Garry Miller's house used to leak air like it had four windows cracked open. After a free Mass Save energy assessment and follow-up work, a pressure test showed 1,000 fewer cubic feet per minute escaping through walls and gaps. His bill after rebates: just $400.

A real result, not just a sales pitch.

Miller, a Green Newton board member, shared his results in a post on the nonprofit's website Thursday, as Green Newton's student-run Saving Energy Team enters its final stretch trying to recruit Newton homeowners before a September deadline. "The second pressure test came back 1,000 cfm lower than the first, which is the equivalent of closing four open windows!" Miller said. "And thanks to Mass Save, my out of pocket cost was just $400."

What the students are trying to pull off.

The seven high schoolers behind SET have set a goal: sign up 120 Newton households for no-cost Mass Save home energy assessments by September. A state expert inspects insulation and air sealing, then connects homeowners to rebates covering 75% of approved insulation work — or 100% for income-qualified households — with air sealing itself done free of charge. The students trained for the job by watching a real assessment happen at Miller's own home before fanning out across the city, as previously reported. After that visit, a contractor came back to add insulation, seal leaks and install weatherstripping, with before-and-after pressure tests documenting the improvement.

What's in it for you.

Any Newton homeowner who hasn't had a Mass Save assessment in the past two years qualifies. Schedule one through the SET students before the September deadline, and you're entered into a raffle for one of six $50 gift cards to Johnny's Luncheonette or Cabot's Ice Cream. Book at masssave.com/community-first/newton, with questions going to Green Newton's energy advocate at [email protected].