Mass Save helps with citizens' utility costsDate: 2/1/2011 Jan. 31, 2011
By Katelyn Gendron
Assistant Editor
GREATER SPRINGFIELD — Cash is king and you might be losing some to your utility provider unnecessarily.
Mass Save (www.masssave.com), an initiative sponsored by utility companies throughout the Bay State, is helping consumers retrofit their homes and offices, while linking them to services, incentive programs and energy assessments in an effort to achieve maximum efficiency.
"The DOER (Department of Energy Resources) was very much in favor of, and involved in, the creation of this new, revitalized one-stop portal for people to find out about incentives, rebates, and other programs to help them save energy and money," Lisa Capone of the DOER explained.
"We believe the partnership with Mass Save is very important, and integral to the utility companies' ability to carry out the goals of their three-year energy efficiency plans which are designed to produce [customer] savings of $6 billion over the life of measures installed through a three-year investment of $2 billion," she continued.
Energy efficiency initiatives such as Mass Save, she noted, are keeping the Bay State on track to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
"Additional building-related measures such as deep-energy improvements in buildings; advanced, flexible building energy codes; and a new energy rating and labeling system that will be the equivalent of miles-per-gallon auto fuel efficiency ratings for buildings — beginning as a pilot program in Western Massachusetts — will reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide nearly 10 percent by 2020," Capone added.
Mass Save allows consumers to take a virtual 3-D home energy tour, which highlights myriad ways to conserve energy in each room. The site also debunks certain misnomers regarding so-called best practices such as the myth that in order to be energy efficient a person must buy the latest appliances.
Mass Save also provides links to low-financing heat loans and high-efficiency heating equipment rebate programs, among others.
"More than ever before, customers are looking to us for ways to save on their electric bill," Lacey Ryan of Western Massachusetts Electric Company, said. "We're increasing our investment in energy efficiency programs to more than $20 million this year, and even more in the coming years ... We encourage all our customers to take full advantage of the programs we offer, such as home energy assessments, incentives on weatherization measures and rebates on certain energy efficient appliances."
Amy Zorich of National Grid noted that her company's Home Energy Report Program, a pilot initiative that began in 2008 to help customers better understand energy consumption levels and best-practices, has expanded from 50,000 customers to more than 400,000. She said such a program also helps National Grid customers to become part of its 3 Percent Less Initiative to reduce consumption by 3 percent annually over 10 years.
"The Patrick-Murray administration considers energy efficiency to be the Commonwealth's 'first fuel' — what we turn to first to meet energy demand before considering additional power generation," Capone said. "The least expensive and cleanest power is the power that you don't use and we are fully committed to pulling out all the stops for energy efficiency here in Massachusetts."
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