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Old 10-19-2022, 08:00 AM
 
578 posts, read 572,750 times
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Has anyone has a Mass Saves Energy Evaluation /Audit done? Was it worth it, or was it just a bunch of generic ideas geared to get you on mailing lists?
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Old 10-19-2022, 08:22 AM
 
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I did one when I first bought the house a few years ago. It was worth it to get heavily discounted insulation done and to get an understanding of how airtight your house is.

I believe you need to get one done in order to qualify for certain MassSave rebates if you plan on upgrading certain appliances or want to get an interest-free Heat loan.

I am considering doing another one as we look into replacing our boiler and windows.
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Old 10-19-2022, 08:53 AM
 
Location: Massachusetts & Hilton Head, SC
10,022 posts, read 15,665,421 times
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We did one to qualify for a rebate on a new boiler. You have to get the audit done before you apply for the rebate even if you don't need financing.

They also will offer to replace your lightbulbs with free, energy efficient ones. And they will install free new thermostats where you have existing ones, I got 5 of those.

They also give you power strips if you want them. Basically, you don't pay for anything.
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Old 10-19-2022, 09:08 AM
 
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Had it done at 3 homes recently. First one we got a tremendous amount of insulation for pennies on the dollar. The second we had heat pumps/mini split ac units installed and received a $10K rebate and the third we are taking advantage of heat pump rebates and $700 boiler rebate for hot h20 on demand. Also considering using their 7 year 0% interest loan for upgrades. Free money. Keep ours in the bank. Also receiving some incentives on new appliances- don't remember full amounts but it includes removal of old refrigerator that they pay you $75 to take away.
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Old 10-19-2022, 01:35 PM
 
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Thanks. Sounds positive.
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Old 10-19-2022, 03:57 PM
 
Location: Needham, MA
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I had one done maybe 7-8 years ago. It was great. They give you all kinds of suggestions for making your house more efficient. Plus, doing it qualifies you for all kinds of rebates/incentives and the 0% HEAT loan. One of the most common improvements made after a home energy audit is adding insulation and doing air sealing. They can really take an older house and make it much tighter and Mass Save shoulders much of the cost.

Quote:
Originally Posted by simplexsimon View Post
I did one when I first bought the house a few years ago. It was worth it to get heavily discounted insulation done and to get an understanding of how airtight your house is.

I believe you need to get one done in order to qualify for certain MassSave rebates if you plan on upgrading certain appliances or want to get an interest-free Heat loan.

I am considering doing another one as we look into replacing our boiler and windows.
Last time I looked into it, they didn't have much in the way of programs for new windows. I think they would give you some money through a HEAT loan to replace single pane windows with energy star rated windows but IIRC the amount of money they were willing to lend for the project would not have remotely covered the cost of doing it.
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Old 10-19-2022, 06:42 PM
 
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Done it for both homes we've owned, it's great. Got cheap insulation for the first one and free insulation for the second. They replaced lightbulbs, showerheads and gave a couple power strips. I'm not a fan of the showerheads though, the flow is too slow.

We also had to replace the boiler/water heater and got mini splits. The 0% HEAT loan is awesome.
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Old 10-20-2022, 09:20 AM
 
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Do the mini splits work up here? I know they only are efficient down to a certain temperature. We regularly have weeks of the teens, and even a few consecutive days of single digit temps around here.
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Old 10-20-2022, 10:30 AM
 
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Side note, the 0% interest heat loan is not tied to the house and is a personal loan. I may be still paying mine off for a house I sold 3 years ago....
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Old 10-20-2022, 12:10 PM
 
24,559 posts, read 18,259,472 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cloudship View Post
Do the mini splits work up here? I know they only are efficient down to a certain temperature. We regularly have weeks of the teens, and even a few consecutive days of single digit temps around here.

They work but natural gas is a lot cheaper. The ground loop/geothermal ones are more efficient than the air heat pump ones.


We had a thread here a while ago where I plugged in real Eversource rates. Solar panels totally change the math, though.
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