Bill would require free zero‑carbon assessments for Mass Save customers

A bill filed in the Massachusetts House on Jan. 16, 2025, would require administrators of the Mass Save programs to offer customers a free ‘‘zero‑carbon assessment’’ of their buildings and to provide an accompanying zero‑carbon report that outlines measures to heat and cool without combustible fuels, safety checks, and available incentives. Representative Amy Mah Sangiolo (11th Middlesex) presented House Bill No. 3565 on Jan. 16, 2025; Representatives Michael D. Brady (Second Plymouth and Norfolk) and Patrick Joseph Kearney (4th Plymouth) were added as petitioners on later dates.

The measure would make the zero‑carbon assessment the standard Mass Save assessment service and specifies what the assessment must include, why it matters, and how administrators must support implementation. The bill directs program administrators to identify rebates and incentives that could help customers implement recommended measures and requires the Commonwealth to retain rights to use the assessment, report, and related data and software for Mass Save or a successor organization.

Under the bill, zero‑carbon assessments must include a heat‑load calculation and a safety evaluation that covers a combustion safety test of existing fossil‑fuel appliances, an instrumented test for ambient gas and for leaks at the gas meter, and a test of existing carbon monoxide alarms. The bill lists potential measures that may be recommended, including improved insulation and air sealing, duct sealing, window and door upgrades, electrical service upgrades, on‑site solar, electrical or thermal storage, peak‑load management equipment and software, and replacing fossil‑fuel appliances with electric or other non‑combusting alternatives. The zero‑carbon report must include at least one scenario combining efficiency measures, appliance replacement, on‑site solar, and electrical storage while taking advantage of available promotional or income‑eligible electric rates and off‑peak incentives to reduce projected energy costs.

The bill would also change data reporting requirements. It amends the data collection clause in chapter 25, section 21 to require that data collected be delineated by utility, sector (including residential, residential low‑income, commercial and industrial), and zip code. Electric distribution companies, municipal aggregators with certified efficiency plans, and natural gas distribution companies would be required to provide that data annually to the department no later than March 31 for the prior calendar year, and the department must publish the data on the energy efficiency advisory council website by April 30 each year.

To support implementation, the bill requires program administrators to establish contractor qualification criteria for installing recommended measures. Approved contractors must meet program and industry standards, warrant their work for at least 12 months, undergo quality‑assurance assessments, and require periodic training for employees and subcontractors. Administrators must award preference, where appropriate, to qualified businesses owned by women and by minorities and to businesses located in or serving environmental justice communities, and they are encouraged to procure cost savings for customers through bulk purchases of appliances and equipment when feasible.

The bill directs program administrators to develop consulting programs to advise building owners on electrification and retrofits and to develop training programs for staff, contractors, and volunteers covering program procedures, costs, and benefits of electrification. It requires annual reporting by program administrators on results achieved to the governor and to legislative clerks, and it directs the department referenced in chapter 25 to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to administer the requirements within 12 months of the bill’s effective date.

The bill specifies that Section 1 would take effect upon passage and apply to energy efficiency plans beginning with the plan covering 2025–2027. The text uses the term ‘‘the department’’ without naming a specific agency in the bill language. The bill also names the "Massachusetts energy technology center" as the entity to develop the assessment and report in consultation with program administrators and the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, using that phrase as it appears in the bill text.

No committee votes or legislative actions beyond filing are recorded in the document; the bill was presented and filed for consideration.