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Help saving energy

Saving energy lowers your utility bill. Taking steps to save energy – like insulating your home and properly maintaining appliances – can improve your comfort and safety, while also saving you money.

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Energy saving programs

Massachusetts offers several programs to help you save energy:

  • Mass Save is a program to help electric and gas customers of National Grid, Eversource, Unitil, Cape Light Compact, Berkshire Gas, and Liberty Utilities save energy. The program can help you find ways to save energy for your home or business. This ratepayer-funded program provides rebates and incentives for insulation, efficient equipment, and more.  The Department of Energy Resources oversees this utility-run energy efficiency program while the Department of Public Utilities regulates the rates associated with the program. You can start with the Online Home Energy Assessment to create an energy profile of your home, or visit Mass Save's - residential customer or Mass Save's - business customer webpages.
  • The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) provides Massachusetts homeowners with information and assistance to save money on their energy bills while protecting the environment. For more information on clean energy solutions for your home, including help on understanding and lowering your energy bills, visit the Lower your Energy Bills page.
  • The Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) assists low-income households in reducing heating bills by providing comprehensive home energy conservation services. For more information about eligibility, allowable energy efficiency measures, and to apply, visit the WAP website.
  • The Heating Emergency Assistance Retrofit Task Weatherization Assistance Program (HEARTWAP) provides heating system services, including repairs and maintenance, to low-income households. For more information, visit the HEARTWAP website.
  • Customers of municipal light plants (MLPs) can participate in the MLP zero-interest energy efficiency loan program.  This program assists with energy efficiency upgrades, including insulation and heat pumps, as well as energy-saving programs offered by individual local utilities. To learn if your town is served by an MLP, search for Massachusetts municipally-owned electric companies. 

Ways to save energy

Year-Round

  1. Turn off lights, appliances, TVs, stereos, and computers when not in use.
  2. Clean your dryer filter and clean and straighten the exhaust hose/duct and vent outside.
  3. Use power strips and timers to control the power supply to lights and devices, allowing you to use them only when necessary.
  4. Wash clothes in cold water.  About 90% of the energy used by your clothes washer goes towards heating.
  5. Buy Energy Star appliances. These are designed to be more energy efficient and help save customers money.
  6. Take more showers than baths. Bathing uses, on average, 15 to 25 gallons of hot water while a 5-minute shower uses less than 10 gallons.
  7. Run your appliances on the energy-saving setting.
  8. Keep the temperature of the water heater to the warm setting (120°F). This will not only save energy but also help avoid scalding.

View more ways to save energy at:

In the fall and winter

  1. Open curtains on the south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat the home and close them at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.
  2. Use the locks on windows and sliding doors to ensure they are shut and sealed.
  3. Apply plastic heat-shrink window film.
  4. Set the thermostat as low as is comfortable when you are home and awake.
  5. Turn the thermostat lower when you are asleep or out of the house. Using a programmable or adjustable thermostat can help.
  6. Add caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.
  7. Use light-emitting diode (LED) holiday light strings and decorations to reduce the cost of decorating the home for the holidays.
  8. Use space heaters wisely. Space heaters consume a lot of energy and pose a fire risk.

View more ways to save energy in cooler weather at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fall and Winter energy-saving tips.

In the spring and summer

  1. Close your blinds in the daytime. Southern and western-facing walls take the brunt of the sun’s heat.
  2. Check your air conditioning (A/C) filter. A clean filter will maximize your system’s output.
  3. Use a fan. If it is not too hot, use a fan instead of turning on the A/C. Make sure your fan is set in the counterclockwise direction so that it will pull up the cooler air from the ground and circulate it around the room.
  4. Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms, by creating a wind chill effect.
  5. Keep your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lower the thermostat setting when you return home. Using a programmable or adjustable thermostat can help.

View more ways to save energy warmer weather at the U.S. Department of Energy's Spring and Summer energy-saving tips.

Renewable energy

While not an immediate solution, installing renewable energy such as solar panels and battery energy storage can help lower your utility bills over the long term. To learn more about renewable energy for your home, visit the following webpages:

Other resources regarding your utility bill

If your service has been shut off, or is about to be shut off, call the DPU directly at (617) 737-2836 or toll-free at (877) 886-5066.

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