Utilizing the Mass Save® Home Energy Audit Program

For some homeowners, the process of saving money on their home energy costs can be hard. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, and because there are so many energy saving possibilities that it can feel impossible to list and prioritize them.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. The Mass Save® audit program is designed to give you very specific recommendations for your specific needs, so let’s take a closer look at how the process works and how you can use a Mass Save® audit to best advantage.

What Do Mass Save® Home Energy Assessments Tell You?

To best use a Mass Save® audit, you have to understand what the report will tell you. The inspection will summarize the results of the assessment, and that summary will be broken down into several different areas.

Home Energy Efficiency Analysis

You may be aware of some of the different ways your home is coming up short when it comes to energy efficiency, but there’s a good chance you don’t know the whole story.

The home energy assessment will give it to you. It will tell you where you have leaks or insufficient insulation, and recommend upgrades and solutions to fix them.

The two primary tests to find out this information are the blower door test and the use of infrared cameras to analyze the structure of your home for energy efficiency.

This combination is very powerful, and you’ll come away with a much more complete picture of how you can become more energy efficient. Here are a couple of quick examples of things you can do to become more energy efficient.

Upgrade your insulation and seal air leaks. This is one of the best, cheapest and quickest ways to increase your energy efficient. It may even be seal the air leaks under the Mass Save® program, and you can get up to 75 percent off of an insulation upgrade if your current coverage is insufficient.
Get new windows. Triple-pane windows with a high energy rating are a powerful way to save money and become more energy efficient. The fact that you can get discounts to install them is all the more reason to get them if you haven’t done so already.

Adding Energy-Saving Equipment and Technology.

The report from a home energy assessor will also include a breakdown of your heating and cooling system, your appliances, and more.

The recommendations will tell you a lot about the different avenues you can take. If you have an older heating and cooling system, for instance, the assessor may recommend that you take advantage of the Mass Save® program and the Inflation Reduction Act to make some changes.

Here are some of the possible changes you can consider:

Get a heat pump. Heat pumps aren’t cheap, but they are a game changer when it comes to saving you money on your utility bills and becoming more energy efficient. They offer a possible efficiency of almost 300 percent, compared to a maximum of efficiency of just over 90 percent for even the most efficient furnaces and boilers.
Replace your furnace or boiler. Even if your budget is limited or this isn’t the right time for you to add a heat pump, you can still realize considerable savings by replacing your older furnace or boiler. Modern units are far more energy efficient, and when you add in rebates and discounts, buying a better unit becomes a no-brainer.
Get a Smart, Programmable Thermostat. Many people think of their thermostat as an automatic, set-it-and-forget-it device, but that’s no longer true. Today’s thermostats are intelligent and programmable, and they can help you do zone heating and cooling that’s geared to your home usage patterns. Mass Save® is offering serious discounts for these thermostats, to the point where they’re either inexpensive or free.
Get energy efficient appliances. If you’re using older washers, dryers and refrigerators, they’re costing you money. You can get rebates and discounts on modern units that are much more energy efficient, and the cost savings is a real game-changer.

Rebates, Discounts and Your Budget

Now that we’ve gone through some of the best ways to save money and become more energy efficient, let’s talk about your budget.

Everyone has one, and your home energy assessor can help you prioritize and match up your home energy needs with the amount of money you can spend.

That means taking advantage of the various rebates and discounts that are available via Mass Save® and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Whether it’s a major rebate for a pricier item like a heat pump or a huge discount on an inexpensive device like a programmable thermostat, the energy assessor can tell you which rebates and discounts are best for you and where to focus in your efforts to become more energy efficient.

If your budget allows you to make a serious purchase, the home energy assessor may also recommend a HEAT loan, which is a zero-interest loan that can give you up to $25,000 to spend on home energy upgrades.

This kind of loan can remove the financial strain from becoming more energy efficient, and the savings you’ll gain from the upgrades will help you pay off the loan.

Tackling the Forms and Paperwork From Your Home Energy Assessment

The final step in utilizing a Mass Save® home energy audit program is the paperwork. Most of it isn’t complicated, but for some people this can be overwhelming, and it helps to understand the ins and outs of how the various rebates and discounts work.

Good home energy assessors can help you with this. They can show you how to fill out the forms without making any mistakes, and they can lay out the timeline for whatever upgrades you’ve chosen.

This can make a huge difference when it comes to planning your strategy for increasing your home energy efficiency, and it’s invaluable when you’re budgeting as well. You’ll know exactly what you’re going to be buying or upgrading, when you’re going to be doing it and what it will cost down to the last penny.

Get a Mass Save® Audit from Revise, Inc. to Save Money on Your Home Energy Costs

At Revise, Inc., we’re committed to doing everything we can to help make your home more energy efficient and educating you about your home and what you can do to maximize savings under Mass Save®.

We’re proud to be a designated contractor under the Mass Save® program, and we’ve helped hundreds of customers save thousands of dollars while improving their energy efficiency.

We make the process as simple as possible. Our home energy assessors are professionals who are extensively trained to evaluate your energy needs, and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have or explain anything from the assessment. We want you to understand that it’s a lot easier to increase your savings than you think, and we can show you how to do it.

To start the process, call us at 800-885-7283 (SAVE) or visit our website, www.callrevise.com. We’ve got some great information about savings there, so it’s an excellent place to start if you’re curious and you want to get some background material about how to spend less while making your home more energy efficient.