Alder Check · Free · No account

Photograph any room. Get your Buy / Skip / Wait plan.

Upload 1–5 photos of any room. Alder reads what’s actually there and comes back with honest verdicts, verified costs and rebates, and at least one thing not to buy. Free, no account required.

One tap — take photos or pick from your library. 1–5 of any room. Free, no account required.

We tell you what NOT to buyEvery cost verified and dated — deepest in VermontPhotos with people are excluded automatically

How a Check works

STEP 1
Snap 1–5 photos

Any room, any angle. One tap opens your camera. No account, no forms.

STEP 2
Get your verdicts

Buy / Skip / Wait / Investigate — with photo evidence, verified costs, and rebates.

STEP 3
Turn Buys into products

Optional $19.99 Smart Cart: exact products, Good / Better / Best, quantities, install difficulty.

What a Check looks like

Buy

Cold-climate mini-split for the main living area

Your photos show hydronic baseboard heat and no visible heat pump. A single-zone cold-climate mini-split typically cuts winter heating cost in the room it serves and adds summer cooling.

What we saw
  • Hydronic baseboard along the exterior wall
  • No mini-split head or condenser visible
  • Open living area suited to a single zone
Typical cost: $3,500–$5,500
Efficiency Vermont: $475 per indoor head

Next step: Get two quotes from rebate-participating installers — in Vermont the rebate is paid through the contractor.

Cost basis: Vermont Heat Pump Rebate Stack 2026, verified May 2026
Wait

Refrigerator replacement

The fridge looks dated but shows no failure signs — no rust at the seals, no condensation streaks. An aging-but-working fridge usually isn’t worth replacing for efficiency alone; wait for a real symptom.

What we saw
  • Older finish and hardware, consistent with a 2000s unit
  • Door seals appear intact
  • No visible leaks or frost buildup

Next step: Re-check if you hear compressor cycling issues or see condensation inside — that changes the math.

Real output from a lake-house Check — every number carries a verified date and names the guide it came from.

The questions people ask before uploading

Is Alder Check free?

Yes. The Alder Check photo report is free and does not require an account. You upload one to five photos of any room, and Alder returns Buy, Skip, Wait, or Investigate verdicts with evidence from your photos. The optional Smart Cart upgrade, which turns Buy verdicts into specific products with confirmed specs, costs $19.99.

Do I need an account to use Alder Check?

No. Your first Alder Check report renders immediately after upload with no account and no signup form — an optional ZIP sharpens regional accuracy but is never required. An email address is only requested if you want to unlock the full set of recommendations beyond the first two, or to save your report.

How does Alder know real costs and rebates?

Every cost range and rebate figure in an Alder Check comes from a maintained regional dataset with a verification date on every line item. Coverage is deepest in Vermont today — including Efficiency Vermont rebate amounts and installed costs from local contractors — and each recommendation cites the guide its numbers come from. Where the dataset has no verified figure for your situation, the recommendation simply carries no number; Alder never invents costs.

What happens to my photos?

Photos are analyzed only to create your report. Images containing people, faces, documents, or readable screens are detected and excluded before analysis, and every exclusion is reported to you. We automatically remove location data (GPS) embedded in your photos when you upload them, and uploads may be reviewed internally for quality and safety. Photos are stored no longer than the retention window (90 days by default), and every report includes a working delete control that removes both the report and the photo files immediately.

Where your Check’s numbers come from

Heat Pump Rebate Stack 2026Weatherization & EVT RebatesRoof Replacement CostsKitchen Remodel CostsDeck CostsADU Permit Costs 2026Cost Reality Check 2026Basement Moisture ChecksSolar + Battery Stack 2026Window Film vs ReplacementAll guides →