Boston – The City of Boston, recently named a top U.S. city for energy efficiency, and Eversource announced the launch of the Boston Building Energy Retrofit Hub, a new online resource that connects Boston building owners, facility managers, and tenants of large- and medium-sized buildings that are over 35,000sf or 35 units to Eversource’s energy efficiency services, incentives, and technical support to complete energy-saving projects.
Buildings account for more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, and the partnership is the latest initiative in Boston’s goal to reduce emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050.
“The Boston Building Energy Retrofit Hub is an important resource as we strive to achieve carbon neutrality and mitigate the effects of climate change to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for the city of Boston,” said the City of Boston chief of environment, energy, and open space, Chris Cook. “Hands-on support and access to the latest information, trends, and specialized building technologies can be a catalyst for change. The resources and energy expertise offered through the partnership with Eversource is designed to drive greater awareness of the benefits of energy efficiency and more participation in these nationally-recognized programs.”
“The city of Boston is a top performer in energy efficiency because building owners, operators and tenants are actively collaborating and implementing new solutions to reduce energy use and cut carbon emissions,” said Eversource VP of energy efficiency, Tilak Subrahmanian. “The hub is a strong example of how we’re working with customers to share expertise and streamline access to incentives and programs that make energy efficiency projects achievable. We’re proud to support this collaboration and help the city and businesses achieve their energy efficiency goals.”
In 2014, Boston adopted the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to educate building owners, tenants, and other stakeholders about their energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and the tools to reduce both. It also requires owners and managers of Boston’s large- and medium-sized buildings to report their annual energy and water use. Buildings covered must also show concerted efforts to reduce their emissions every five years through energy actions or audits. Overall, BERDO helps property owners save money and reduce emissions to help the city meet its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as laid out in its Climate Action Plan.
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For more info, visit https://www.boston.gov/departments/environment/building-energy-retrofit-resource-hub.
