{"id":2312198,"date":"2024-06-10T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vxartnews.com\/?p=2312198"},"modified":"2024-06-07T13:47:14","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T18:47:14","slug":"massachusetts-advocates-say-proposed-statewide-energy-efficiency-plan-falls-short-on-equity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vxartnews.com\/2024\/06\/10\/massachusetts-advocates-say-proposed-statewide-energy-efficiency-plan-falls-short-on-equity\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts advocates say proposed statewide energy efficiency plan falls short on equity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Massachusetts environmental justice advocates say the $5 billion statewide energy efficiency plan that could take effect next year needs to do even more to reach low-income residents, renters, and other populations who have traditionally received fewer benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan, which will guide efficiency programming from 2025 through 2027, outlines wide-ranging initiatives that would support weatherization and heat pumps for homes and small businesses, improve the customer experience with more timely rebate processing and increased multilingual support, and expand the energy efficiency workforce. The proposed plan calls out equity as a major priority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere have certainly been some changes in this latest draft we\u2019re pleased to see, but there is definitely a lot more that needs to be done, especially in the realms of equity and affordability and justice,\u201d said Priya Gandbhir, senior attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation. \u201cThe good news is we\u2019re still working on this, so there\u2019s some time for improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Massachusetts has long been considered a leader in energy efficiency, ranking at or near the top of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy\u2019s annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard for more than 10 years. The core of the state\u2019s efficiency efforts is Mass Save, a partnership between gas and electric utilities, created in 2008, that provides education, energy audits, rebates on efficient appliances, low and no-cost weatherization services, and financing for efficiency projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mass Save programming is guided by the three-year energy efficiency plans put forth by the major utilities in collaboration with the state Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, and approved by state public utilities regulators. Over the past several years, legislation has required<\/a> that Mass Save prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions, rather than focusing only on using less energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMass Save needs to be a tool not just for energy efficiency but also for decarbonization,\u201d said Hessann Farooqi, executive director of the Boston Climate Action Network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years, there has also been an effort to ensure the benefits of Mass Save programs are distributed equitably. A 2020 study<\/a> by the utilities found that communities with lower incomes, higher proportions of residents of color, and more renters were far less likely to have used Mass Save services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following this report, the three-year plan covering 2022 to 2024 included several provisions intended to address these disparities, including a 50% higher budget for income-eligible services, financial incentives for utilities to serve lower-income households, and grants to community organizations that can help connect residents to information about Mass Save benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\nStrides toward equity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n