Renters: Save $$
Summary: Are you a renter? Would you like to save a few dollars on your electricity bill? Are you willing to spend just a few minutes to get there?
Description
If you are you a renter, you can save save money on your electricity and natural gas bills.
If you would like to speak with someone about your options, you may call All In Energy, a non-profit partner with the Town of Acton's Sustainabity Office, at 978-574-9010 or visit them at https://allinenergy.org/acton.html.
All In Energy can help you sign up for MassSave's programs for renters, through which you may receive some money-saving devices at no cost (usually without the need for landlord approval). You may also order some of these no-cost items at: https://www.poweredbyefi.org/
• smart powerstrips
• thermostats
• showerheads and faucet aerators.
Also, at a different link:
Your apartment or building may also be eligible for upgrades to your heating and cooling and other systems, depending on a wide range of factors.
You already pay for energy efficiency programs on every electricity bill — claim your share of the savings now.
Note that there are additional savings available for low-income households -- including substantial DISCOUNTS on your utility bills if you are eligible, so please ask All In Energy for any help you may need. The application for the low-income discount on electricity is here.
You may find more detailed information for renters in the "Resource Guide" or the "Energy Costs HELP" assembled by the Clean Energy Team of Housing and Climate Justice for Acton (HCJA).
You may also consider contacting the Community Action Program for the Acton area to find out whether you may qualify for its income-eligible programs and services: South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. (SMOC), (508) 620-1230, located at 7 Bishop Street, Framingham, MA 01702.
If you need support in working with your landlord on reducing your energy use and costs, you may email the Town of Acton's Sustainability Director at sustainability@actonma.gov.
Find more information under the Steps tab.
Deep Dive
Steps to Take
1. Contact All In Energy, a non-profit partner with the Town of Acton's Sustainabity Office, at 978-574-9010 or visit them at https://allinenergy.org/acton.html to get started, or for help with any of the steps on this page.
2. If your household income is eligible (see the chart on this webpage), you may contact the Community Action Program for the Acton area to ask how they can help with your energy costs — South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. (SMOC), 7 Bishop Street, Framingham, MA 01702, 1.508.620.1230.
3. Call MassSave at 1.866.527.SAVE (7283) to request a free instant savings kit. They may direct you to complete an online Home Energy Assessment (step 4 below) so that you can be provided the most appropriate energy-saving items. You may also find information on such no-cost products at: https://www.eversource-ma.com/renters/ and https://www.poweredbyefi.org/
4. Complete the online energy assessment. You will need to know what kind of fuel is used for heating and hot water. You also will need to enter an approximate year when your building was built, and provide a street address (but no unit number). Be sure to click in response to the prompt to schedule a Home Energy Assessment; MassSave is working on improving this page, but for now, you'll find info about the custom energy-savings kit on the next screen.
5. Swap out your incandescent or compact fluorescent lightbulbs for highly efficient LED bulbs; to save the most electricity (and money), start with the ones that you use most.
6. Set up your TV or entertainment system with the free smart powerstrip from MassSave from Step 2. The "control outlet" is what turns on the "switched" outlets. Typically, you would plug into the control outlet a device that has a remote, such as your cable box or a gaming system, so that when you hit your remote, your system is ready to go. Amplifiers and receivers, for example, do not need to be on all the time, so they can be plugged into the switched outlets.
7. Swap out your showerhead and add the free new faucet aerators from Step 2 to your kitchen and bathroom sinks. These will cut your hot water use and costs significantly.