XOOM Energy Service City Spotlight: Boston, MA

XOOM Energy has some amazing cities in our service areas that are committed to energy efficiency.  Boston is a shining example of a leading city for energy saving programs.  Boston has been named the most Energy-Efficient city in the US in 2018 according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.  The 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard also named Massachusetts as the most Energy-Efficient State in 2018.

‘Massachusetts retained its hold on first place while capping off a busy year. Policymakers launched statewide energy efficiency planning efforts to set new three-year savings targets. The state’s Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan also incorporates a fuel-neutral savings target. This reflects a growing trend among northeastern states to take a holistic approach to energy savings, including not only electricity and natural gas but also nonutility heating fuels. In addition, the state’s Department of Public Utilities issued an order in May approving $220 million in utility investment in grid-side modernization technologies over the next three years to improve efficiency and reliability and to pave the way for smart meter deployment. The state’s General Court also passed legislation that authorizes “strategic electrification” and carbon-reducing use of renewable energy through efficiency programs. The new law revitalizes progress toward statewide goals to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80% by 2050 per the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008.’- ACEEE (aceee.org)

How do they do it?  Here are a few of the national trend setting programs the City of Boston offers.

Renew Boston

The reason for Renew Boston's rapid success is simple. The program provides low and no-cost energy efficiency upgrades to all residents and small businesses. Energy efficiency upgrades reduce residents' utility bills and improve comfort in their homes. These upgrades save our residents money and keep them safe in both cold spells and heat waves.

Improving energy efficiency also helps the city achieve its ambitious environmental goals. The City of Boston has consistently led national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Renew Boston is important to meeting the City's goals and keeping Boston neighborhoods clean. 

Since 2009, the goals of Renew Boston have remained clear:

• help Boston residents, businesses, and institutions save money and energy

• reduce Boston’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020, and 80% by 2050

• create local and green jobs, and

• increase renewable adoption energy in Boston.

LED Street Lights

The LED streetlight program won the Leading by Example Award from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources in 2011. Starting in the fall of 2010, the City began converting streetlights to LED technology. 

The City of Boston says ‘LED lights create a better and brighter experience for residents’:

• LED lights have a life expectancy of 15 years, meaning less outages. They also last three times longer than traditional light sources.

• The true white-light quality of the bulbs allows you to see colors more clearly.

• LED lights aim better. Less light from the street comes into homes and businesses.

• Better, more consistent light means fewer dark spots. We can also guide LED lights to spread more evenly.

• By using LED lights, we drop our energy use and carbon emissions by 60 percent.

Wind Energy

Boston is one of the windiest cities in the nation.  The City of Boston promotes the use of wind turbines whenever possible.  Here are several of the projects they have underway:

• Wind Energy Zoning

  • The Boston Redevelopment Authority created new zoning laws for wind turbines. These new regulations make installing wind turbines easier and faster, as well as protect natural and historic resources.

  • Wind Turbine Projects

    • The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is working on several wind projects around Boston. They recently installed a 1.5 Megawatt turbine in Charlestown, and two 600 Kilowatt turbines on Deer Island. The turbines generate more than 5 million Kilowatt hours and save roughly $600,000 each year.

      • In 2008, the Massachusetts Port Authority installed 20 wind turbines on the roof of Logan Airport’s offices. The 12-foot tall turbines use energy from the steady winds along the waterfront.

• New Wind Blade Testing Facility

  • The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is a massive wind blade testing facility in Charlestown. This facility plays an important role in the wind energy industry, and helps:

-speed up research and development

-create next generation wind blades, and

-attract companies to design, build, and test new blades in the United States.

These are just a few ways that Boston, a XOOM Energy Service City, is committed to energy-efficiency.

These are just a few ways that Boston, a XOOM Energy Service City, is committed to energy-efficiency.

 For more information on the programs visit boston.gov/eeos or greenovateboston.org