The Healey Administration has awarded $27 million toward making some of the state’s affordable housing developments more energy efficient.
Ten grants made to seven organizations under the Affordable Housing Deep Energy Retrofit Grant Program were announced by Governor Maura Healey this week at The Village at Brookline, a more than 300 unit affordable housing development in the heart of the pricey Boston suburb.
The money will go toward “deep energy retrofits and energy efficiency upgrades, building system electrification, and onsite renewable energy generation” at developments in Allston, Boston, Easthampton, Greenfield, Northampton, Salem, and Worcester, according to the governor’s office.
“Every day, I hear from residents who are struggling with the high costs of energy and housing. This grant program will lower monthly energy bills and maintain affordable housing for families across Massachusetts,” Healey said. “Electrifying our buildings presents an important opportunity to drive down energy costs for our residents. We will continue to pursue smart, cost-effective strategies that make our state more affordable, while keeping us on the cutting edge of climate innovation.”
The grant awards, administered by the The Department of Energy Resources, are just the first in a planned series of awards in a $50 million program the governor announced earlier this year.
The mass of the money, $25 million, comes from Alternative Compliance Payments made to DOER by power companies in lieu of their purchasing state mandated renewable energy certificates.
A further $18.5 million will come from the Mass Department of Environmental Protection’s Climate Protection and Mitigation Expendable Trust, created in 2018. The Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan Act will fund the remaining $6.5 million.
According to the governor’s office, “decarbonization” of the state’s existing housing stock is a “critical component of the Commonwealth’s strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.”
The announcement comes just as the Bureau of Labor Statistics released energy data for Massachusetts showing residents in and around Boston pay far more for electrical costs than the average U.S. rate payers. According to BLS, “Boston area prices for electricity per kWh were 66.9% above the national average.”
Review of the second round of Affordable Housing Deep Energy Retrofit Grant Program applications should begin in January, according to Healey’s office.