City Seeking Participants for 2017 Energy Efficiency Program

SOMERVILLE – Both Somerville residents and the City stand to benefit if 1,500 Somerville households sign up for a no-cost Mass Save® Home Energy Assessment in 2017 as part of the City’s Be SEEN! program (Be Somerville Energy Efficient Now!). The home energy assessments help residents save on energy costs and include free energy saving equipment such as LED and CFL light bulbs, programmable thermostats, and smart power strips. Meanwhile, if 1,500 households complete assessments and a cumulative 743 energy upgrades, the City can receive up to $40,000 in grants from the National Grid Community Initiative.

“This program is a win-win for the community,” said Environmental Housing Programs Coordinator Christine Andrews. “Residents who participated last year will cumulatively save $118,000 annually on their utility bills going forward and they will reduce Somerville’s greenhouse gas emissions by 1,900 metric tons every year. And thanks to them, the City also received a $36,482 grant award from National Grid last year for meeting and exceeding our 2016 Community Initiative goals. We hope to achieve even more savings this year.”

Residents, both homeowners and renters, who have not had a Home Energy Assessment in the past two years are eligible to participate in this year’s program. The Mass Save® Home Energy Assessment takes about 1 to 3 hours and helps to identify health risks in the home, provide ways to save on heat, electricity, and water bills, and create a more comfortable living space. After the assessment, participants are eligible for rebates and incentives like no-cost air sealing, $2,000 off insulation costs, the 0 percent interest Mass Save® HEAT loan, or discounted Wi-Fi thermostats that can be controlled from anywhere via a smart phone.

“Each energy saving step that the program supports adds up,” said Andrews. “The energy assessment program has been critical in earning Massachusetts the top spot as the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy’s most energy efficient state in the country. And in Somerville, residents who participate are helping us reach our goal to become carbon neutral by 2050. About one-third of Somerville’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from the residential buildings. So programs like the National Grid Community Initiative that address home energy use help the City reduce its overall carbon footprint.”

Since 2013, more than 5,700 residents have completed Home Energy Assessments and more than 2,750 energy upgrades have been completed through the Mass Save program. The National Grid Community Initiative helps inspire communities to take advantage of the statewide program. Somerville was recently selected as one of 10 communities to participate in the 2017 Community Initiative Program.

To learn more and sign up, visit www.somervillema.gov/beseen or contact the Environmental Housing Programs Office at 617-625-6600 ext. 2567.

The City of Somerville does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities free of charge, upon request.

If you need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access this program, please contact the ADA Coordinator no later than seven (7) business days before the scheduled event at the address noted below:

Betsy M. Allen         
167 Holland Street, Room 207
ballen@somervillema.gov
(617) 625-6600, Ext. 2323 (Voice) 
(617) 808-4851 (TTY)