Think of your home as (small) profitable power plant

A lot of these [expensive] incentives are already being wound down, and the ones under control of utilities (e.g. net metering) can radically impact the ROI of things like solar installations. It'll be interesting to see how things stabilize in California over the next few years now that new residential solar doesn't make sense for almost anyone [unless they also have batteries and drive EVs, since electricity is now more expensive than running most gas-powered cars].

Additionally, why would most homeowners spend this kind of money when the vast majority of people only stay in a give house for ~7 years total? The incentives are great, but I don't see substantial changes happening unless it becomes a true no-brainer to replace fossil fuel systems and inefficient infrastructure (windows, roofs, insulation) with updated materiel. Blowing in more insulation is cheap and easy, but most Americans don't have a rainy day fund that would make replacing a furnace with heat pumps something they casually decide makes sense... or gas appliances with electric, or a new roof, etc.

Mass Save have various low or no interest loans available for improving energy efficiency and generating clean energy if you qualify for them. I used a Mass Save HEAT Loan about 10y ago to replace my old oil burning furnace with a gas furnace and paid zero interest. The new gas furnace had requirements on its efficiency.

While Mass Save sounds really generous, it's being funded by everyone in their electric bill. So in a way, you've already paid into the program. You might as well get something out by calling up a Mass Save auditor and seeing what you can get out of it.

Please read carefully: 'These suburbia homes are still pretty bad deal for the public.'

The original comment was carefully worded to avoid any statement about whether suburbia was a good or bad deal for the people who want to live there.

Similarly to how protectionism and subsidies can be a good deal for those people who benefit from them, but still be a bad deal for the public.

One man’s experience in DC (where the SRECs are crazy valuable):

Installed 10Mwh system in 2021 for ~$40k.

After federal tax credits, SREC earnings, reductions in electric bills, and payments from electric co for over production, we have $7k left to recoup in only 3 years. And that ignores savings from the gas we’re not spending on charging the PHEV.

I know it’s a luxury to have, but there’s also some pride value (clearly!). Fortunate circumstance if you’re in the right place and have the cash. I wish the investment was more broadly accessible.

Yknow, in the US, I think it was more auto industry lobbying in the 20th century that led us to the whole “stroads” situation we have.

People didn’t like having 3 lane roads right in their path to walk to the grocery store.

The municipal solution was to ensure everyone needed to drive everywhere.