If your heating system leaves your home too cold or burns too much fuel, it might be time to look into an upgrade.  Consumers in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island should pay close attention to incentives being offered by utilities.  Gas and oil prices have been low the last couple of years, which makes now a good time to invest some of your fuel savings into making your home more efficient.  The payoff will be big when fuel prices rebound (not if, when). Read on to learn more about the incentives and rebates in your state.

For Massachusetts customers of National Grid, Unitil, and Eversource

If you live in Greater Boston and are interested in a heat pump as an efficient way to heat (or cool), Mass Energy is excited to announce the launch of our Greater Boston Heat Pump Program. Advancements in technology mean the cold climate Air Source Heat Pumps (ccASHPs) can keep you warm  even when temperatures dip below freezing. What’s more, ccASHPs can cool and dehumidify, helping achieve comfort in all weather. See if your town is eligible now!
www.massenergy.org/heatpumps.

If you’re looking to install a new, high-efficiency system, the following rebates are available to you:

• If you heat with oil or propane, Mass Save offers a rebate (up to $1,200) to any customer who replaces their old furnace or boiler with a high efficiency system.
• If you heat with natural gas, Mass Save offers a rebate (up to $1,600) to replace your system with an efficient one.
• If you have an older (12 years for furnaces and 30 years for boilers), still functional heating system, then you qualify for Mass Save’s Early Heating & Cooling Equipment Replacement Rebates! These generous rebates can save you up to $3,500.

Interested? Call 866-527-7283 to schedule your heating equipment site visit to see what type of rebates might apply to your home. Eligibility for rebates/incentives is based on findings from the home energy assessment. HEAT Loan financing is subject to lender approval from a participating lender. Residents receiving fuel assistance or the utility discount rate may qualify for additional incentives based on their income.

FINANCING AVALIBLE: Mass Save offers 0% financing on eligible energy efficiency measures through the HEAT Loan Program. If you are considering upgrading your heating equipment, ask your Energy Specialist about the HEAT Loan. This is a great opportunity to move forward with the energy improvements you want in a cost effective manner. Loans are available up to $25,000 with terms of up to 7 years for approved measures.

Don’t want to install a whole new system? You can make your existing one more efficient, save energy and money, and still qualify for a rebate!

• If you want to be able to adjust your home’s temperature from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop when you’re not home, Mass Save now offers rebates up to $100 for do-it-yourself installation or professional installation of wifi enabled thermostats.
• If you purchase a programmable thermostat, you’re eligible for a $25 rebate.
• If you live in a 1-4 family home and get a home energy assessment, you could qualify for an instant insulation incentive worth 75% up to $2,000 on the cost of approved insulation improvements.

For Rhode Island customers of National Grid

If you’re looking to install a new, high-efficiency system, the following rebates are available to you:

• If you have a natural gas boiler, furnace, or water heater and replace it with a qualified high-efficiency model, you’re eligible for a rebate of up to $1,000!
• If you’d like to install a central heat pump or a mini-split heat pump to supplement your main heating system with high-efficiency electric heat (and thereby save on fuel costs), you’re eligible for a rebate of up to $500!
• If you upgrade to a high-efficiency electric heat pump water heater (two or three times more efficiency than conventional electric water heaters), you’re eligible for a rebate of up to $750!
• If you upgrade to an eligible high-efficiency natural gas water heater, you’re eligible for a rebate of up to $400!

Don’t want to install a whole new system? You can make your existing one more efficient, save energy and money, and still qualify for a rebate!

• Weather-sensitive reset controls can reduce your fuel consumption by adjusting the baseline temperature up or down, depending on the weather, and thereby lower your fuel costs by 10%. By installing these controls, you’re eligible for a $100 rebate.
• If you purchase a qualified Wi-Fi thermostat (so that you can adjust your home’s temperature from your smartphone, tablet, or laptop and make sure that it’s low when you’re not home), you’re eligible for a $50 rebate.

Keep reading about each of these rebates on National Grid’s website here.

FINANCING AVALIBLE:  National Grid is offering a special 0% financing through participating lenders for energy efficiency upgrades of all sorts! To learn more about this loan visit National Grid’s website here.