Residents gathered at the Mason Congregational Church on Thursday for a community supper and a conversation on the benefits of weatherizing their homes.
The “Community and Weatherization Curious Supper,” co-sponsored by the Mason Energy Commission and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, was the second held this year by the Energy Commission to encourage residents to explore green initiatives.
The guests included three individuals who had experience with weatherization and an energy auditor from Turn Cycle Solutions.
Dennis Caristinos of Mason said that he and his wife, Deb, came to the supper to visit with neighbors, and also to learn more about the topic.
“We’re definitely concerned about energy,” Caristinos said. “We’ve done things to mitigate already, but we always want to know what we might be doing better. Our house is fairly new, and well-insulated, so there might not be a ton of opportunities — but there might be some.”
Patricia Martin, a member of the Rindge Energy Commission, spoke about weatherizing her home and town buildings.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Martin said, of pairing community suppers with energy topics. “People are relaxed and sharing. Building community gets you halfway there in terms of making a change.”
Kyle Missaggia, an energy efficiency specialist with Turn Cycle Solutions, explained that the first step in weatherization is a home energy audit, which identifies areas where insulation or sealing may be lacking. All customers of NHSaves utility partners are eligible for a no-cost HEP audit as long as they qualify for the program, and Turn Cycle Solutions offers no-cost audits for those who don’t.
Homeowners who move forward with upgrades can receive rebates covering up to 75% of up to $6,000 in work. On average, homeowners spend about $2,000 out of pocket, with energy savings paying back the investment in five to 10 years, Missaggia said.
“That’s fairly slow, but it also immediately increases the comfort level of your home,” Missaggia said. Areas of the home that were always too cold or too hot might now be comfortable, he said, adding that some of the weatherization efforts will be effective long after the payback period is over.
Missaggia said that often, the most cost-effective efforts are air sealing and insulation; replacing windows is the least cost-effective.
For information on free weatherization audits, visit nhsaves.com/residential/weatherization.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.