New report highlights opportunity to transform the way Boston retrofits small buildings to achieve climate goals
Follow-up to 2022 Climate Progress Report notes systems approach could accelerate adoption of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
October 9, 2024
Boston – A new report released today by the Boston Foundation in partnership with Boston’s Green Ribbon Commission and Prime Coalition, calls on philanthropists and other partners to support the design of a new entity that would help coordinate and finance small building retrofit work to address the region’s pressing climate challenges.
The report, Powering Up Together: Challenges and Opportunities in Getting to Net Zero in Boston’s Small Buildings, takes a deep dive into one of the four “Big Lifts” highlighted in the Foundation’s 2022 Boston Climate Progress Report, and considers where philanthropy can lean in to help accelerate progress. It highlights the challenges and opportunities in retrofitting Boston’s roughly 70,000 buildings that are smaller than 20,000 square feet, at an accelerated pace to help Boston meet its 2050 net-zero targets.
“Reducing greenhouse gases and building climate resilience are vital if we are to provide for the long-term health and equity of Greater Boston,” said M. Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation. “By committing to this work on a systems level, we have the opportunity to accelerate our transformation to a more sustainable future – while simultaneously investing in technology and programs that will have its greatest benefits in neighborhoods most threatened by climate change.”
Researchers note that powering up all of Boston’s small buildings might address more than 19 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, but that adoption of solutions to do so has been slow. Using electric heat pumps as one indicator, data show that Boston has issued permits for fewer than 700 heat pumps in the last 14 years, versus more than 15,000 permits for gas-powered heat systems. Many factors come into play, including short-term electric rates, a lack of financing options, a developing need for workers and a need to invest in a power system that could better handle increasing demand for green electricity. The opportunity, however, is worth the cost, both at a systems level and for individual households.
“Addressing these challenges will take more coordination and investment at a significant scale,” said John Cleveland, Strategic Advisor to the Boston Green Ribbon Commission. “We know the investment is worth it to improve our infrastructure, and we see the benefits for individuals whose homes are better prepared to handle the environmental challenges of a warming climate.”
Beyond an investment gap estimated to be between $13.5 and $15.9 billion dollars, the report stresses the need for better coordination and cooperation between agencies, nonprofits and others working toward a common goal of greenhouse gas reductions. The report highlights several example partnerships that could serve as inspiration for Massachusetts to accelerate retrofits in high-poverty and mixed-income communities, from funding partnerships to programs that reduce costs and accelerate community adoption of lower-cost electricity.
These programs could combine with innovative funding partnerships that could reach beyond traditional climate groups to include health, financial, technology and community partners using innovative strategies to make efficient technology affordable and accessible.
“The overwhelming number of programs, vendors, permits, and financing options paradoxically becomes a hurdle to adoption, even when all agree on the end goals,” said Sarah Kearney, Executive Director at Prime Coalition. “We believe strongly that a centralized hub could serve the dual role of coordinator for users of our many existing public and private efforts while also deploying philanthropic, catalytic capital into projects themselves where existing efforts cannot go it alone.”
In its call to action, the report partners say collaboration is the most critical immediate step. “We recommend that a dedicated team be established to work collaboratively with existing organizations to design a hub that can fulfill the needs identified by this report,” it reads. Philanthropic capital could play an important role in this initial design and evaluation phase, developing a business plan for the hub itself, ensuring equitable adoption of energy efficiency solutions, and ultimately bringing together many philanthropists into a catalytic capital pool.
“There are myriad ways that philanthropic capital and dedicated leaders could help Boston get on track toward meeting its worthy climate goal,” the authors write. “There just isn’t much time to spare.”