Here's some friendly advice: If you're thinking about getting a no-cost energy audit through NStar, call today. It's only August, but NStar's residential efficiency program manager David MacLellan advised the Lincoln Green Committee recently that the waiting list for NStar's free audits is now 8-12 weeks and growing. A spokesperson for CSG, which performs the audits for NStar, told me their phones are "ringing off the hook" in a way they've never seen at this time of year.
Items checked in an audit include the furnace/boiler, heat and water pipes, air leaks - walls and doors, bathroom ventilation, shower flow, fireplace dampers, and house insulation. These audits are free, but you have been paying for them in your electric bill with the "energy conservation" charge that runs a dollar or two each month on a typical bill.
MacLellan says NStar pays for about 6,000 audits per year. That's only 6,000 out of more than 1 million NStar residential customers. The program spends everything it takes in, so they will be challenged to respond to the huge jump in requests that could come this year when cold weather arrives. The number for MassSave, the agency that books the appointments, is 800-632-8300.
Of course an audit alone won't save you any energy; you must make the recommended remediations. This costs money, but there are several tax incentives to reduce the burden. You can do the work yourself, find a skilled tradesman, or arrange with CSG directly to have the work done. MacLellan estimates a $3 payback for each $1 invested.
CHRISTOPHER FIELD, Lincoln
