Building Retrofits

By Mallorie Barber 

Buildings Emissions Reduction Overview

At 35%, buildings are the second largest category of emissions in Massachusetts. [1] Within this category are residential (single family and multifamily), commercial, and industrial buildings. Across all building types, the majority of emissions are driven by heating, with exclusions for some industrial buildings. From the Clear Energy & Climate Plan [CECP]:

About half of all residential households in Massachusetts use pipeline gas for space heating, just under a third use delivered petroleum products (fuel oil or propane), and about 15% use electricity for electric resistance heating and air-source or ground-source heat pumps. About three-quarters of commercial square footage in Massachusetts is heated with natural gas, with petroleum, electricity, and district steam systems comprising the remainder. [2]

To bring electrification to MA buildings, the state and local governments have taken a multi-faceted approach. Current programs can be divided into categories of New / Existing buildings and Residential / Commercial (including large multi-family) & Industrial. This article will focus on the Residential category but will also provide links to Commercial & Industrial resources. 

New Buildings  

Municipalities currently have two options to increase electrification of new buildings: Stretch Code or Specialized Opt-In Stretch Code and Fossil Free Building Demonstration Program. You can find more information on the status of these programs here.

Existing Buildings

Municipalities are taking a three-pronged approach to supporting owners and renters in retrofitting existing residential buildings, combining informational campaigns with direct coaching and cost reduction. In addition, some municipalities are considering mandatory retrofits at key transaction points, such as major renovations.

Informational Campaigns

Several municipalities have run volunteer-supposed campaigns to encourage residents to retrofit homes, either through the previous SolarizeMass program or independently. Examples of these programs include the MetroWest Solar & Clean Heat Challenge which included Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, and Natick. Other communities have coordinated residents through a MassEnergize website and campaign. Still others leverage resources from the Community First MassSave partnership, which combines an Energy Advocate program with community outreach support.

We have not yet located a “best practice” playbook for informing residents of retrofit programs – if you have a resource like this and are willing to share, please let us know!

Coaching

Each building is unique and will have different needs from envelope upgrades (insulation, windows, roof), to make the home more efficient, to the specifics of how heat pumps are installed. Home energy audits (a prerequisite for most state and municipal rebates) and individual coaching are the current tools available to resolve this need. 

Coaching programs are expanding through multiple models:

• Heat Smart will instruct individual volunteers to act as coaches within their communities on a volunteer-by-volunteer basis or through a planned municipal partnership, using their partner Abode
• Some municipalities are launching formal coaching programs, such as Arlington and Cambridge, using partners (Heat Smart and Abode). The Arlington website has a great overview of the resources that are available to residents. 
• MassCEC is offering grants for coaching programs that focus on priority populations (Environmental Justice populations, renters, and those impacted by COVID19 or pollution) called EmPower Grants. There are two application cycles with due dates of October 16, 2023 and April 2024. 

Cost Reduction

To make retrofitting affordable and attractive to property owners, municipalities can direct residents to cost reduction programs administered at the state or Municipal Light Plant level. The primary program in Massachusetts is the Mass Save program, funded through utility bills. To access these incentives and rebates, the first step is getting a home energy assessment. Mass Save is run by investor-owned utilities, or program administrators, and advised by an energy efficiency advisory council. Every three years, Mass Save develops a three year programming plan and members of the public are able to engage in this process. Right now, the program is developing its plan for 2025-2027. You can learn more about that process here.  

Recently, individual funding for building electrification & efficiency through the Inflation Reduction Act has been announced. The federal government is offering two programs that will be administered by states. Massachusetts will likely be applying later this fall to administer two pots of funding: 

• Home Efficiency Rebate Program    
• Home Electrification Rebate Program

Meanwhile, individuals are able to take advantage of federal tax incentives. Homeowners can use Rewiring America’s handy tax credit calculator to better understand their options.

Commercial, Large Multifamily, and Industrial Programs:

• Buildings disclosure ordinance -> Boston & Cambridge
• BETA Commercial Program (Project sites must be over 20,000 ft. or multifamily buildings containing 15 or more units located in Massachusetts.)
• PACE Program: Financing program: “PACE Massachusetts allows owners of commercial, industrial, and multifamily (5 or more units) properties to make energy improvements to existing facilities and finance the improvements over a long term (up to 20 years)”

Additional Resources

• Massachusetts Buildings Electrification Accelerator: https://electrifybuildings.org/ 

Table - Grants & Programs

Sources: 

[1] 2020 data, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-clean-energy-and-climate-metrics#ghg-emissions-snapshot- 
[2] https://www.mass.gov/doc/clean-energy-and-climate-plan-for-2025-and-2030/download