Massachusetts Clean Heating and Cooling (CH&C) Calculator

The CH&C calculator results include available state-wide incentives. The annual cost savings reflect the difference between the annual fuel baseline and CH&C energy costs. Cost savings are presented as a value and as a percent. Note that a negative value means that the user will not realize any savings by switching to a CH&C technology.

The annual emissions savings reflect the difference between the current system’s greenhouse gas emissions and the emissions associated (if any) with the CH&C technology.

Simple payback reflects the capital cost of the new CH&C equipment divided by the annual fuel cost savings over time. Note that some CH&C projects can be financed so that there is no initial investment required and thus the payments are smaller than the value of the energy savings. A project financed under these conditions will begin recuperating pay back immediately.

The calculator includes federal and state incentives. The federal incentive—the Investment Tax Credit (ITC)—is a 26% tax credit (2021 & 2022) for solar hot water, ground source heat pumps, and automated wood heat/wood pellet boilers. The ITC for solar hot water and GSHPs decreases to 22% in 2023 and runs through 2026. The wood pellet boiler ITC is a three-year tax credit (2021-2023). (Read more here.)

This calculator includes MassSave incentives. Technology-specific incentive details are available at the links below:

• ASHP ductless
• ASHP ducted
• GSHP
• Automated wood heat/pellet boiler
• HPWH
• Solar hot water

The tool provides a downloadable summary report. Save this report for your records and then play around with the variables in the tool. How do the savings change if you increase the efficiency (i.e. weatherization improvements) of your home or if the price of fuel increases?

• The tool is designed to give users an initial estimate of the potential cost savings and greenhouse gas emission savings of installing a Clean Heating and Cooling (CH&C) system. Actual savings will be determined by the design of the specific system, features of the specific home, residents’ energy use, and other variables.
• We do not guarantee that the savings projected by the tool will be achieved by a specific CH&C installation.
• Users should not rely on this tool alone when making purchase decisions.

This calculator is designed to be informational and educational only, and when used alone, does not constitute technical advice. We strongly recommend that you seek the advice of a professional before making any type of purchase decision. This model is provided as an initial estimate of potential cost and greenhouse gas emissions savings. The results presented by this calculator are hypothetical and may not reflect the actual savings and costs of your own specific situation, which may vary due to a variety of inputs such as building square footage and configuration, current heat load and system size, current heating system, location, climate zone, and incentives. The Clean Energy States Alliance, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and their affiliates are not responsible for the consequences of any decisions or actions taken in reliance upon or because of the information provided by these tools. THE CALCULATOR IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT ANY EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. YOUR USE OF THE CALCULATOR IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.