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Cambridge, Mass., teams up with utility on energy retrofit program

Codes and Standards

Cambridge, Mass., teams up with utility on energy retrofit program

Buildings large than 25,000 sf targeted in initiative to further carbon neutrality goal.


By Peter Fabris, Contirbuting Editor | November 18, 2019

Courtesy Pixabay

The City of Cambridge, Mass., and electric utility Eversource have teamed up on a building energy retrofit program to spur more energy retrofits.

The program targets buildings that are more than 25,000 sf or 50 units for energy-saving improvements. The program “will proactively connect building owners and facility managers to energy efficiency services, incentives, and technical support,” according to a news release.

The initiative will further Cambridge’s Net Zero Action Plan to reduce building greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Buildings account for 80% of the city’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the news release says.

The city of 110,000 residents adopted the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance in 2014 to collect energy-related data from large commercial, institutional, and residential buildings. Combined, buildings that are subject to the ordinance are responsible for over 70% of the emissions from buildings in Cambridge, the city says.

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