Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) organizes free weatherization parties to teach volunteers how to lower their energy bills and carbon emissions. The work takes place in homes or nonprofits where we improve a building while teaching important skills.

The labor is free to the home-owners/tenants. They only pay for materials, unless they are low-income, in which case we raise the money for materials. All Cambridge residents are eligible to have HEET work on their homes. Just email us.

Anyone can sign up to volunteer for our events. You gain hands-on skills on how to lower energy use. According to a survey of our volunteers, 76% go on to use these skills in their own homes.

We do a thorough audit before each event to make sure we pinpoint the work that will effectively lower energy use. Our audits include a blower door test, combustion analysis, and more.

We continue to monitor the energy use of the buildings we work in to ensure we have been successful. On average we have lowered electricity use by 10% and heating by 11% (controlling for heating degree days, or how cold the winter was). All this is accomplished in just three hours of team labor.

The work we do concentrates on air-sealing (stopping drafts) and electrical and water efficiency. The majority of the work we teach can be done yourself using materials you can buy at most hardware stores.

For volunteers who want to learn more, we also offer an introduction to the more challenging work in the attic and using the blower door.

At our events, neighbors meet each other and work together, building community. They also see everyone working together on energy efficiency, demonstrating that energy efficiency is something people like us should, and do, take action on.