In May, Airbnb began helping its hosts in Massachusetts afford climate-friendly or energy-efficient home improvements, such as insulation, rooftop solar arrays, or heat pumps.
Airbnb is partnering with Abode Energy Management to offer a $2,000 rebate on heat pump installation and $500 for weathering upgrades.
The chief aim of Airbnb is to utilize recent legislation passed in the state to make it financially feasible for homeowners to install heat pumps. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes a 30% tax credit for up to $2,000 spent on heat pumps.
50% of Massachusetts homes are heated by natural gas, while 25% rely on expensive heating oil for space heat. As well as being cheaper to operate, heat pumps emit 3 to 5 times less carbon dioxide and equivalents than the burning of heating oil.
“It’s an opportunity to expose so many guests to these kinds of improvements,” said Abode CEO Travis Estes. “It’s really exciting — it means we’re to helping to convert our society as a whole to be more electrified and decarbonized.”
To make these home improvements affordable, Abode will help Hosts access rebates of up to $10,000 to convert to air-source heat pumps and additional rebates for weatherization upgrades, depending on eligibility.
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The rebates are available through Mass Save, a collaborative of Massachusetts’ electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers working to empower residents, businesses, and communities to make energy-efficient upgrades. On top of the rebates that Hosts may be eligible for through Mass Save, Airbnb will provide additional grants of up to $2,500.
In 2022, Airbnb launched similar programs in the UK and France. Massachusetts marks the first home energy efficiency program in the US for the company. Two-thirds of hosts, says the company, use their earnings from Airbnb to make ends meet.
The partnership with Abode is all about helping these hosts get ahead of the cost curve and install energy-efficient features they would otherwise not be able to afford at any single moment in time.
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There are plenty of reasons to host on Airbnb in Massachusetts, whether that’s Cape Cod, Boston, Nantucket Island, Martha’s Vinyard, or the Berkshire Mountains. It’s nice to know that visiting these areas, and staying in an Airbnb, is a more sustainable choice than before.
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