I was very happy to hear that Wayland Energize Wayland has partnered with Black Earth Compost to provide weekly curbside compost pickup in our town Wayland. Black Earth is the company I turned to when, in September, I had a family party at my house for approximately 70 people to celebrate my son’s marriage. To be kind to the environment, I could either rent dishes etc. or, per suggestion of a good friend, use compostable plates, cups and flatware, which I didn’t even know existed. I turned to Black Earth Compost for advice and they helped every step of the way. They provided links to places where I could buy the compostable items, arranged a special drop off of large compost bins to collect the food scraps, dinnerware, and paper napkins, it all and picked up all of it after the party. No dishes, and zero waste! I had a lot of questions and they promptly answered them all. I was so pleased that I signed up with them for this new weekly curbside pickup program. They provided a small, manageable rolling bin with compostable liner bags that keep the bin clean, and they also gave us compostable plastic liners for our countertop compost jar, all of this making it easy with no mess. This was our first week and everything was picked up promptly. I couldn’t recommend this service more highly.

Paul at Wired (www.ihiredwired.com/) reviewed all my halogen lighting and found LED replacements. He did a great job identifying LED bulbs for unusual lights. He also put in my Tesla home charger in my garage. He did a great job and is very informed.

When the U.N. made its most recent Global Warning announcement, I decided to act to significantly reduce his use of gasoline. I looked at the Honda Insight (Hybrid only) and the Chevrolet Volt, but in October bought a Honda Clarity! One of the better plug-ins available, I believe. I drive the first 40 miles each day on electricity only. This makes most of my days gas free! Hybrid mileage (for those above 40 miles/day) at 44 mpg. So far, I have driven about 1300 miles and only used 5 gallons of gas! i.e. 260 mpg!! I have purchased my electricity from a green provider. Therefore, I am driving on solar and wind for the first 40 miles/day – which, for me, is most of my daily use. With rebates ($10,000 total) and Honda discounts, this car listing at $34,450 can be purchased at a new cost of about $20,000! Same list price as the Volt, but $1000s of dollars more Dealer discount. I think it’s a bigger better car! The Bolt (all electric) is about $3000 more. It is a mid-sized car about the size of a Camry, Accord, etc. Nice styling. Great, quiet (silent) ride when on electric! I plug in at night and in 12 hours I get fully charged using standard 120 volt connection – ready for the next day. No need for 240 voltage at additional $1000 or so. Other comments: Mileage costs are favorable, but electricity is not free. Therefore my mileage costs (gas only vs electricity/gas) are favorable but muted. I believe I will be using about 600 gallons less in gas and save about $300 in the process. Advantages of a plug-in Hybrid over full electric car: Greater range, can always be filled with gasoline (at a gas station and immediately). No anxiety! Disadvantage: Much less electric only range for long distance travel – so if mileage/day is extensive the plug-in Hybrid may not be best option. Hope this helps anyone else considering!

We wanted to replace our 20-year old gas furnace with a greener option to reduce fossil fuel use without significantly increasing our heating costs. After months of research, we selected a Bryant dual fuel heat pump – gas furnace option. The electric heat pump provides heating at temperatures above 35 degrees and air conditioning. When the temperature drops below 35 degrees the gas system kicks in. This combo was a great solution to meet our goals – reducing our greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining affordable heating costs. The system is great! Our home is more comfortable with the modulating system creating a more consistent and hence comfortable temperature. The Bryant controls are super easy to use both via the digital thermostat and their app, which is very intuitive.
We selected Rodenhiser Plumbing and Heating do the work, after reviewing quotes from 4 contractors. They were helpful in explaining alternative configurations/options, as well identifying relevant rebates and submitting the paperwork. The installation crews were professional and diligent and answering our numerous questions.

I used Meacham and worked with Brian Cristman. (He is now at Mitsubishi Electric Cooling and Heating). I got the heat pump in November 2015 and I am very happy with it! My house is now fossil-fuel free!! 🙂

I actually have two sets of solar panels - one leased as part of the first Solarize Wayland initiative in 2012, and one purchased later on when my oil tank broke down and I needed more electricity to power the air-sourced electric heatpump. I got both from Astrum (which now doesn't do residential any more), and I'm loving the SREC checks (though I know they technically mean I cannot claim to be using green energy since I'm selling them...