Shopping Spree Savings: Your Guide to Mass Save Deals

While many of us enjoy shopping for fun – whether it be for a new iPad, our favorite athlete’s jersey, or a family vacation – sometimes shopping for new lighting and appliances can feel less glamorous. Between the numerous styles and sizes of products to choose from, combined with potentially high price tags, it’s easy to grow confused about which bulb, fixture, or appliance is best for your home. Fortunately, the electric sponsors of Mass Save^® - Cape Light Compact, Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil – are here to help!

Thanks to these sponsors, the Mass Save program offers in-store deals, online promotions, and year-long rebates – plus educational guides and events – to simplify the process of upgrading to more energy-efficient lighting and appliances. But just how do these offers work? To answer that, let’s tackle five of the more frequent questions we are hearing from customers.

1. I’ve seen limited-time online promotions for energy-efficient lighting and products throughout the year. What items are offered during these sales?
   

   The sponsors of Mass Save host several online sales each year through which residential electric customers can purchase discounted appliances and energy-saving lighting. During these sales, customers can conveniently buy featured items through an online promotion webpage. This year’s sales include deals on room air cleaners, dehumidifiers, room air conditioners, and advanced power strips, along with a variety of LED bulbs that range in style, wattage, and light appearance. The best way to keep up-to-date on when these promotions take place is to follow Mass Save on Facebook.

2. How are the sponsors able to provide these discounts during Mass Save promotions?
   

   For sales on energy-saving appliances, like room air cleaners and dehumidifiers, the sponsors work closely with manufacturers to find high-quality, ENERGY STAR^® certified units to feature during promotions. The sponsors then offer instant rebates - $30 on dehumidifiers and $40 on room air cleaners and room air conditioners – to offer customers a competitive price. This means that customers not only save on the cost of the appliance, but they also do not have to take the extra step of submitting – and waiting for – a rebate. Although these rebates are available year-round, many customers enjoy the convenience of the instant rebate during these promotions. For lighting sales, the sponsors similarly work with manufacturers to find long-lasting, energy-saving LED bulbs to highlight during limited-time offers and provide instant discounts to bring price below retail value.

   The funds for these discounts and instant rebates come from a small fee, which appears in customers’ electric bills. These funds ultimately help customers save by providing convenient access to energy-saving products. On a broader scale, improving the energy efficiency of homes helps prevent higher electricity costs by moderating energy demand, which, in turn, provides long-term savings. You can learn more about these funds and the benefits they provide by checking out this blog post.

3. Why am I seeing lower prices in local stores for the same ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs offered during promotions?
   

   Prices for LED bulb packs depend on several factors, including the bulb manufacturer, the wattage and type (e.g. PAR38 vs. A-line, 100W-equivalent vs. 60W-equivalent, etc.), suitability for outdoor use, potential to be dimmed, and design (e.g. filament-style vs. traditional). In addition, only LEDs that are ENERGY STAR certified are guaranteed to offer the best performance and energy-savings, which means these bulb packs may have higher prices. The sponsors always work to ensure that sales feature high-quality, ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs that will meet customers’ lighting needs.

   However, if you’ve found great in-store deals on bulbs that are very similar to those featured during a sale, the sponsors are likely responsible for those prices, too. The sponsors work closely with retailers and manufacturers to lower the price tag customers face for a variety of ENERGY STAR certified LED bulbs. So next time you’re bulb shopping, be on the lookout for “Special Pricing” stickers that feature Cape Light Compact, Eversource, National Grid, or Unitil – that’s a surefire way to know that you’re getting a bargain, courtesy of the Mass Save sponsors.

4. Why don’t I have the option of two-day shipping when I make an online purchase through a limited-time Mass Save promotion?
   

   Next-day or two-day shipping is not available because purchases made through Mass Save promotions need to be verified to ensure each participant has an up-to-date residential electric account with a participating sponsor. These promotions are exclusive to the customers of Mass Save sponsors because it is these customers who fund the program by paying an energy efficiency fee in each month’s utility bill. To ensure fairness, it’s important that only individuals that help fund the program ultimately get a piece of the pie.

   Additionally, sponsors apply product rebates directly to purchases made during promotions, saving customers trouble on the back end by avoiding the need to apply for rebates and instead providing the cost savings up-front. Processing those rebates, however, adds to the length of time between when a customer places and receives an order, and, in turn, inhibits the ability to provide priority shipping.

5. If I purchase a qualifying appliance online but not through a Mass Save promotion, am I eligible for a rebate?
   

   The short answer is – yes! If you independently purchase a qualifying, ENERGY STAR certified appliance online – such as a dehumidifier, room air cleaner, room air conditioner, or dryer – you may be eligible for a rebate. If you have proof of purchase, it doesn’t matter whether you purchase the item at a local retailer or through an online site, such as Amazon. You may be eligible for a $30 rebate on dehumidifiers, $40 rebate on room air conditioners, $40 rebate on room air cleaners, or $50 rebate on electric clothes dryers.

   With much of 2018 still yet to come, there is an abundance of upcoming in-store and online deals to take advantage of. If you have questions about these special offers that we didn’t answer above, please reach out to us – we are always all ears! For quick replies, send us a message on Facebook, tweet at us, or direct message us on Instagram. We’re here to help you improve your home’s comfort and energy efficiency, providing you with savings along the way!