbursed. You also have to have utilities set up first. After the visit they will tell you what's eligible, give you a list of vendors, approved energy efficient brands etc. Huge discount on insulation, rebates on new heating systems etc. Worth it.

[MikePRU]

I love the Mass Save program. It literally has saved me thousands and thousands of dollars. Plus, I got a 0% interest, 7 year loan to pay for all the work. How awesome is that?

There's a line item on your utility bill which goes into a fund which pays for it. So, you might as well use it. There are a number of discussion threads on the topic if you do a search, but to save you some time reading them all I'll say the majority of negative reviews are in regard to a vendor called Next Step Living that used to do a lot of the Mass Save energy audits and insulation work. They're out of business now so you don't have to worry about them.

[wolfgang239]

I had great luck. They paid for $5000 of knob and tube remediation and I got a 0% loan from them to replace a boiler in my 2-family. They won't let you put your own materials on the loan. I wanted to install my own windows to save on the labor but everything needs to be done by a "qualified" installer. I've seen some pretty unqualified installations done by MassSave contractors so it pays to shop around and look up reviews or references. If you aren't getting insulation I would just do the air sealing myself. I bought a roll of flashing, a foam gun and a couple cases of foam for about 1/2 of what they wanted before labor.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by wolfgang239

I had great luck. They paid for $5000 of knob and tube remediation and I got a 0% loan from them to replace a boiler in my 2-family. They won't let you put your own materials on the loan. I wanted to install my own windows to save on the labor but everything needs to be done by a "qualified" installer. I've seen some pretty unqualified installations done by MassSave contractors so it pays to shop around and look up reviews or references. If you aren't getting insulation I would just do the air sealing myself. I bought a roll of flashing, a foam gun and a couple cases of foam for about 1/2 of what they wanted before labor.

They do the air sealing for free last I heard. So, I'm not sure how it could ever pay to do the work yourself.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

I got the "Mass Save" price for oil when we belonged to it. It was something like $.40/gallon below the average price at the time. My house wasn't eligible for many of their programs, unfortunately, so I didn't bother renewing.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by xo_kizzy_xo

I got the "Mass Save" price for oil when we belonged to it. It was something like $.40/gallon below the average price at the time. My house wasn't eligible for many of their programs, unfortunately, so I didn't bother renewing.

Renewing? It's not a membership based program. You're eligible through your utility companies. Most people who burn oil as you point out are not eligible for many​programs because the oil companies are not members of the program typically.

[CaseyB]

We used the program when we were going to have a new oil burner installed. Our oil company told us about it. They come out and do an "energy audit", give you free light bulbs, etc. We had the boiler installed on our own and then got a rebate check in about 3 weeks.

[marber]

Great program. We got new compact fluorescent light bulbs thoughout the house, new smart surge suppressors and new thermostats. They put foam all along the foundation sill plate and put new draft gaskets on exterior doors. All this was done for no cost. They cost shared putting more insulation into the attic and insulating the 2nd floor crawl space on our cape style home. They arranged for the contractor. All we had to do was be there on the day the contractor came to do the work. Mass Save came back after the private contractor did his work to check that everything was done to spec. A year later they gave us a few thousand dollars when we were replacing our gas boiler and water heater. Can't say enough good things about Mass Save.

[BostonTankah]

Thanks! I am glad to hear these things !