September in Cambridge means moving vans and getting settled into new apartments. To help you make an informed decision as you pick and move into a new apartment, the team at the non-profit Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) has created a Renter’s Checklist.

The checklist is designed as a series of questions to ask about, as well as a guide to creating a lower-cost, energy efficient apartment once you’ve moved in. As a result, you can use the checklist to get all of the relevant information you need when you’re seeing an apartment, and thus help you avoid a drafty, inefficient, and expensive home. And, even if you’ve already picked out your dream apartment, asking about the home’s equipment and utilities can be a way for you and your landlord to identify what needs to be fixed. After all, it’s best to identify a problem with the heating system now than in the middle of January.

Finally, once you’re settled in to your new home, you can use the “Simple Low-Cost and N0-Cost Measures” in the guide to help make your apartment as efficient and comfortable as possible.

A Guide for Renting and Creating Lower Cost Energy Efficient Apartments and Homes

Plus you can read this blog post from NEEP about how one team member used the guide to help save money on energy.

Learn about the City of Cambridge’s progress toward the Net Zero Action Plan, which sets a pathway to enable Cambridge to become a carbon-neutral community by 2050!

Come out to a public energy efficiency workshop hosted by the Cambridge Energy Alliance! All Cambridge residents and business owners are welcome!

At this public meeting, we will be going over:

• how to lower your energy bill through energy saving measures
• how to save time, money, and energy with some DIY tips
• what a free home energy assessment is and how it can help you

The meeting will be on Thursday, July 26th from 6-8 pm at the City Hall Annex at 344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA. Come join us!

Join hundreds of offices around the world from noon to 1pm in turning off your lights. This annual event is to promote natural lighting and to reduce energy usage! The City of Cambridge is an official city partner with the Daylight Hour organizers.

To sign up and for more information, visit https://daylighthour.org/

Has your home felt chilly this winter? Do you have high heating or electric bills? Attend a free Energy Efficiency Home Performance workshop with the City to learn about steps you can take to make your home more comfortable while saving energy, including having a free home energy assessment to identify and eliminate wasted energy. The workshop will be held on Thursday, February 22 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway 2nd Floor Community Room.

The workshop is open to Cambridge renters, owners, landlords, and property owners who live in or maintain buildings of all sizes. Topics covered during the workshop include:

• Sources of discomfort and high bills
• How to schedule a free energy evaluation of your home
• The benefits of an home energy assessment (including up to 75% off of insulation, free LED bulbs and draft sealing, and generous rebates for HVAC systems and appliances)
• DIY tips to conserve home energy

City staff will be on hand to answer questions about home energy assessments and energy-saving measures.

Now you can view the energy mix information for the Cambridge Community Electricity program. See the details of how the electricity was produced and how much of your energy is coming from renewable vs non-renewable sources here!

We want to make sure you know about this special offer from MassSave and Eversource!

Wireless thermostats keep you comfortable when you’re home, save energy when you’re away, and let you control the temperature from anywhere. This November, some of the best are up to $150 off.

Up to $150 off this November:
• Honeywell Wi-Fi 9000
• Honeywell Lyric
• ecobee4
• Nest (3rd Gen)

BONUS OFFER:
Save an additional $50 off a
Nest or ecobee4
11/22 – 11/27.

Ready to save smarter? Shop the online store
to save up to $150 this November.

Please note that if you receive a personal call or a visit about your electricity, that person does not represent the City of Cambridge or the Cambridge Community Electricity Program. The City is not knocking on doors or making individual sales phone calls. The City recently sent a letter to residents and businesses eligible for automatic enrollment with detailed program information.

If you receive a call or a visit from someone who wants to discuss your electricity, here are three things to keep in mind:

• The person you are speaking with is not associated with the City of Cambridge or the Cambridge Community Electricity program.
• You should treat your Eversource account number like you treat your credit card information. Do not give it out unless you want to purchase your electricity from someone else.
• You do have the right to select an electricity supplier of your choice. If you choose to explore this option, please check the terms of the agreement carefully. Things to check for include: minimum bill amounts, contract length requirements, early termination fees, low introductory rates that change after the introductory period ends, and rates that vary.

The City has worked carefully to ensure that the Cambridge Community Electricity program provides a trustworthy, transparent option. The program has no hidden costs or contract requirements. The rate is fixed for 18 months. You may leave, or opt out, at any time. And there are no fees or penalties for opting out.

As a brief background, in August, Cambridge residents and businesses who are currently enrolled in Eversource Basic Service will begin to receive cleaner electricity through the launch of the Cambridge Community Electricity program. The program is an electricity aggregation, in which Cambridge uses the bulk buying power of the entire community to negotiate a better price for the Supplier Services portion of electricity bills.

For information about the program, please visit www.masspowerchoice.com/cambridge.

The City of Cambridge is launching the Cambridge Community Electricity program to bring the benefits of renewable energy and electricity choice to its residents and businesses!

Starting in July, residents and small businesses currently on Eversource’s Basic Service will continue to have their electricity delivered through Eversource, but the City will select its own electricity supplier. The program will give residents a price that is lower than Eversource Basic Service at program launch, and it will increase the amount of renewable energy in the mix(Cambridge Community Electricity’s “Basic Green” service will have 25% more solar than is required by the state).

Cambridge Community Electricity supports local renewable energy projects and maximizes consumer protections, all at a price at or below the average price of Basic Service power from the utility. The program is part of Cambridge’s efforts to promote environmental sustainability.

Residents can opt out of Cambridge Community Electricity or choose to switch to the program’s 100% Green energy option at any time.

Questions?

Call: 1-844-379-9934
Email: cambridge@masspowerchoice.com
Visit: www.masspowerchoice.com/Cambridge.
Come to: A public hearing:

•Monday, June 12, 6:00 PM, Lesley University, Room 3-076, 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
• Tuesday, June 13, 12:30 PM, Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
• Monday, June 26, 6:00 PM, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge
Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge