Energy Assessments Will Identify Savings for this Upcoming Heating Season

Fitchburg, MA

More than 5,000 Unitil customers have taken advantage of comprehensive home energy assessments to make their homes more energy efficient, a popular program available to customers through Mass Save.

"We knew that we conducted quite a few assessments annually, but when we looked back over the past six years we were surprised to see such a high percentage of our Massachusetts customers who have taken advantage of these comprehensive energy reviews," said Unitil's External Affairs Director Alec O'Meara.

As a sponsor of Mass Save, Unitil also offers rebate programs to help homeowners, renters and businesses use energy more efficiently. According to O'Meara, the home energy reviews are free and take only a few hours. Mass Save is a collaborative of Massachusetts' public natural gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers.

Many of the homeowners make the recommended energy efficiency improvements detailed in the reports. A home or apartment will use appreciably less energy after making the efficiency improvements noted O'Meara.

For city resident Bianca Taylor, it was Unitil's no-cost energy assessment that identified and provided financial incentives for upgraded insulation, new mini-split pumps and a natural gas boiler.

"It wasn't just about saving money, but also about how we could reduce our carbon footprint," Taylor said. Unitil anticipates that the new equipment will save 1.8 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually, which is equivalent to taking a gasoline powered vehicle traveling nearly 5,000 miles yearly off the road.

Information about no-cost Mass Save Home Energy Assessments and other programs can be found at unitil.com or masssave.com. When a homeowner signs up for an energy assessment, an approved vendor for Mass Save conducts an in-person or virtual review of their insulation, caulking, heating equipment and other items. A comprehensive no-obligation report is generated identifying areas for improvement.

"In addition to identifying the areas of improvements through Mass Save, there are numerous financial incentives to assist the homeowner in making the improvements," O'Meara said.