On My Way to an A

Mass Save called me yesterday and asked me if they could come out today to do an audit! I’m so glad I actually answered my phone.

The guy – Ryan – took a look at my last electric bill, and the first thing he said was, “You guys use a lot of electricity.” I knew that. He then said the best thing we could do is to turn off our lights and convert our lightbulbs to CFL or LED. I knew that too. What I didn’t realize was how many incandescents we still had in the house until he went around replacing them all.  For free!  $575.94 worth of light bulbs. For free! And an estimated annual savings of $334.14. That’s worth not being able to see for a minute or two while the bulbs warm up.

Plus he threw in a programmable thermostat and two smart power strips.

He also suggested that, if we really needed that second fridge in the basement, we should keep it packed. Whether or not we really need it at this point is a good question, but not one I’m willing to ask myself yet. I love that fridge. However, a year or so ago, I gave up on keeping it stocked with beverages since I was mostly the only one doing the stocking and there was never a cold drink in there when I went to get one. So lately the fridge has been pretty empty. I will resume my stocking duties in order to keep the fridge.

He also checked the insulation. He recommended more above the garage. The job will cost $1,250.  We will be responsible for paying $315 of it, and National Grid will pay the contractor the rest. We would make the $315 back in 3.74 years. And I’m thinking that will keep the room above the garage a little warmer, so we will only need to turn on the gas fireplace when the dog needs it.

I also asked him about solar panels, and he said go for it. With all of the incentives, now is the time to do it. There are pluses and minuses to both renting and buying a system, so he couldn’t help me out with that decision. But now I can’t wait for the solar guy to come out tomorrow!

And I can’t wait for the next report card from National Grid.

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