Free energy efficiency guide for landlords

MIDDLEBORO — Making rental properties more energy efficient offers numerous financial benefits to landlords, even though they may not be the ones paying the heating bills.

Area nonprofit Sustainable Middleboro has published a free 20-page “Guide to Resilient Rentals” that outlines those benefits, as well as all the local, state, and federal financial incentives available to landlords, both now and coming in 2026.

“Many landlords we talk to would like to improve their buildings but don’t know about the financial help they can get in rebates, tax credits, grants, and some very attractive financing deals,” said Kimberly French, board president of the nonprofit. “How landlords can combine those incentives and when and how to work together with tenants can be complex. That’s why we put together this guide, with everything in one place.”

Weatherization improvements can reduce costly repairs such as frozen pipes, maintenance, and capital expenditures, as well as decrease turnover and increase property value. Numerous incentive programs can help pay for improvements and replacements that building owners may need to make anyway. Some incentives are for owner-occupied buildings, some for larger rehabs.

One program, which has weatherized seven properties in Middleboro in the past year, pays 100% of costs.

Sustainable Middleboro is a nonprofit that helps Middleboro residents — including landlords — find ways to save money and energy. The group’s Weatherization Navigator, Hayden Kane, can guide landlords and tenants to incentives and improvements that can help. He’s available at 774-419-5250 or navigator@sustainablemiddleborough.org.

"Landlords: A Guide to Resilient Rentals" is available to download or print at sustainablemiddleborough.org, or contact Kane for a print copy. The group will be publishing a companion Tenants: A Guide to Lowering Your Utility Bills in early 2026.