Endless Energy

Energy Efficiency

Mini-Splits vs Window AC Units UPDATED 2023

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With summer in Massachusetts just around the corner, many homeowners are considering upgrading their air conditioning systems. The decision can be overwhelming with so many options available and the price of energy so high, but two popular choices are mini-split systems and window AC units. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at both options and explore which is better in 2023.

Comfort

One of the primary reasons people choose to upgrade their air conditioning is to improve comfort in their home. When it comes to comfort, mini-split systems are the clear winner. Unlike window AC units, which only cool a single room, mini-splits are designed to cool multiple rooms, providing consistent comfort throughout the entire home. Additionally, mini-splits have the ability to adjust the temperature in individual rooms – so your family can spend the summer relaxing instead of fighting over the thermostat.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is a major factor to consider when upgrading your air conditioning system. In this regard, mini-splits are the superior choice (against central air too!) Mini-splits are designed to be highly energy efficient, using up to 50% less energy than traditional window AC units. This can lead to significant savings on your energy bills over time. Additionally, mini-splits use a variable speed compressor, which allows the system to adjust its output based on the current temperature, vastly improving energy efficiency. Especially as electric prices rise in Massachusetts energy efficiency is a major consideration for anyone with an electric bill.

Safety

When it comes to our homes, safety is paramount. In this regard, window AC units fall short. Window AC units on higher floors can be dangerous if they fall out of the window, potentially causing harm to anyone walking below. Additionally, window AC units require a window to be left open, which can be a security risk without having a grate installed. Mini-splits, on the other hand, are mounted securely on the wall and do not require any windows to be left open, providing increased safety and security.

Noise

Noise can be a major issue with air conditioning systems, especially if you plan on using the system while sleeping or working. In this regard, mini-splits win the day. Mini-splits are designed to be whisper-quiet, making them an ideal choice for any room in your home. Window AC units, on the other hand, can be quite noisy, making them less than ideal for use in bedrooms, home offices, or other quiet spaces.

Convenience

It is tough to conceive of a less convenient appliance than the Window AC. Heavy and unwieldy, it’s a sick tradition to haul them from storage each spring and precariously place them in our windows. Mini-split systems on the other hand offer heat in addition to air conditioning, allowing them to be utilized year-round. Additionally, mini-splits are incredibly easy to use, with many models featuring remote controls or even smartphone apps that allow you to adjust the temperature from anywhere in your home.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to choosing between mini-split systems and window AC units in 2023, the decision ultimately comes down to personal preference and priorities. While mini-splits offer superior comfort, energy efficiency, safety, noise, and convenience, they can be more expensive to install due to requiring a licensed professional. Window AC units, on the other hand, offer a more affordable and convenient option, but may not provide the same level of comfort, energy efficiency, or safety. Luckily there are plentiful rebates and assistance available for homeowners in Massachusetts to make the upgrade to mini-splits, such as the $10,000 whole home rebate, $2,500 IRA tax credit, and $50,000 Heat Loan.

If you would like to speak to a professional about getting a mini-split system installed in your home, please contact us!

Insulation: Instant Elation

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Why get assessed for insulation? You can dramatically reduce your energy bills by ensuring that your house is well-insulated from the outdoors. You’re probably thinking, “I already have insulation.” But, did you know that 90% of homes in the U.S. are under-insulated? That could be dramatically driving up your energy bills. In fact, the EPA estimates that you could save up to 20% on your energy bill by upgrading your insulation. There are two top-of-the-line ways to prevent this: blown cellulose insulation and fiberglass insulation. This article will walk you through how those work and the benefits of each.

Blown Cellulose Insulation

What are some of the benefits of cellulose insulation? Loose-fill and dense-pack cellulose insulation are fire retardant, pest retardant, and kid safe because they’re treated with boric acid (which is about as safe as table salt). They are also composed of 75% recycled materials, using newspapers recycled everyday to reduce our carbon footprint. Because it is made from recycled materials, cellulose insulation is better for your health and for the environment. Another positive? Blown cellulose fills in cracks to create a gap-free, seamless barrier that will keep out the cold (and heat).

Also, the R-value of cellulose insulation is much higher than other types of insulation. You’re probably asking, what is R-value and why do I care? The R-value measures the resistance of the material, meaning the amount of insulation needed to be most effective, and the higher R-value the better. Because blown cellulose has a high R-Value per inch, the cellulose insulation reduces air infiltration better than other kinds of insulation.

What’s the financial side like? Pretty cheap. While cellulose is an investment, it can save you up to 25% more than other kinds of insulation and is comparable in price. Plus, many homeowners in Massachusetts are able to qualify for 75% off the sticker price when they get a No-Cost Mass Save Home Energy Assessment with us first!

Fiberglass Insulation

Fiberglass insulation is only used in places that cellulose can’t be used because it can be potentially harmful if inhaled. That’s why we have qualified professionals to install it. We also use it primarily in attics, away from people where it can be most effective and isolated.

Targeted Air Sealing

Looking for another unbelievable deal? Through our Mass Save Partnership, you can qualify to receive a 100% instant-rebate on targeted air sealing! That means that if during your home energy assessment the assessor finds any drafty areas in your home, you can have them sealed at no-cost to you!

Targeted air sealing includes weatherstrippings around doors and windows, and foam insulation to seal cracks in the attic. Why is this important? Leaking air can make up 30% of your heating and cooling costs. And I’m sure you’re wondering what the actual value of this work is? Targeted air sealing has a $1,200 value, but you can get it for no cost when you work with our Mass Save division.

Our Deals

All of our estimates are free and flexible according to materials and scheduling. Additionally, as a Mass Save partner all air sealing jobs receive a 100% instant rebate and we’ll handle all the paperwork. On top of that deal, you can receive 75% off your insulation if you do a home assessment with us.

We recommend blown in cellulose to our customers for many reasons, including the aforementioned safety for kids and being both fire and pest retardant. Another service we offer is fiberglass insulation for knee walls, equipment damming, and other situations where cellulose does not work.

Other Insulation Services We Offer

In terms of the assessments we provide, we do infrared testing to see possible gaps where outside air can infiltrate your home. We also use blower door tests to help determine a home’s airtightness.

There are numerous reasons to have these assessments done. First, it reduces energy consumption due to air leakage. It also prevents moisture condensation problems and uncomfortable drafts caused by cold air leaking in from the outdoors.

Other sources

http://solar365.com/green-homes/insulation/cellulose-insulation-pros-cons

https://www.skedaddlewildlife.com/top-6-benefits-of-cellulose-insulation/

http://information.insulationinstitute.org/blog/whats-the-roi-of-attic-insulation

What is the Mass Save Home Energy Assessment?

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Massachusetts is the #1 most energy efficient state in the US according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. For the past six years, Massachusetts has led the country in green energy efficiency with its innovative programs and incentives. Not only do these programs earn fancy titles, they also help Massachusetts residents save unprecedented amounts of money.

It’s easy to benefit from these environmentally friendly and money saving initiatives. In fact, your first step to becoming more energy efficient costs you nothing—a Mass Save Home Energy Assessment with Endless Energy.

Endless Energy performs Mass Save energy assessments at no cost. No matter who you are you can benefit. With our home energy analysis, Endless Energy figures out how to save you money on your energy bill and how to live a greener life! A complete assessment is conducted by an expert who will provide you with a personal report on ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency and install up to $625 in no cost energy and power saving appliances and $1,200 in energy efficient services. You can see the improvements on the spot.  Additionally, the report entitles you to thousands more in available rebates and power savings.

The best part is, with these improvements, the more you use the more you save! Energy Efficiency is a simple and easy way to lower your carbon footprint while receiving enormous rates on return. In fact, Mass Save calculates that every dollar they spend on this initiative leads to $4.69 in savings for you.

It seems a little too good to be true. In fact, sometimes we get comments like this:

Well. It’s true, and in fact you have already helped finance the program. The Home Energy Assessment is funded by a charge on electricity and gas bills. The electric and natural gas companies work with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and energy efficiency service providers to send energy experts like our professionals at Endless Energy to your home.

If you have not already taken advantage of what you paid for, call 508.357.2355 or go to this website to schedule your Mass Save energy audit today. Once you begin, you can take advantage of these wonderful products and services.

What is provided by Endless Energy’s Mass Save Energy Assessment?

With a Mass Save Energy Assessment with Endless Energy you receive

  • A personalized report for your home
  • LED High-Efficiency Light Bulbs for entire home
  • Digital Thermostats
  • Energy Efficient Power Strips
  • Target Air Sealing
  • 75% off of your insulation services
  • Water Saving Shower Head
ENERGY STAR® LED light bulbs

If your house is using energy inefficient light bulbs like incandescent bulbs, your Energy Assessment expert will replace every bulb in your home at no cost to you, an estimated $528 value. Incandescent bulbs have long been a source of energy inefficiency. In fact, 90% of the energy used to run incandescent bulbs is burned off as heat while only 10% is actually used to produce light. Furthermore, they only last about 1,000 hours, the equivalent of about a year.

Compare that to the efficiency of LED bulbs.

  • LEDs can last about 25,000 hours, or about 25 years.
  • They use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
  • They can save you an average of $75 a year on electricity according to Energy.gov. Multiply that by the 25 years a light will last and you’ve got $1,875 just from changing lightbulbs!

Even though the United States no longer imports or produces incandescent bulbs, people have been slow to switch over to LEDs. Why? Because of the upfront cost. While incandescent bulbs can cost as little as 70 cents, LEDs can cost between $10 and $20. Luckily with Endless Energy and Mass Save you can receive them and have them installed at no cost. Talk about easy savings.

Power Saving TrickleStar Power Strips 

Did you know that 5-10% of your household energy consumption comes from standby power consumption? Even when you are not using your electronics—think TV, computer, printers, etc.—they are zapping power. Traditional energy strips expand the amount of power outlets available, but encourage you to keep electronics on standby mode. In standby mode, they continue to draw power even when they are not in use. This costs money, wastes electricity, and increases your carbon emissions.

Power saving strips actually shut down power to electronics when they enter stand-by mode. So when you aren’t using something, it’s not using power. That means more money savings, less electricity, and a smaller carbon footprint. In fact, if power was not used when electronics were in standby, we would reduce our global carbon dioxide emissions by 1%.

Programmable or Discounted Wireless Thermostats

Air conditioning and heating account for 44% of energy bills. That means that almost half of your bill goes to regulating the temperature of your house. Simple changes can help cut these cost. In fact, each degree warmer you set your thermostat in the winter is 1% saved on your energy bill. Using programmable thermostats is an easy way to enact this change.

Programmable thermostats allow you to control the temperature of your home, so you can decide the most comfortable and most energy efficient temperature. (If you want to set your house the best energy saving temperature for your thermostat in the winter, read this article.) With the energy audit, Endless Energy will install these thermostats for you.

Maintaining the balance between a comfortable living temperature while being as energy efficient as possible can be difficult. This is especially challenging if you want to save energy by cutting heating or air conditioning when you aren’t home but want to come back to an enjoyable climate. Who wants to enter a house that is 30 degrees in February after a long day at work?

Endless Energy’s energy auditors can help mitigate this relationship by installing wireless thermostats at no cost. These thermostats allow you to control the temperature of the house on the go; therefore you do not have to pay for unneeded heating or air conditioning when you are not home, but you can return to a cozy living situation. All you have to do is wirelessly program the temperature from afar. These wireless thermostats also alert you when filters need to be changed or the temperature is too hot or too cold. These added benefits help protect your home, save you money, and reduce your carbon footprint.

One wireless thermostat company found that on average,

  • Homeowners used 10-12% less energy with wireless thermostats.
  • This reduced energy use accounts for $131 to $145 in savings on your energy bill each year.

In addition to thermostat installation with your Endless Energy Mass Save audit, Mass Save offers Honeywell Lyric Round™ Wi-Fi Thermostats or Building 36™ Wi-Fi Thermostats for $50, or a rebate of up to $125 on any other model. It’s a true energy saver!

Air Sealing and Insulation

According to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, insulating your home can help save, on average, 12% on your utilities energy bill and 16% on your heating and cooling bill.

This energy saving process is accomplished in a couple of ways. Air sealing involves making cracks and openings between the inside and outside of the house airtight. By patching these openings between doors, windows, floors, walls, ceilings, and your attic, air sealing prevents air leakage.  In the summer, less cooling from your air conditioner leaves your home, and in the winter, less heating from your heat pump of gas furnace leaves the home. Likewise, the temperature outside your house is less likely to leak into the house. This allows your (newly installed wireless thermostats) to regulate your temperature while using less energy. Your Endless Energy Mass Save Auditor will perform target air sealing at no cost. You can find out more about air sealing here!

Insulation is also an easy way to maintain the temperature of your home. Like air sealing, it helps maintain a stable temperature by resisting heat flow between the inside and the outside of the house. Unlike air sealing, insulation covers the entire envelope of the home. Anything that is in direct contact with the outside should be insulated. With this protection there is less work for your air conditioner in the summer and heating in the winter, reducing costs and increasing comfort! Insulation effectiveness relies heavily on proper installation. In fact, some insulation requires professional installation. With your Endless Energy Mass Save energy audit you can save 75% on insulation services, up to a $2,000 value.

Water Saving Shower Head

While the above options help you save money on heating, cooling, and electricity by reducing its use, homes also expend energy on water use. Reducing water flow lessens water usage and the amount of energy used to heat that water. This sort of saving is two-fold: on your water bill and your heating bill. By installing low flow water saving fixtures like shower heads, the Department of Energy estimates that you achieve water savings of 25%–60%. Showers account for 20%-30% of all household water usage, and one water saving showerhead can save the average household thousands of gallons per year. Furthermore, not heating that amount of water is another estimate $50 savings on heating costs. Endless Energy’s Mass Save work will install a no cost shower head with the Mass Save Energy Audit, and you can begin to reap the benefits.

Who Can Participate?

Whether you are a homeowner, renter, or landlord, you can take advantage of this no cost program that increases your home’s energy efficiency, expands your green practices, lowers your carbon footprint, and saves money on your utilities bill. Heating, cooling, Air Conditioning, and electricity costs can be slashed dramatically with this no cost home energy audit offered by Mass Save and Endless Energy. What’s more? This is not a one time savings, you will continue to benefit year after year!

With 7 energy auditors and counting, Endless Energy is one of the leading Mass Save partners in the state. The Endless Energy Mass Save Energy Assessment is so easy; our energy experts conduct your audit and process your rebates. All you have to do is schedule the time and be present. By investing in your savings you are cutting energy costs in your home for the rest of your life.

We serve greater Metrowest Massachusetts, and can be available at your convenience in as little as two weeks. If you are in Bolton, Southborough, Marlborough, Westborough, Franklin, Brookline, Dover, Hopkinton, Lancaster, Medford, Natick, Sharon, Sudbury, Southbridge, Walpole, Worchester, or the surrounding areas CALL 508-357-2355 or schedule you appointment here.