Massachusetts awards $26M to five affordable-housing retrofits; administration pledges $40M more

BOSTON — State energy and housing officials on Tuesday announced $26 million in grants through the Affordable Housing Decarbonization Grant Program to fund five deep-energy retrofit projects that officials said will retrofit more than 625 housing units across Massachusetts.

Commissioner Mahaney of the Department of Energy Resources opened the event and said the awards “will retrofit more than 625 housing units” and boost local jobs while improving residents’ comfort and monthly bills. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said the administration would add $40 million to the program, and Secretary Rebecca Tepper later described the program as a $90 million effort when combined with prior funding.

Why it matters: Officials said the awards pair energy efficiency and electrification measures with targeted funding for low- and moderate-income residents, a combination they described as critical to meeting the state’s climate goals while preserving affordable housing. Speakers emphasized both resident benefits — lower bills and improved indoor air quality — and the need to expand the local workforce that will carry out retrofits.

Details of the awards: DOER identified five projects and provided project-level energy-savings estimates.

- Allston-Brighton CDC (Brian J. Honan Apartments): DOER said the project will fully electrify heating and hot water, perform efficiency upgrades, and prepare the site for solar; DOER estimated more than a 60% reduction in energy use for the building. Caitlin Robillard, director of real estate development at the Allston-Brighton CDC, said the state award of $2,000,000 will be combined with a $1,500,000 city award and that the rehab “will be designed to meet passive house standards and most importantly, will eliminate the need for fossil fuels completely.” She said the project will preserve about 50 deeply affordable homes.

- Franklin Field (Boston Housing Authority, Dorchester): DOER said the retrofit will add a ground-source heat pump, replace gas stoves with induction, and is expected to reduce energy use by about 55%.

- Orchard Gardens (Madison Park Development Corporation and Trinity Financial, Roxbury): DOER said the multi-building retrofit is expected to reduce energy use by about 50%.

- Worcester Common Ground (Worcester): DOER said electrification and efficiency upgrades across four buildings are expected to achieve between a 65% and 73% reduction in energy consumption.

- Visiting Nurse Communities (Somerville): DOER said the project will fully electrify heating and hot water and pursue deep-retrofit measures that aim for roughly a 40% energy reduction.

Program totals and funding sources: Officials traced the program’s growth during remarks. DOER noted the program began with $50 million in 2023; Lieutenant Governor Driscoll announced an additional $40 million in state investment for the program during the event. Secretary Tepper described the program as a $90 million effort and said the projects funded in this round would change “about 650 units,” a slightly higher figure than the 625+ number cited by DOER. Driscoll also said the administration is part of a regional EPA award of $450 million to create a New England heat pump accelerator and said, “I believe that’s about a $100,000,000 to Massachusetts,” a figure she prefaced as an estimate.

Officials emphasized that state grants will be combined with city funds, federal grants and private partners to complete the work. Representatives and city officials noted that the three Boston projects are also receiving municipal funds.

What officials said next: Secretary Ed Augustus referenced the governor’s Affordable Homes Act, saying the proposal includes a $150 million set-aside to decarbonize roughly 43,000 units of state-owned public housing. Speakers said these resources would complement the DOER grants and help scale decarbonization across public and subsidized housing.

Voices from the community: Representative Kevin Honan, whose brother is the namesake of the Brian J. Honan Apartments, and Representative Tommy Vitolo praised the administration’s focus on preventive investment and workforce development to scale retrofits. Robillard invited officials and the public to tour the project site after completion.

Next steps: Officials encouraged other affordable-housing owners to apply for future rounds, noted ongoing Mass Save updates and building-code work intended to lower long-term costs, and said the state will continue pursuing federal funds. No vote or regulatory change occurred at the event; the announcements were funding and partnership commitments.

Quotes

“Today, we are ecstatic to be announcing, the awarding of $26,000,000 through this program to help fund 5 projects that will retrofit more than 625 housing units,” Commissioner Mahaney said.

“Today, I’m excited to announce an additional $40,000,000 that we’re investing in that program,” Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said.

“This rehab will be designed to meet passive house standards and most importantly, will eliminate the need for fossil fuels completely,” Caitlin Robillard said of the Brian J. Honan Apartments project.

Ending

Officials said the funding round and follow-on investments are intended to be part of sustained state, city and federal efforts to electrify and weatherize affordable housing; they encouraged other affordable-housing stakeholders to apply for future rounds and said site tours and ribbon-cuttings will follow project completion.