Making a Big Dent in Your Carbon Footprint—Some Ideas
So…you already hang out your clothes to dry. You shut off the lights when you’re not using them. You’re eating less meat and bringing your reusable grocery bags and so much more… having implemented many of our ideas from January’s Kermits Korner. But now what?
If you’re wondering about cutting your carbon footprint even further, here are some ideas. I attended a workshop sponsored by the library system called Zero Carbon, Zero Bills. The presenter David Green of Zero Carbon Home. It was an interesting workshop, though long. The recording is 2.5 hours; you can watch it here.
He talked about 4 things you can do to lower your carbon footprint, using the acronym HITS: (Heat Pumps, Insulation, Triple Glazed Windows, Solar). He went over quite thoroughly how each of these have a great ROI (return on investment), as well as specifics on how to do each.
There are rebates and tax incentives on heat pumps and solar panels. Framingham is partnering with some neighboring towns to offer bulk pricing on heat pump and solar panel installations through March 31 through the Metrowest Solar & Clean Heat Challenge. MassSave can also perform an energy audit your house, and they offer very reduced pricing for blown in insulation.
I can personally attest to the benefits of making three of these changes. I had blown in insulation done in 2014. (I didn’t measure how much difference it made on my heating bills though.) I put a mini-split heat pump in two rooms in my house. They work fabulously in the spring, summer and fall. Mine don’t do so well on the really cold days of winter, since it only is efficient down to about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but the newer models can go down to 20 below! Also, through this workshop, I learned that heat pumps can replace your central air conditioning unit and use the existing ductwork! Much more economical option. MassSave offers 0% interest loans for 7 years on these, which makes it quite affordable. I also had solar panels installed at this time, and I can honestly say that was the best decision I made. It’s costly to buy them outright instead of leasing, but I haven’t paid an electric bill since they’ve been put in and I broke even (without even considering the lack of electric bills) in about 6 years. Not to mention, if you have an electric car, you are powering it from your roof! Win-win! Something to think about…
Laura Beck for the Green Team