By Eric Smalley
The nights are getting cooler. Though there are still cookouts and trips to the beach to be had this season, it's also time to prepare your home for fall and winter. The question is, what should you do?
There’s the usual stuff: Get your annual furnace tune-up and dig out your storm windows from the basement. This year, though, you can go beyond the usual and give your home a full-blown energy efficiency makeover - at little or no cost. Even better, you could save hundreds of dollars a year. This is all thanks to a major initiative by the City of Boston.
The Renew Boston home energy efficiency upgrade program from Boston's Environmental and Energy Services pays up to $3,500 for work on residents' homes, including insulation. A typical home that needs insulation and air sealing could save more than $800 a year on energy costs after the energy makeover, according to Renew Boston officials.
Improve the energy efficiency of your home and you're also reducing your contribution to global warming. Residential buildings account for 21 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA.
The Renew Boston program is available to city residents who live in 1- to 4-family buildings and who earn between 60 and 120 percent of the median income in Boston. This is $30,751 to $61,502 for a single person household and $78,060 to $156,120 for a six-person household.
Sign up for a no-cost home energy assessment, and find out more details at www.greeningrozzie.org/renewboston.
The assessment is a great way to learn how energy-efficient your home is, whether or not your home needs or is eligible for all of the weatherization services. You'll also receive free high-efficiency light bulbs and water-saving devices. The program is open to landlords and tenants, as well as homeowners.
If your income falls outside of the eligible range, there are other programs you can take advantage of. For people with incomes below 60 percent of the median income, the federal low-income weatherization program provides free assessments and weatherization upgrades. Contact Action for Boston Community Development at www.bostonabcd.org/programs/FuelAssistance.html.
If your income is above 120 percent of the median income, the statewide Mass Save program can cover 75 percent of weatherization costs. See www.masssave.com.
If you want to make your home as energy efficient as possible, you can go a step further: Hire a weatherization contractor to perform blower door and infrared camera tests to show you where air and heat leak from your home, which can help you fine-tune your weatherization efforts.
Learn more about energy efficiency at the next GreeningRozzie meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Roslindale Community Center, 6 Cummins Highway in Roslindale Square.
Help spread the word about Renew Boston, and work to improve the energy efficiency of Boston's homes by telling your neighbors about the program and getting involved with neighborhood climate and energy groups like GreeningRozzie, West Roxbury Saves Energy and Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN).
As your thoughts turn to the changing season, keep in mind that now is a great time to save money, save energy and reduce your carbon emissions.
Eric Smalley is a journalist who lives in Roslindale. He is on the board of GreeningRozzie and a member of Creek River String Band.
This article first appeared in the Roslindale Transcript.
