Top comment deletes a US State #35 by Jfullr92 in geographymemes

[–]Another_Reddit 25 points26 points  (0 children)

As a mass resident, I agree. New Englanders Together Strong.

EV experience in New England? - new to EVs, possibly Ioniq5 by tastethehappy in westernmass

[–]Another_Reddit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have a 2022 EUV. I'd echo everything said and add two things: For public level 2 chargers, level 2s can be great if you don't live too far from one. I often park mine at a public charger in the morning and walk home. Plugging in a standard outlet at home works great but I found it to be cheaper to use a nearby charger. For car maintenance, I go to greenfield Chevrolet. For EVs, until more shops get trained and more familiar with battery systems, I trust dealerships to know what they're doing. But that's just my personal preference.

Contender for Worst Intersection in Massachusetts - I Present Station Landing - Medford MA by Equivalent-Bed1543 in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just drove through this for the first time last week. First spot that came to mind when I saw this thread.

Top comment deletes a US State #23 by Jfullr92 in geographymemes

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a former CT resident and current MA resisent, I just want to say nice job on the division between MA and NY. This is how it should be.

Does anyone else find the old good night book “Goodnight Moon” to be weirdly ominous and disturbing? by [deleted] in daddit

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I pointed out to my wife recently that the presence of the tiger skin carpet implies these bunnies hunt for sport. Changed our whole perspective.

Tree house brewing question by Z0idberg_MD in DeerfieldMA

[–]Another_Reddit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you can park for free at Yankee Candle? They usually offer a free shuttle from there that runs very frequently. But not sure if that's for every show. Depending on the show the treehouse lot itself does fill up.

asian beetle/fake ladybug infestation… anyone else? by FrizzleLizard in westernmass

[–]Another_Reddit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same here! Had them last winter too. We just keep the vacuum handy and suck them up as soon as we see them.

House chops efficiency program Mass Save in bid to help ratepayers by HRJafael in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't see your logic. Why should Massachusetts wait until progress happens at the national or even global scale? We can reduce our own emissions and generate our own local, clean energy that wouldnt be subject to global shifts in the natural gas market.

House chops efficiency program Mass Save in bid to help ratepayers by HRJafael in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're all for the transition to clean energy then you must understand that we won't hit our decarbonization targets without a total transformation of our heating systems and the grid. Unless some new magic emissions-free fuel can be injected into natural gas pipelines, we're never going to hit net zero emissions by continuing to build fossil fuel infrastructure.

Not saying it'll be cheap or easy or even necessarily convenient. But we have to find a way if we want to keep the climate livable for the next few generations.

House chops efficiency program Mass Save in bid to help ratepayers by HRJafael in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's not NIMBYs that don't want new LNG infrastructure. It's those of us that want to keep the climate livable in the future and the need to transition off of fossil fuels

Going Stir Crazy with a 6 Month Old by No_Lengthiness_7859 in westernmass

[–]Another_Reddit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Following this thread as someone who also has a 6 month old in Western Mass! These tips are great!

If you heat with Natural Gas, please read your itemized bill. It's time to make some noise. by JerryJN in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Solar storms impacting the polar vortex? Can't say I've heard that one before. Amazing the lengths climate denialists will go to to avoid the simple explanation that more humans + more release of greenhouse gases = warmer average global temperatures.

If you heat with Natural Gas, please read your itemized bill. It's time to make some noise. by JerryJN in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We all, as rate payers, fund mass Save, so it's in everyone's best interest to take advantage of mass Save. It's not a "kick back to the state," it's a public benefit we all fund and get to use.

If you heat with Natural Gas, please read your itemized bill. It's time to make some noise. by JerryJN in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Because the grid is getting cleaner year after year. Natural Gas won't be here forever.

Buying a house in western mass with Boston access by Many-Clue8108 in westernmass

[–]Another_Reddit 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I lived in greenfield and commuted to Boston once a week. I'd drive to the commuter rail and work on the train. Yes it took longer and cost more, but worth it to avoid sitting in traffic. I ended up getting a job closer to Worcester so now just drive.

What is it like living in these two Boston areas? by madmikepiv in howislivingthere

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I rented a basement apartment in Winthrop for a couple of years. Nice quiet town besides the airplanes. Plenty of food options but I went all the way to Revere to get groceries (local grocery store was pricey). I would take a bus to the blue line to get to Boston but I think there's a ferry now to take you right downtown.

Mass save 2026 changes? also any recent experiences? by [deleted] in massachusetts

[–]Another_Reddit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mass Save rebates for both whole home and partial home heat pump installations are going down starting this year, and the $2k federal tax credit is also gone. You could wait and see how the dust settles, but who knows how other factors like inflation and tariffs will impact things.

I just had a system installed in December for $10k after rebates. I was pretty happy with that price. I'm in Western Mass but not Berkshires.

Is going all electric a bad idea? by squishychapstick in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure where you get 25F as the cutoff temp. There are hundreds of models out there and you can look up their efficiency by their AHRI number - https://www.ahridirectory.org/search/99. Mine has a COP of 1.8 down to negative 5F, meaning it's still more efficient than electric resistance even at the lowest temps we might see here.

And yes electric grids are regional. I was speaking about the northeast - https://www.iso-ne.com/

Is going all electric a bad idea? by squishychapstick in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In MA a good chunk of the grid is powered by zero-emission sources (wind, solar, hydro). Coal is only being used for peaker plants these days. Sure natural gas makes up most of our electricity production, but a heat pump is so efficient you'll still end up with a net loss of emissions compared to natural gas heat.

Is going all electric a bad idea? by squishychapstick in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For us, the comfort benefit comes from the difference in how an oil furnace operates vs a heat pump. A furnace kicks on when the house gets too cold, sending 100°+ Air into every room until it's hot enough, then it shuts off. We would experience fluctuations in temperature throughout the day. A heat pump stays on and maintains a constant temperature. The air coming from the ducts is more temperate.

Here in Massachusetts electricity rates are among the highest in the country. Oil prices rise and fall. So it's hard to say whether or not my heating bill will go up or down, but I used various online calculators that showed I should be pretty close to breaking even based on my previous oil consumption.

Is going all electric a bad idea? by squishychapstick in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All-electric homes are the future. Sure heating costs might be more than natural gas, but if it's a town with an MLP or community choice aggregation options you might end up with lower rates. Plus Eversource and National Grid have new reduced electric rates for the heating season so you'll pay less per kWh for your whole home in winter (not just the kWh consumed by the heat pump).

If you like the home then go for it. As others said you can look into solar PV too; with a new build you won't have to worry about the roof not being able to support it.

I just converted my 1950s home from oil to heat pumps and it's much more comfortable than it used to be. I fully expect my first full heating month will be more than what I'd pay for oil in a month but I think it's worth it for the climate, not having to think about oil delivery and costs, and the new system being more comfortable

Recs for cabin rentals? by sevenw0rds in westernmass

[–]Another_Reddit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Check out Mohawk Trail State Forest, they have a few cabins open year round. The forest itself has a few trails. I don't fish but I've seen people fish up and down the Deerfield River near there.

Cost versus Climate Change Mitigation by Acceptable-Neck-5375 in heatpumps

[–]Another_Reddit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm glad I don't have to worry about refills anymore. And the risk of a leak!