As a resident of New Hampshire with a house built in the 1950s, the winters in New Hampshire were always a concern when it came to heating my house. My oil furnace felt like it was running constantly to keep the temperature up to 67 degrees in the few hours I was home after work and when it did turn off, I found that my house felt cold. After three years of ordering heating oil up to four times per calendar year, I was informed of the NH Saves program. The NH Saves Program is a collaboration of multiple electric and gas utilities in New Hampshire offering rebates to homeowners for improving their homes.

To get started, I completed the online form (https://nhsaves.com/residential/weatherization/) requiring my heating usage for the past twelve months, total square footage of my house, my heating source, my utility provider, and my zip code. Shortly after I received an email from my utility provider, indicating my property had been assigned an Energy Audit company. An Energy Audit was then scheduled at a time convenient for me. The cost of my energy audit was $100 and took approximately two hours. The energy audit was an amazing experience to watch. I was able to be an active observer for a blower door test at my home. It was a great experience to say the least.

A few days later the final report of my energy audit was emailed to me. The report contained the suggested fixes for my house to improve efficiency. For me, the fixes included reinsulating the ceilings, walls, and basement along with air sealing. The report also indicated the cost for the work to be completed. The NH Saves program currently provides a $6,000 credit per calendar year. The total for my fixes was approximately $12,000 not including the NH Saves credit. I made the decision to move forward with all fixes and pay the difference out of pocket. The Auditor mentioned that I could have reapplied for the program the following year to receive the $6,000 credit again, but I chose to get all the work done at once.

Work was scheduled for the fall of 2022 and was anticipated to take four days. The company performing the work did a great job. They were informative, clean, and timely. Additionally, they took photos of their work for record. Shortly after the work was finished, a third-party inspection was completed on my home.

I am happy to say that I have noticed a huge impact from the NH Saves Program. In a single winter year, I went from ordering heating oil four times a year to only two. My house feels warmer even when the furnace is not running. I have noticed that outside noises are duller.  I am excited to continue to see the savings for the next few years as my expected payback is only four years.