I actually used the efficiency specs for our heat pump to calculate cost to operate at various temperatures and was surprised to find that operating our heat pump is actually less expensive than running our pellet stove.

Actual use correlated well with the calculated savings to use the heat pump too.

I’ll switch over to the pellet stove only once temps fall to below 20F. It’s nice because where I’d buy and burn 3 tons of pellets in a winter, now I only go through a ton. Newer heat pumps are even more efficient than my system and can show saving even in subzero temperatures.

First one was stolen from Ozzy Osbourne!

How do you not qualify for Mass Save if you are a National Grid electrical service customer? You are paying into the program. It is the "Energy Efficiency Chg" under the delivery services portion of your bill. If you see that charge, then you should qualify for the Mass Save program and services.

[deleted]

I moved out of MA. That's how I fixed this problem.

Couldn’t agree more. Weymouth desperately needs something

Currently raining in Boston. Climate change blows.

I could never come up with some of these, and I’m 26

[deleted]

They launched an outreach toolkit a couple days ago that indicates they will be doing significant outreach to communicate this information, including door to door outreach, noticing, posters, flyers, emails, etc: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/masshealth-eligibility-redetermination-outreach-toolkit

Keep in mind that MassHealth did not know that the end date for continuous COVID eligibility would be April 1st until a couple weeks ago. This is because that date is not their decision, it is a federal government decision, and the feds have not been clear at all with states on when this COVID eligibility period would end. It was completely up in the air until the feds made the announcement a couple weeks ago, so that's a big part of the reason why communications haven't gone out yet.

There's a couple ways answer your question. First, look up the definition of median versus an average that explains why I used median for rent.

The advice given to us by the same people that suppress wages and use financial engineering to increase in the quality tell us to spend no more than one third of our gross income on housing. Since housing costs are out of our control, it should be what determines the minimum wage.

what did I miss? :-)

Okay, here we go. I grew up in Leominster and I now live in Fitchburg. I’ve lived in other places, but I’m very, very intimate with this area.

The most important and pressing factor for you is housing. It’s virtually impossible to find a 2-bedroom for $1,200. If you did happen to stumble across something on Craigslist or whatever, it’s extremely likely that it’s a shit hole the landlord gave up on maintaining. Do not cut corners on housing. A lot of buildings in Fitchburg aren’t taken care of; they’re left to ruin and infestations. You could feasibly find a rare 1-bedroom or studio, however. Some of the complexes in Fitchburg and Leominster are all right. But just know that the rent is high everywhere now. Fitchburg used to be Leominster’s more affordable cousin; not so much anymore. Rents are nearly identical. I’m talking $1,800-$2,000 for a 3-bedroom. 2-beds would be $1,400+

I’m sure everyone will be telling you how expensive Unitil is for utilities. That’s true, but our city just created a new aggregate program which will save us money.

Anyway, you’ll have to either settle for a smaller apartment or look around in Gardner/Athol. They’re still a bit cheaper out there, but then you’re basically in the sticks.

For nightlife, like you said, you have Worcester. Leominster has a lot of new restaurants downtown and around the city. Fitchburg still has virtually nothing aside from a couple joints downtown (Boulder, Tryst, that Jamaican food place…). I guess Singapore has a new owner as well. But yeah, don’t kid yourself, there really aren’t many fun times in the Burg. It’s a bedroom town, just a place to sleep and watch TV. You got Dunkin and a few fast food places, Carol’s, Dutch Kitchen, and a movie theater that sucks. Leominster has a better one and WAY more food and shopping options. Basically everything you need is in Leominster and down toward Worcester. No true nightlife outside of Worcester/Boston.

If you’re into Cannabis, we have 6 or 7 dispensaries. That’s the best thing going for us right now. Cheap groceries as well with 2 Market Baskets.

In terms of crime, eh. The crime rate in Fitchburg is nearly identical to that of Leominster. You’ll hear of shootings often, but they’re never random or directed at random civilians. It’s always gang/drug/prostitution related. The thing about the Burg is that it’s still very trashy. Almost every neighborhood that’s downtown adjacent is trashy. Smelly, dirty, abandoned homes and buildings, prostitutes, people asking you for money… just your normal city stuff. But it seems more prominent because that’s all you get there. It’s not like a big city where you get a good mix of trashy and gentrified, or homeless people mixed in with people in suits and golfing shorts. It’s a fairly deserted downtown. The people hanging out on the streets are into drugs, homeless, etc. but understand that you’re not moving to Gary, Indiana or south side L.A. Fitchburg is a small city and the bad areas are very small. All you have to do is drive up the street a mile or two and you’re back into regular middle class suburbia. It’s not that bad. I’ve never had an issue here. It’s very quiet with lots of single family homes, triple deckers… it’s one of the original working class towns of MA. And you know how they all end up, high and dry, once all the factories close down. But some of the old mills are now luxury apartments. Fitchburg is certainly better than it was, and it will either stagnate or get better. It definitely won’t get worse. The new luxury apartments will only attract people with money.

There’s also a lot of history, if you’re into that. This is MA after all. There’s history everywhere.

There’s a lot of hiking. Fitchburg is surrounded by rural farmlands and hills. Actually, most of Fitchburg is completely rural. The “city” part is not huge. You’re in, then you’re out.

In conclusion, if being very close to an exciting area isn’t important to you, then Fitchburg is just fine. 41,000 people call it home, and we get up and go to work and come home to make dinner. It’s a humdrum life.

Oh, and you should also know that the Burg is extremely hilly and the roads are absolutely horrendous.

In conclusion, the biggest problem for you is rent. You could find something by word of mouth. But just looking online you’ll never find what you’re looking for. Unless you lower your standards or go further out west. Anything Worcester-central and east is too expensive. But you could find something south of Worcester or west down the route 2 corridor. Then you’d have a lot of driving in your future. There’s a complex in Westminster that has 2-beds for $1,200 unless they raised the rents. But yeah, your best bet would be checking out all the complexes in the area. Most landlords who own a triple decker or two-family house just follow the trend of asking for the highest price possible, because they can.

Wow!

Plower ranger takes my vote for the best, but I’m happy with Malden’s snow Big Deal too :)

>$1200 or less for 2br

This is most likely not happening.

I know Leyden Street Coffee is the best coffee I've had in the state

Mirasols is working on a Fairhaven location and they have a seasonal spot on the pier in New Bedford.

Install a pellet stove or wood stove and shut down the heat pumps. It will heat your whole living area. You can install a PS in an existing fireplace or through a wall. I save thousands. Live in the North and between less sun and trees, solar does not do the job. My pellet stove cost $900. 7 years ago.

Plower Ranger is fantastic, but I'm not gonna lie: it's impressive that Led Zeppelin is still inspiring 6th graders!

[deleted]

Downtown Walpole has a bunch of decent pizza places, restaurants, and sandwich shops, but no dedicated coffee shop in the downtown area (I guess Farmer in the Dell has coffee, but it doesn’t have the same cafe vibe and their hours are a little strange). My family would frequent if there was one in downtown Walpole, and there have been a few large apartment buildings that opened downtown in recent years. The old waterworks flatiron building would be perfect. It’s got a lot of character, big glass windows on the pointy end of the flatiron, good exposure to Main Street… unfortunately there is a man interior decorators office there now, otherwise I’d open my own coffee shop there haha!

Southeast MA here...I'm so jealous. I want some snow!

Oh good! Good luck :)

Yes, there’s no decent coffee at the Hingham shipyard. There’s a Dunkin nearby but it’s hard to get in and out of and not in the heart of where people are. Lots of apartments and condos full of people, tons of people walking all around with dogs/ babies/ kids, and the ferry terminal is right there with commuters coming by every weekday in droves! They just voted to build the new public safety building for the town there too so police/ fire/ EMS will be based over there soon.

That has to be for a single room. That’s way too cheap for Dorchester.