Energy stuff...

[ellid]

Does anyone on my flist have information about whether Massachusetts offers tax credits for either solar panels or small wind turbines on one's house? The Last Homely Shack is in a very windy area and I think that would be a good choice, but I have no idea where to start looking.

Also, recommendations for places to purchase a new refrigerator would be most welcome. I have a good idea of what I want (Consumer Reports to the rescue again...and no, I do NOT want a refrigerator with an ice maker, as I almost never bother with ice and Roomie makes her own with water from her Pur pitcher), but where to buy it is another story.

Finally - does anyone have experience with those on-demand European style hot water heaters? My hot water heater is at least 11 years old and I know I'll have to replace it sooner rather than later. I've heard that the ones that produce hot water only when needed are ultimately less expensive and more environmentally friendly than a conventional one but do not know how easy one would be to find and/or service in these parts.

Thanks in advance for any advice people have. I'm not planning to live in this house forever, but I'd like to be comfortable, practical, and (God willing) energy-efficient while I do.

Comments

[visionshadows.livejournal.com]

no, I do NOT want a refrigerator with an ice maker

Just to let you know, it's nearly impossible to find one without an ice maker. You don't need to hook it up and you can remove most of it from the freezer. We were set on not getting an ice maker before realizing you can't find a fridge without one.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

*bleah* I simply won't have it hooked up, then. Thanks for the heads-up!

[visionshadows.livejournal.com]

No problem! Honestly, if you didn't know there was an ice maker in our freezer, you couldn't tell. And you can get fridges without the front panel. :)

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I don't know about the availability of on-demand hot water heaters in your area but they're the best thing since sliced bread. Have a look at the Baxi website.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Will do! Thanks!

[briony530.livejournal.com]

Got our fridge at Sears...best selection seemed to be there. Whoever replied above is right...it's tough to find anything but a totally basic model without an ice maker. Of course we had a height issue (cabinets over the fridge space, so that didnt' matter too much, the basic was all that fit!!! Sigh...would have liked a side by side...

We have an on-demand system that is part of our oil burner hot water heat system. I love it...it does tend to take a minute or two to produce steady hot water but after that it stays at an even temperature and doesn't matter how many people shower, it's always there. Likewise you can shower just after the dishwasher or washing machine finish and not wait for a tank to fill.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I bought my stove at Sears and so far, so good. Thanks!

[briony530.livejournal.com]

Actually, I had forgotten, but we got our washer and dryer at Lowe's, they also had good selection and free delivery! Can't remember if we looked for the fridge there...

[helwen.livejournal.com]

We got our fridge without an icemaker, but that was 5 years ago. Still, worth looking. We got ours at Sears. Energy Star rated, and of course not the side-by-side type. I'd always thought those were neat-looking, but their energy ratings mostly didn't compare as well, plus they cost more.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

EnergyStar is a must. I don't want a side-by-side since quite honestly, I've never liked them. I also do not want an ice and water thingy in the door, as I see no need for one.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Oh, sorry, forgot. Yes there are tax credits for solar and wind. Um, I'm on a laptop I'm not used to so searching for stuff is a pain, but do a search for "solar credit massachusetts" and you'll probably get the pages you want. Although mass.gov should have stuff too.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Found the government web site. I've bookmarked it, and it looks promising - I'll have to have the roof checked, but I was planning to have that done anyway. Turns out the rear of my house faces southeast, which is just about perfect for solar, so putting up a solar array is *very* possible....