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The Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (WMGLD), in cooperation with the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), offers the "Incentive Rebate Program" to encourage residential customers to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Customers interested in this program must have an energy audit conducted. Afterwards, if the customer decides to pursue any of the measures recommended in by the audit, WMGLD will pay for 25% of the costs of installation and equipment, up to $300.

Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) offers a number of appliance rebates to residential customers who purchase and install energy efficient equipment. Rebates are available for refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, room ac units, dehumidifiers and central ac units. Only Energy Star qualified equipment is eligible for this program. Residential customers must be in good standing with WMLP, purchase qualified equipment, submit necessary paperwork and follow all installation requirements in order to be eligible.

Western Massachusetts Electric (WMECO) helps commercial and industrial customers offset the additional costs of purchasing and installing energy efficient equipment. WMECO offers rebates for lighting, controls, motors, variable frequency drives, compressed air, energy management systems and general HVAC upgrades. Some rebates vary by energy savings or by the efficiency of the purchased and installed equipment. Some rebates may also be limited based upon whether applications are for small business customers, retrofits, or placed in new construction.

Western Massachusetts Electric (WMECO) and Masssave, a collaboration of Massachusetts municipalities and cooperatives, provides technical assistance and financial incentives to customers who implement energy efficiency upgrades in participating homes. Rebates are available on a variety of equipment including heat pumps, air conditioners, lighting, refrigerators, appliance recycling, pool pumps and room air cleaners. All equipment must meet program efficiency standards in order to be eligible for rebates. Contact WMECO for more information on this program or visit MassSave.com.

Massachusetts offers a corporate excise tax deduction for (1) any income -- including royalty income -- received from the sale or lease of a U.S. patent deemed beneficial for energy conservation or alternative energy development by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, and (2) any income received from the sale or lease of personal or real property or materials manufactured in Massachusetts and subject to the approved patent. The deduction is effective for up to five years from the date of issuance of the U.S.

Massachusetts offers a personal income tax deduction for any income received from the sale of a patent or royalty income from a patent deemed beneficial for energy conservation or alternative energy development. The Massachusetts commissioner of energy resources determines if a patent is eligible. This deduction is unique among incentives in that it targets patents and not simply real property.

In July 2008, Governor Patrick signed a major energy reform bill, the [http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2008/Chapter169 Green Communities Act (S.B. 2768)]. As part of that legislation, Massachusetts created the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS), which requires meeting 5% of the state's electric load with "alternative energy" by 2020 according to the following schedule:

Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) offers energy efficiency incentives to eligible commercial and industrial customers. Rebates of up to $50,000 are available to customers who wish to reduce energy consumption in qualifying facilities. Incentive amounts are based upon project size and energy savings. RMLD also offers rebates of up to $50,000 for eligible renewable energy projects at these facilities. Eligible equipment upgrades include photovoltaics, wind, co-generation, HVAC equipment, manufacturing equipment, and commercial cooking equipment.

Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) offers incentives for non-residential customers to install energy efficient lights and sensors in existing facilities. In addition to rebates for the purchase of new energy efficient lighting equipment, RMLD also provides a per-lamp rebate for removing old fixtures. Rebates are limited to $10,000 per commercial customer per year ($15,000 limit for municipal customers) and in no case may the rebate exceed 100% of the total cost.

See the program web site for more information and incentive applications.