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

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.