August, 2018 — An Act to Advance Clean Energy was signed into law Thursday, August 9. With this advance, Massachusetts becomes the first state to integrate a comprehensive set of energy efficiency goals to eliminate programmatic silos.
The new legislation provides a long-sought update to the Green Communities Act expanding Mass Save offerings to keep pace with technology evolution. Specifically, it enables customer choice among a broader range of solutions that includes renewables, storage, EV charging, and emerging technologies.
It also increases the scope of demand management, incorporating strategic electrification and establishing cost effectiveness criteria on a sector level rather than by program measure. The broader cost-effectiveness screening will ensure that programs “obtain energy savings and other benefits with value greater than the costs of the program” rather than energy savings and system benefits. It explicitly incorporates greenhouse gas reduction goals into Mass Save.
The legislation contains a few other positive provisions: among them, a Renewable Portfolio Standard ramp-up, and an increase in wind and storage opportunities. Overall, it is expected to create more jobs and economic development benefits. A planning process to implement the new energy efficiency opportunities has already begun. Please contact info@e4thefuture.org for additional information or to get involved.