Boston’s Greenest Houses
There’s particular interest in green housing in our city, but also particular challenges. Harsh New England winters drive up heating bills, and our beloved antique housing stock is hardly energy efficient. With federal stimulus dollars possibly going to retrofit all Massachusetts houses with “smart” energy meters, what are YOU doing to keep your home’s energy use in check?
Peter Thomson, environment editor for PRI’s The World, hosts our live web chat.
Links
- Rebates and incentives – www.dsireusa.org
- The Greenhouse Doctor – www.nexusboston.com
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This was great show today.
However the chap that called up from Arlington about the complete outside insulating job that cost $100,000 was either so wealthy that money did not matter to him or just plain not all there.
I live in an old house with bad insulation and my heating cost are about $2500 for the winter. Even if you had $4000 for the season it would take you over 20 years to recoup the cost of doing what the caller did. This is madness and not economically feasible. The other issue is the value of my house has dropped $150,000 since I bought it in 2005. The last thing I want to do now is spend money on this old house.
It’s throwing money out the window. Right now my energy saving plan is a sweater and keeping the thermostat down.
Even if I had $100,000 the last thing I would do would be investing that much in a house that I will never, ever see the return on.
I was thinking about this program some more.
I think it’s great that low income people get all this help, but where’s the help for the majority of tax payers in this state? You know the ones who are paying for all the benefits mentioned. The average income in Massachusetts is from 55k to bout 75k a year. We get nothing. I need to put a new roof on my house and I can’t get a thing in the way of grants or anything. My wife and I have a combined income of 60k a year.
I live in a house that has lost so much value I have to think twice about doing anything.
It’s great that my tax dollars went to building low income housing that lowers the heating bills by 50% or more.
It’s great that my tax dollars are going to fund all these projects low income people. I have one thing to say, here is one middle income person how has had it.
My tax break is going to be about $14 a week. Are they kidding? Is this some kind of joke?
How about a low or no interest loan for me the guy in the middle to fix my roof and redo my siding and upgrade the crappy insulation in my old house.
How about some grants for the people who pay the bulk of the taxes in this country and get nothing in return.
I’m not against paying taxes, I’m not a conservative and I voted for Obama and Patrick. However I’m getting tired listening to shows like this which seem to point out what losers we middle income people are. If your rich you can spend 100k on insulating your home, why I have no idea, see above for my comment on that joker from Arlington. If your poor or are low income you get a lot of breaks, at least this show was pointing to this.
We can’t even get a loan to fix our roof.
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[...] Boston Greenest Houses Radio Boston Posted by root 20 hours ago (http://www.radioboston.org) Feb 23 2009 i need to put a new roof on my house and i can 39 t get a thing in the way of grants or anything to fix my roof and redo my siding and upgrade the crappy insulation in my old house see above for my comment on that joker from arlington valid xh Discuss | Bury | News | boston greenest houses radio boston [...]