Mass Save's No-Cost Energy Assessment Before Sept 15

Heating season in Massachusetts starts Sept 15, when the state sanitary code (105 CMR 410.180) requires an owner to hold at least 68 degrees for occupants in every habitable room during the day. One thing you can book at no cost this fall is the Mass Save Home Energy Assessment, and it’s the one I’d do first.

What the visit is

Mass Save describes it as a no-cost Home Energy Assessment. An Energy Specialist takes a comprehensive look at your home, identifies energy-saving opportunities, and provides an energy report with recommendations and available incentives. The program says the visit takes around two hours and may include no-cost products installed on the spot: LED light bulbs, advanced power strips, low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators and programmable thermostats.

Who can book it

The offer is for customers of the Mass Save sponsors, which are Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty Utilities, National Grid and Unitil, and the insulation program says customers must live in a one to four unit home. In Boston that covers single families, two families and three deckers, and condos in buildings of two to four units, which Mass Save’s condo page sends to the same assessment.

Insulation and air sealing

Mass Save offers 75 to 100 percent off approved insulation and air sealing improvements, and it notes that eligibility for some rebates and incentives is based on findings from the Home Energy Assessment. Restrictions apply and offers can change, which is one more reason to get the visit done and the report in hand before you plan work.

The HEAT Loan

The HEAT Loan is 0% financing up to $25,000 for qualifying energy-efficiency upgrades, and Mass Save says $25,000 has been the maximum financeable amount since January 1, 2025. Two conditions matter for buyers. The loan applicant must be the homeowner, so you can’t apply until you’ve closed. And a Home Energy Assessment is mandatory if you plan to finance a whole home heat pump, a partial home heat pump with bonus incentives, windows, weatherization or weatherization barriers. Financing is subject to approval from a participating lender.

Heat pump rebates for 2026

For air source heat pumps installed between January 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026, the whole-home rebate is $2,650 per ton of heat pump capacity, up to $8,500, and the partial-home rebate is $1,125 per ton, up to $8,500. Rebate forms are due by February 28, 2027. A whole-home rebate requires the house to show sufficient weatherization: built during or after 2000, or a Home Energy Assessment showing less than $1,000 in recommended weatherization, or completion of weatherization recommendations made in 2013 or later. Partial-home rebates carry a $500 weatherization bonus when the assessment and the recommended weatherization are done within one year before or up to six months after the installation.

When to book it if you’re buying

The week you get the keys. The report doubles as a punch list for the first winter, and the insulation discount is decided by what the specialist finds, so book the assessment before you call a contractor. Closing on a house in Greater Boston this fall? Send me the address and I’ll tell you what to ask the specialist to look at. Diana Kim, REALTOR®, eXp Realty.