National Grid's Deep Energy Retrofit Pilot Helps Massachusetts Customers Cut Home Energy Use in Half

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DER construction photos courtesy of Dave Legg, National Grid.

• DER construction photos courtesy of Dave Legg, National Grid.

WALTHAM, MA (09/27/2010)(readMedia)-- National Grid is helping its Massachusetts customers cut their home energy use by 50 percent or more through its Deep Energy Retrofit pilot efficiency program. By applying for incentives, customers are able to invest in a comprehensive home energy makeover, making their home significantly more efficient and sustainable for decades.

"Our Deep Energy Retrofit pilot offers customers the unique opportunity to make large-scale energy efficiency improvements throughout the entire house," said National Grid Vice President, Energy Products, Ed White. "By providing incentives to help finance the up-front investments, we are helping customers to halve their energy use; an investment for the environment and the homeowner for generations to come."

Two National Grid pilot participants have completed home retrofits in Belchertown and Belmont, Mass. Additional projects are underway or soon to begin in Cohasset, Medford, Millbury and Milton, Mass. Estimated energy savings for the completed Belchertown project alone are 55 percent or $2,800 per year when compared to a typical 1990s home.

"National Grid's support - both financial and scientific - transformed our project to exceed our expectations," said Alex Clark of Belchertown. "Words fail to adequately describe all the benefits of our Deep Energy Retrofit. It brought our 1760s farmhouse into the new century of home heating."

Providing a combination of financial and technical support, National Grid's Deep Energy Retrofits help homeowners take advantage of planned home maintenance projects and make a substantial investment in long-term increased efficiency measures. Deep Energy Retrofits provide an array of incentive opportunities to help customers seal the home and increase efficiency measures by super-insulating, adding highly-efficient windows and doors and replacing heating systems and water heaters.

Whether a homeowner is interested in retrofitting as little as half or as much as the whole house, beginning with new shingles or with a basement overhaul, the Deep Energy Retrofit approach optimizes efficiency and comfort throughout the home.

As a testament to the program's success, two homeowners participating in the Deep Energy Retrofit program have been accepted as candidates in the elite, North America-wide Thousand Homes Challenge (THC), making National Grid the first utility in the Northeast to support two customers in the challenge. Through the THC, homeowners pledge to take their energy reduction even further than the Deep Energy Retrofit by reducing their in-home energy usage by 70-90 percent, adopting a combination of energy efficiency, renewable resources, community-based solutions and behavior choices.

"The Thousand Homes Challenge program takes our Deep Energy Retrofit even further to include a manufacturer-donated water heater plus photo-voltaic solar installations, replacement appliances, LED lighting and support in making general lifestyle changes, all with help from National Grid," said Thousand Homes Challenge participant, Andrew Koh of Milton, Mass.

Through National Grid's partnership with Building Science Corporation, the projects also receive the latest guidance on technical approaches for optimal efficiency, health and safety, helping increase building durability and reduce future maintenance costs.

For more information on Deep Energy Retrofits including scheduled open houses at ongoing project sites, visit powerofaction.com/der/

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.

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*Editor's Note: On October 10, Milton resident and Thousand Homes Challenge participant, Andrew Koh will open his doors to the public to share with visitors first hand the impact of a Deep Energy Retrofit in progress. Details of Koh's open house will be available at powerofaction.com/der/ within the next week.