City-led workshops aimed at saving homeowner’s energy, costs

Renew Boston will hold two workshops on energy efficiency for homeowners, renters, landlords and property owners next week at the Grove Hall Library and the Dudley Square Library. They will share how to save money while saving energy.

Renew Boston partners with EverSource, National Grid and Mass Save to educate Boston residents on energy efficiency and alternative energy in homes and for small businesses. The program provides complimentary assessments, where Energy Advisors inspect the home and identify opportunities for improved energy usage.

During the assessment, they can install energy saving light bulbs, programmable thermostats, advanced power strips, and low-flow shower heads at no cost.

For larger changes, such as insulation or changing water heaters, Renew Boston will refer the resident to appropriate service providers. The resident is under no obligation to pursue a contract.

Renew Boston is one of many efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and create a more environmentally sustainable city. Boston’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020, and the local work of programs like Renew Boston contributes to those larger metrics.

“We work very aggressively to make sure we’re on that path,” said Renew Boston Community Outreach Manager Lourdes Lopez. “Not just to meet that plan but to help residents be more energy efficient, save money and live in a healthy environment.”

Many energy-saving methods that will be discussed at the workshops can make the home more comfortable, said Lopez. For example, programmable thermostats regulate temperature automatically throughout the day, so no heat or air conditioning is wasted and the temperature remains steady.

An energy efficient home can be a financial comfort as well, as green efforts can drastically cut costs.

“For too many people, it’s food or fuel,” said Lopez. “But when they make energy saving changes, they’re going to see the difference right away in their utility bill.”

The workshops are free, open to the public, and bilingual. The first will be held at Grove Hall Library on Thursday, July 21 at 6 p.m., with the same presentation in Spanish following at 6:30 p.m. The second workshop will be at the Dudley Square Library on Saturday, July 23 at 10 a.m., with a Spanish session following at 10:30 a.m.


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