Mayor Wu to Announce Partnership With Local Utility Companies to Reduce Energy Costs for Residents

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 - This evening, Mayor Michelle Wu will announce the launch of the Boston Energy Saver program at her State of the City Address. The new initiative, a partnership with Eversource, National Grid, and non-profit partners will help Boston residents and small businesses access Mass Save® financial incentives and credits to upgrade their homes and energy systems and lower energy costs. Through the program, the City will help renters, homeowners, and business owners decide on the best investments to make in their homes and access the financial supports available to pay for them, reducing their energy bills and improving building performance.

A formal Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Boston, Eversource and National Grid, signed March 17, 2025, sets the shared goals of installing at least 5,000 heat pumps and weatherizing 10,000 buildings from 2025-2027. This partnership constitutes a new level of collaboration and resource commitment from the City and energy utilities to maximize Boston residents’ and business owners’ use of Mass Save services and incentives. The City and its partners estimate that $150 million of investments and incentives will be mobilized to meet this goal, generating an estimated $300 million in benefits for Boston residents over the three year period. The partnership will intentionally focus on buildings that are heated by electric resistance and oil, which are the most expensive and inefficient heating sources. 

“For too many Boston residents and small businesses, high energy costs are a burden that impacts their ability to afford other basic needs,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Through this partnership with Eversource and National Grid, we are making it easier for families, small businesses, and nonprofits to cut energy costs, reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, and build a more affordable and resilient future.”

This partnership between the City of Boston, Eversource, and National Grid represents one of the most ambitious utility-municipality collaborations in the country. As the two Mass Save sponsors serving Boston, Eversource and National Grid are uniquely positioned to align their energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts with the City’s broader climate strategy. The program will reduce energy cost burdens by helping low- and moderate-income households lower their energy bills through efficiency upgrades, improve affordability for small businesses and nonprofits by making energy solutions more accessible, and ensure a just transition by prioritizing communities historically burdened by high energy costs and environmental inequities.

"Energy affordability is a key driver of our climate strategy," said Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer. "This program ensures that the benefits of energy efficiency—lower bills, healthier homes, and reduced carbon emissions—are accessible to the people who need them most. By working hand in hand with our utility partners, we are making Boston a leader in equitable, community-driven climate action.”

“This is exactly what a strong public-private partnership looks like—leveraging Boston’s leadership and community networks to maximize state and utility incentives for the people who need them most,” said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Boston’s Green New Deal Director and Environment Commissioner. “By working closely with Eversource and National Grid, we’re ensuring that residents, small businesses, and nonprofits can access critical funding for energy upgrades, cutting costs while accelerating our transition to a cleaner, more resilient city.”

A key component of the City’s contribution to this partnership will be the Boston’s Environment Department’s fall 2025 launch of the Boston Energy Saver program, a one-stop access point for Boston residents and small businesses to reduce their energy costs and fossil fuel use. Open to all buildings, the program will focus on small residential buildings with fewer than 15 units and commercial and nonprofit spaces under 20,000 square feet. Buildings of this size have historically faced barriers to accessing energy efficiency programs and incentives. By utilizing existing City outreach and engagement programs to include Mass Save offerings, the Boston Energy Saver will streamline access to incentives, information on financing options, and energy efficiency solutions such as weatherization, appliance upgrades, and building retrofits. This will ensure that property owners, tenants, and small business owners can access financial incentives and technical support. It will also prioritize outreach to historically underserved communities, including renters, multilingual households, and small businesses in environmental justice neighborhoods.

In addition to the Boston Energy Saver program, the partnership with Eversource and National Grid will be supported by the City of Boston’s complementary programs, such as the Boston Home Center’s HomeWorks Green initiative, which provides no-interest loans to income-eligible owners of single-family and small multi-family homes to complete green repair projects. This partnership will also support the Boston Housing Authority’s commitment to helping deliver Mass Save incentives to residents in voucher programs. Together, these initiatives create a comprehensive framework for cutting emissions while making energy efficiency more affordable and accessible.

“This partnership is about combining the City’s deep community connections and resources with our expertise, programs, and proven track record delivering energy efficiency solutions,” said Tilak Subrahmanian, Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility. “We’re tackling complex challenges together – addressing historically underserved communities and buildings that have traditionally been difficult to reach. Together, we’re achieving something unprecedented at this scale, demonstrating that when utilities and municipalities align their strengths, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.”

“We understand that energy costs are a challenge for families and businesses across the Commonwealth and we look forward to working together to address affordability,” said Bill Malee, Chief Customer Officer, National Grid.

Buildings account for approximately 70% of Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing energy use in smaller buildings is critical to achieving the City’s carbon neutrality by 2050 goal. The Boston Energy Saver program aligns with Boston’s broader decarbonization strategy by integrating with other key climate initiatives, including Net Zero Carbon Zoning, which ensures new major developments are net zero operationally from the day they open, the Stretch Code, which drives higher efficiency performance in new construction, and the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance, which requires existing large buildings in Boston to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. 

“The Boston Energy Saver program is a game-changer for making energy efficiency more accessible to the residents and small businesses that need it most,” said Hessann Farooqi, Executive Director of Boston Climate Action Network (BCAN). “As trusted neighbors, BCAN and our allies are excited to support our residents in using energy efficiency programs. High energy costs and outdated building systems have long been a burden on our communities. This initiative will help cut energy waste, lower bills, and move Boston closer to a cleaner, more affordable future for all.”

The Boston Energy Saver program will launch later this year, providing critical support to Bostonians navigating rising energy costs and ensuring that small property owners and tenants can access the benefits of clean energy. Aligning with the Massachusetts 2025-2027 Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Plan, the initiative sets a new standard for public-private collaboration, demonstrating how cities can work with energy providers to drive both economic relief and climate progress.