General Questions  |  Solar Questions  |  Heat Pump Questions

General Questions

Clean Energy Lives Here is a public awareness campaign run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). The campaign provides information on the optimal clean energy home, including weatherization, heating and cooling, electricity, vehicles, and appliances. Throughout the campaign, MassCEC is providing educational resources for homeowners to learn about different technologies, determine which solutions would be a good fit for their home, and determine when these changes could be implemented.

MassCEC is a state agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy sector to meet the Commonwealth’s clean energy, climate, and economic development goals.

Mass Save® is a collaborative of Massachusetts’ electric and natural gas utilities and energy efficiency service providers including Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty National Grid, and Unitil. They help residents, businesses, and communities to make energy efficient upgrades by offering a wide range of services, rebates, incentives, trainings, and information. Mass Save® has no formal connection to MassCEC or Clean Energy Lives Here.

Clean Energy Lives Here helps take the mystery out of home technologies that are unfamiliar to you and gives you the facts so you can have an informed conversation with contractors and service providers about your home system and appliance choices. You can start with Clean Energy Solutions for Your Home to explore various home technologies.

MassCEC does not offer home energy assessments. To schedule a home energy assessment and/or pick a home performance contractor, please choose a provider that serves your electric utility. If you live in a town served by a Municipal Light Plant (MLP), please check your MLP’s website to see if they offer home energy assessments.

Visit our Installer page to find a clean energy installer that serves your area. Please note that MassCEC always recommends seeking quotes from multiple installers to help you best consider available options and pricing for your system.

Federal IRA tax credits are available now. You can find aggregated information on state and federal incentives that are currently available on our Benefits and Savings page.

Details about Federal IRA Rebates have not been announced yet. Additional guidance is expected through the Department of Energy (DOE) and various state energy departments. See this FAQ from Mass Save® to stay updated on when the IRA rebates will be available.

For further guidance, you can also view the Department of Energy’s Energy Savings Hub and Rewiring America’s IRA Savings Calculator.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has published a comprehensive list of eligible products and their associated tax credits. For custom guidance, we recommend reaching out to a tax advisor. You can find general information on state and federal incentives and tax credits on our Benefits and Savings page.

Solar

There are several financing options available such as Solar Loans, Leases, and Power Purchase Agreements. Please refer to our Incentives, Ownerships Options and Financing page and CESA’s Homeowner’s Guide to Solar Financing for general information. MassCEC does not offer solar loans or solar rebates.

Additionally, once you select a solar installer, they may also be able to connect you with financing partners they work with. You may want to connect with your personal bank or credit union to see if they offer solar loans or may have a different financing product that could work to support a solar project. Ask your personal bank or credit union if they offer solar loans or if they have a different financing product that would be appropriate.

You can find some guidance on roof replacement in our Sizing and Optimizing a Solar Electric System article. Generally, any necessary roof repairs should be made before a solar electric system is installed. Although the panels may act as a shield for sun or rain directly hitting the roof, potentially prolonging the roof life, some installers recommend replacement if the roof has a remaining lifetime of eight years or less. We would recommend discussing this with your installer, who can help assess your current roof condition.

Heat Pumps

If you live in a town served by a Municipal Light Plant (MLP), please check your MLP’s website for incentives and rebates and reach out to them directly with any questions. You may refer to this list of towns and cities served by MLPs.

If you are looking for an installer for an Air-Source Heat Pump, we would recommend Mass Save’s Heat Pump Installer Network. Even if you aren’t eligible for Mass Save incentives, installers on their list likely do work outside of Mass Save’s territory.

You can find general information in our Air-to-Water Heat Pumps article. Unfortunately, this technology is currently not widely available in the United States. There is at least one Massachusetts based company that is building Air-to-Water heat pumps for residential applications. We suggest visiting their website and contacting them directly to see if they have an installer available in your area.

In Massachusetts’ climate, cold climate air-source heat pumps are able to heat homes down to -5Fo. They can be the sole source of heating in a Massachusetts home. You can learn more in our “Why ASHPs Are Great for Massachusetts Homes” and “How Air-Source Heat Pumps Work” articles as well as find general information on our Air-Source Heat Pumps page.

If your question wasn’t answered above, contact us at: goclean@masscec.com

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Find an Installer

Contact Ground-Source Heat Pump Installers

We recommend selecting ground-source heat pump installers from the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network (HPIN).

Customers of Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty Utilities, National Grid, and Unitil are eligible for Mass Save ground-source heat pump rebates and financing offers, which are accessed by using an HPIN installer.

Customers of Municipal Light Plants (MLPs) can also use installers in the HPIN, though rebates and financing offers will be determined by your MLP.

Go to Heat Pump Installer Network

Contact Heat Pump Water Heater Installers

We recommend selecting heat pump water heater installers from the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network (HPIN).

Customers of Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty Utilities, National Grid, and Unitil are eligible for Mass Save heat pump water heater rebates and financing offers, which are accessed by using an instant rebate process or an HPIN installer.

Customers of Municipal Light Plants (MLPs) can also use installers in the HPIN, though rebates and financing offers will be determined by your MLP.

Go to Heat Pump Installer Network

Start Weatherization With A Home Energy Assessment (HEA)

Residents of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard

No-cost HEA available

Go to Cape Light Compact

Customers of Municipal Light Plants

Check your MLP’s website

Find Your MLP

All other Residents

No-cost HEA available

Go to Mass Save®

Contact Air-Source Heat Pump Installers

We recommend selecting air-source heat pump installer from the Mass Save Heat Pump Installer Network (HPIN).

Customers of Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty Utilities, National Grid, and Unitil are eligible for Mass Save air-source heat pump rebates and financing offers, which are accessed by using an HPIN installer.

Customers of Municipal Light Plants (MLPs) can also use installers in the HPIN, though rebates and financing offers will be determined by your MLP.

Go to Heat Pump Installer Network

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Let's work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our homes and build a clean energy future for Massachusetts.

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