SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1397        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Cynthia Stone Creem

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to Mass Save assessments.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1397        FILED ON: 1/16/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2103 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act relative to Mass Save assessments.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 21 of chapter 25 of the General Laws, as amended by chapter 179 of the Acts of 2022, is hereby amended, in clause (xiv) of paragraph (2) of subsection (b) by striking out “, delineated by utility and sector, including residential, residential low-income, commercial and industrial” and inserting in place thereof the following:-

“; provided, that the data collected pursuant to subclauses (A), (B), and (C) shall be delineated by utility and sector, including residential, residential low-income, commercial and industrial, and zip code”

SECTION 2. Said section 21 of said chapter 25 is hereby further amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-

“(g) The administrators of the programs established pursuant to section 19 of this chapter shall: (i) offer to a customer at no cost a zero-carbon assessment of such customer’s building, including a heat load calculation, that identifies measures that a customer must take to heat or cool such building and serve other building energy needs without the use of combustible fuels; and (ii) identify rebates and incentives available under such programs to assist a customer in implementing measures identified by such assessment. Measures identified in a zero-carbon assessment may include, but shall not be limited to, improving building shell insulation; air sealing; air duct sealing; improving air exchange and indoor air quality; upgrading windows, doors, and cladding systems; electric wiring and service upgrades; on-site solar generation; electrical or thermal storage; electric peak load management equipment and software; and replacing fossil fuel appliances and equipment with electric or otherwise non-combusting appliances and equipment. A zero-carbon assessment shall include a safety evaluation, including a combustion safety test of existing fossil fuel appliances, an instrumented test for ambient gas including for ambient gas from gas leaks at the meter, and a test of existing carbon monoxide alarms. A customer whose building has undergone such a zero-carbon assessment shall be provided with a zero-carbon report that identifies for each measure that reduces emissions any additional benefits including, but not limited to: (i) improvements in comfort, safety, and health, including indoor air quality; (ii) cost savings; and (iii) any other information the program administrators determine necessary to include. The Massachusetts energy technology center shall develop the zero-carbon assessment and the zero-carbon report in consultation with the program administrators and the energy efficiency advisory council. The commonwealth shall retain rights to the use of the zero-carbon assessment, the zero-carbon report, and any associated data and software for use by Mass Save or any successor organization. The zero-carbon assessment shall be the standard assessment service available to all customers receiving services provided pursuant to this section.

(h) The electric distribution companies, municipal aggregators with certified efficiency plans, and the natural gas distribution companies shall no later than March 31 of each year provide to the department the data that is collected pursuant to clause (xiv) of paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of this section during the previous calendar year. The department shall publish such data on the website of the energy efficiency advisory council no later than April 30 of each year.

(i) The program administrators shall establish criteria to determine qualifications of contractors approved to implement recommendations of zero-carbon assessments and reports, including mitigation and remediation of barriers identified in such zero-carbon assessments and reports. Contractors approved to implement such recommendations shall agree to: (i) meet program and industry standards; (ii) warrant their work for at least 12 months after completion; (iii) undergo quality assurance assessments; and (iv) require their employees and subcontractors to participate in periodic training programs and to adhere to program goals and standards as determined by the program administrators. The program administrators shall, whenever feasible, procure cost savings for customers through purchases in bulk of appliances and other equipment necessary for implementing zero-caron assessments and reports. The program administrators shall provide technical assistance to businesses seeking approval under this section that are women-owned or minority-owned, or that are located in low-income communities or primarily serve low-income customers.

(j) The program administrators shall develop: (i) consulting programs to advise building owners undertaking projects to replace fossil fuel appliances and equipment with electric or otherwise non-combusting appliances or to upgrade and retrofit buildings as recommended in a zero-carbon assessment and report; and (ii) training programs for participating staff, contractors, and volunteers that cover program procedures, costs and benefits of electrification of buildings, and incentives available for electrification of buildings.

SECTION 3. Section 2 shall take effect upon its passage and shall apply to energy efficiency plans beginning with the plan that covers the years 2025 to 2027.