Sales pitch for solar

If you’re going to take out a loan on a $600,000 house, you might as well tack on another $20,000 for solar panels, insulated pipes and energy-saving appliances, right?

The energy checkup is a 100-point scale that analyzes everything from a home’s insulation and windows to air conditioning units and what kind of light bulbs are being used. It then adds up how much the homeowner would pay to install energy-saving upgrades, and how much the upgrades would save them over time.