After Turning To I-Team, Homeowner's $3,000 Rebate Check From Mass Save Is In The Mail

BOSTON (CBS) - An Andover homeowner turned to the WBZ I-Team after he spent weeks unsuccessfully trying to get a $3,000 boiler rebate offered through the statewide energy efficiency program.

The check is now in the mail, but Steve Morrison wonders why it was so difficult to correct his problem.

"I was very angry," Morrison told the I-Team. "It felt like I was getting the runaround."

In February, Morrison decided to get a no-cost energy audit at his Andover home. It was one of the incentives offered by the Mass Save program.

Along with switching lightbulbs and adding insulation, the auditor suggested Morrison take advantage of a "early boiler replacement" program for units more than 30 years old.

Even though Morrison's aging unit was running fine, he decided to replace it, largely because of the $3,000 rebate.

"I would not have changed the boiler if those incentives were not in place," he explained.

A contractor installed a top-of-the-line unit in April. Along with a high-efficiency water heater, the homeowner spent more than $13,000 on the energy upgrades.

Morrison, an engineer, kept meticulous records and carefully reviewed the rebate paperwork several times.

But in June, Morrison received a letter from Mass Save, informing him the $3,000 rebate was not approved. Repeated efforts to remedy the situation got him nowhere.

"The system is poorly designed," Morrison said. "It's almost like it was designed for people to be able to deny responsibility. Mass Save is acting as a middleman and just seems to be dropping the ball."

The utility companies are in charge of managing the Mass Save program, which is largely funded by a surcharge on ratepayers' monthly bills.

In February, the I-Team raised questions about oversight of the program after a prominent energy efficiency contractor logged hundreds of complaints. That company, Next Step Living, abruptly closed the following month.

The I-Team also exposed the dangers of insulation projects not getting proper inspections. Massachusetts building safety officials later changed regulations to provide more protection for homeowners.

Shortly after the I-Team started asking questions, Morrison received a call from his utility company, Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, letting him know a $3,000 check would be in the mail soon.

Columbia Gas spokeswoman Sheila Doiron said the rebate was denied in error and it should have been an easy problem to fix.

The Mass Save rebates are processed by a third-party vendor, which handles roughly 50,000 transactions annually from Columbia Gas customers.

Doiron said the program's success is the responsibility of the utility companies and she encouraged customers to contact Columbia Gas directly if they are facing obstacles getting questions answered from Mass Save representatives. She called Morrison's experience "rare" but concerning.

"We need to get better at serving our customers," Doiron said. "We take this example very seriously and that's why we are going to use it as a case study and use it as a training opportunity and an improvement opportunity, so this really doesn't happen again."

Bedford homeowner William Chandnoit faced an almost identical story earlier this year. He owns a duplex and he replaced two boilers, anticipating a $3,400 rebate.

However, his request was rejected. Chandnoit, an Eversource customer, said he spent months trying to get answers.

"I was ready to drop it because it felt like I was fighting the establishment and it was adding too much stress," he said.

Shortly after he contacted the I-Team, Chandnoit received his rebate check.

Morrison expects his money to arrive in the mailbox soon. While he supports the concept of the Mass Save program, he said it is difficult for a consumer to figure out who's accountable when something goes wrong.

"This has been a happy resolution to something that I'd pretty much given up on," he said with a laugh. "It was frustration and desperation. I finally reached out to you and thank you for getting it done."

Ryan Kath can be reached at rkath@cbs.com. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.