Department of Energy Resources outlines three-year Mass Save plan with equity focus

The Department of Energy Resources presented details of a three-year update to the Mass Save energy-efficiency program and told the Environmental Justice Council the plan is structured to prioritize equity, contractor support and multilingual outreach.

Joan B., introduced in the transcript as the director of energy efficiency at the Department of Energy Resources, described the plan as a three-year initiative with residential, multifamily and commercial streams and with targeted supports for moderate- and low-income households. Officials said the program will offer incentives for measures such as heat pumps and efficiency upgrades, will expand contractor networks and will provide multilingual customer support.

The presenter said the plan includes explicit equity commitments and targets to direct a substantial share of incentives and program resources to designated equity communities over the three-year period. Agency staff did not finalize an appropriation at the meeting; presenters discussed program scale and performance incentives but the transcript records funding discussions in imprecise terms and does not specify a final budget allocation.

Council members and commenters asked for more granular data and clearer eligibility and performance metrics. One attendee asked whether data could be reported by ZIP code; presenters responded that they will publish technical documentation, data tables and examples of eligibility and targeting and invited follow-up via email and the scheduled webinar.

Presenters also described contractor engagement, quality control and customer assistance measures, and emphasized multilingual access for participants. The council did not take a vote on the plan at this meeting; staff invited written comments and scheduled follow-up review sessions.