Clean Energy Financing Points Homeowner to the Best Investment

Like so many of us on the south shore, Bridgewater homeowner Tom looked ahead to this winter with concern. As the fall and winter temperature inevitably dips, heating costs are rising.

“I’m fairly handy when it comes to doing things myself,” he says. “I was pretty sure what would help us improve the efficiency of the house — a ducted heat pump was at the top of my list — but that’s an expensive upgrade.”

Tom had heard about Clean Energy Financing, a program, administered by Clean Foundation, with funding options and incentives that were a perfect fit for what he had in mind. Paying out of pocket wasn’t viable for him, and he’d almost given up looking when he received a pamphlet in the mail that informed him of a way forward.

“Rebates are always enticing, and they make whatever you’re financing so much more affordable,” he says. “We care about the planet, too. This upgrade was a win-win. We’re burning significantly less oil at lower rates. We’ll be warm this winter, and we’ll be able to afford it.”

With the funding made available through the Town of Bridgewater’s Clean Energy Financing program, Tom brought in contractors to spray foam his basement headers, increase his attic insulation to R50, and install the central heat pump he’d had in mind to their existing furnace. It all began with an energy assessment to confirm where the money would give them the most bang for their buck.

“With my own home improvement experience, I was already pretty tuned-in to the issues with our house,” he says. “I knew we’d see that we were losing a lot of heat through the attic, but that’s as far as my expertise went.”

Clean’s Energy Advisor came in to offer advice, helping Tom make the smartest possible investment. Tom had been going through a full tank of oil every month in previous winters, and assumed he’d need a high efficiency furnace. After discussing with the advisor, he chose to amend his current system instead with a central heat pump, increasing the comfort of his home year-round.

“Last summer we had to have the windows open all day and night to try and control the temperature,” he explains. “Now, it’s consistently refreshing and cool, even on a hot summer’s day — so we see a huge difference already. We look forward to that same consistency and affordability through the winter, thanks to the Clean Energy Financing program.”