Electricity

  • Purchase - Conserve your electric dollars wisely AND green the grid
    • Community Aggregation for small business and residents: Save $ and CO2 with Westford’s Community Aggregation Program: Westford POP (Power Options Program). Sign up, and Opt Up, today.  Use your electricity dollars to green the grid.
    • Community Solar for everyone:
  • Conserve
    • Consider if you really need a powered item – can you perform the task as well manually? Challenge yourself to unplug!
    • Watch for energy vampires: those devices that are always on. Use power supplies and turn off all audio visual and computer hardware at the power supply when not in use.  This is a good defense against damage from power surges/outages and hacking as well!
    • Shave the peak!  This idea is promoted most in the summer, when heat waves make the grid vulnerable to brown and black outs, however, the concept applies year round.  Utilities will add dirtier forms of energy production to their mix when demand is high, so your electricity becomes less clean. When possible, time your energy use to off peak times and help keep the grid “clean”.  
    • Buy Energy Star rated appliances
    • Take advantage of MassSave Rebates on qualifying purchases
    • Take advantage of MassSave Programs. Start with a free energy audit  to develop a plan for your home. 
    • Step one of the plan is to upgrade your building envelope so it is as energy efficient as possible.  Mass Save steeply discounts most building envelope measures. They will also address lighting and water conservation and help you develop an electrification plan.
    • Consider additional state and federal tax credits for qualifying windows, doors and other items that tighten your home’s envelope.
  • Make a plan to convert from gas to electric - while this will increase your electric bill, it will decrease your gas bill and eliminate combustion and associated air pollution in your home as well carbon dioxide production that warms the climate.
    • Washers
    • Dryers
    • Ovens/ranges
    • Hot water
    • Heating and Cooling
    • Small engines – lawn and garden maintenance and snow removal equipment
    • tools
    • Add an EV, EV charging infrastructure
    • Electrical Service - if you have 100 Amp service, full electrification may require a panel upgrade to 200 amp service.  Evaluate this need as part of your plan.
  • Make (and store) your own