For Homeowners and Renters: How to Make Your Home More Comfortable, Save Energy, and Get Help with Home Improvement Projects

Whether you own or rent your home on the Cape or Vineyard, the Compact is motivated to help you save money and energy, enhance the comfort of your home, and keep our communities vibrant and beautiful. We want to help you make the best energy decisions for yourself, your family, neighbors, and community, and even your pets. Our team and programs are here to help. We’ve highlighted a couple of the programs for homeowners and renters that we’re particularly excited about at the moment in this article.  

Start with a Home Energy Assessment 

Whenever customers ask what they can do to make their home more energy efficient, our first recommendation is to have a Home Energy Assessment. The Compact provides no-cost Home Energy Assessments to homeowners and renters on the Cape and Vineyard. One of our energy specialists will walk through your home and identify areas where your home may be wasting energy and opportunities to make upgrades. Each home is unique, so this one-on-one assessment is the best first step to determine what specific solutions and rebates are best for you! The assessment also includes some safety checks, such as checking the combustion safety of your HVAC system and inspecting for knob and tube wiring.  

Following your Home Energy Assessment, you will get a customized energy report. The report will detail recommended upgrades and programs and incentives that you can take advantage of. By having a Home Energy Assessment, you can qualify for the Compact’s insulation program, which will cover 75% of the cost of approved insulation improvements, or 100% if you rent or are income eligible. Upgrades recommended in your energy report may qualify for a 0% interest Mass Save HEAT Loan, to make getting started on those projects that much easier.  

Learn more and sign up for a no-cost Home Energy Assessment here.  

Take Advantage of Income Eligible Offerings 

Based on your household income, you may be eligible for additional no-cost or discounted energy efficiency services. Renters and homeowners can both participate in our Income Eligible and Enhanced Residential programs. These programs are designed to help our customers spend less money on energy and improve home comfort. The starting point for both programs is to have a Home Energy Assessment. If you’re eligible, don’t miss out on no-cost insulation improvements, air sealing, appliance upgrades, and other services!  

Income-Based Eligibility Guidelines 

Learn more about our income-based savings opportunities here.  

Bigger Heat Pump Rebates 

We increased our residential heat pump rebates this year! The Compact will now contribute $10,000 toward your new whole-home air source heat pump system (and more toward air to water and ground source systems). We are excited to offer this opportunity to convert your whole home to one of the most efficient ways to heat AND cool your home. If you start with a Home Energy Assessment, you may then be able to finance the rest of the system through a 0% interest HEAT Loan.  

To see how much you could save by switching to a heat pump heating and cooling system, check out Mass Save’s Heating Comparison Calculator. Ensuring your home has appropriate insulation prior to upgrading can save you money, and thankfully the Compact has rebates for those projects as well!  

View residential heat pump rebates here. 

*New* Lawn Equipment Rebates 

The inside of your home is not the only place getting electrified! The Compact is thrilled to announce all new rebates for battery-powered lawn equipment. Now you can keep your lawn lush and green and your equipment green too. Electric lawn equipment is much quieter, easier to maneuver, requires less maintenance, and operates cleaner than gas equipment. Plus, no need to go anywhere for gas, just charge the battery in between yard work sessions! 

Get $75 back on a battery-powered lawnmower and $30 back on battery-powered leaf blowers, string trimmers, and chainsaws. View rebate information here.  

*New* All-Electric Home Construction Incentive 

The Compact and our fellow Mass Save Sponsors have launched a new and exciting All-Electric Home Incentive within the New Construction program. Jumps in heat pump technology and induction cooking in recent years have made all-electric homes the new benchmark in new home construction, as well as the best choice for reducing environmental impact. Our incentive is for single family and 2-4 unit homes that employ high-performance construction and utilize all-electric appliances for heating, cooling, water heating and cooking. We are working with home builders and buyers to help put Massachusetts on the path to decarbonizing its housing sector. To learn more, visit the Mass Save website here, or contact the program at ResNewConstructionMA@icf.com or 1-866-527-SAVE (7283). 

HEAT Loans to Finance Home Improvement Projects that Save Energy 

Do you have an energy efficiency home upgrade in mind? You may be interested on the Mass Save HEAT Loan Program. These 0% interest loans are available for eligible home improvements up to $25,000 with terms up to 7 years. To qualify, you must complete a no-cost Home Energy Assessment. You’ll receive information about the HEAT Loan during the assessment. These loans can be used to fund upgrades such as insulation, heat pumps, and residential battery installations. Check out the qualifications here and schedule your Home Energy Assessment here. 

The Compact offers additional rebates and programs to help homeowners, renters, landlords, and income-eligible customers save on energy costs and make energy efficiency improvements to their homes. Click around our site or reach out to our call center at 1-800-797-6699 to find the programs that are the best fit for you.