At the May 28 joint meeting of the Zoning & Planning and Public Facilities Committees, the Newton Citizens Commission on Energy (NCCE) initiated a discussion with City Councilors about the electrification of all homes.
Newton needs to electrify all of its 25,000 homes in 25 years
The State requires net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In Newton, electricity is exempt from energy reporting and greenhouse-gas reduction requirements because of the “greening of the grid” – i.e., Newton’s electricity is increasingly coming from solar, wind, geothermal, etc. Currently, solar panels over city parking lots and buildings supply 40% of the electricity used by the City government, and 76% of Newton’s residents receive electricity through Newton PowerChoice, which uses 95% renewable energy from regional sources.
The NCCE recommends that Newton begin to plan to eliminate 27% of Newton’s greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas and oil use in homes by electrifying heating and cooling systems. New ordinances now require that new residential construction must be all-electric, but this affects only about 120 homes per year. NCCE estimates that without further electrification requirements, 85% of homes will not be net-zero by 2050. (See NCCE presentation.)
Electric cold-weather heat pumps can now operate down to -13 degrees Fahrenheit and can be connected to air vents and baseboard systems that use water. Unfortunately, heat pumps do not warm the water hot enough to be used in radiators unless homes are well-insulated and air-sealed. NCCE has noted that most homeowners gradually improve their systems over time, rather than making all changes at once. NCCE states that requiring residential energy reporting would likely prompt homeowners to plan for energy efficiency improvements and decarbonization.
NCCE has asked the City Council to:
- Adopt reporting of energy use for all dwellings
- Strategically decommission gas lines
Non-gas pipeline alternatives for Newton’s 300 miles of pipe
Currently, when National Grid proposes replacing a gas line, the City can review, but not reject, the proposal. The State Department of Public Utilities (DPU) then signs off on the proposal, and the gas line is replaced at a cost of $5.7 million per mile. The DPU provides a preferable alternative to pipelines, including electrification, if the alternative is similar in cost; however, a cost-effective non-pipeline alternative is required for this to occur.
NCCE proposes that the City identify gas pipes that dead-end on a street and then ensure that these streets have a non-pipeline alternative electrification plan ready to submit to the DPU when National Grid proposes replacing gas pipelines there. If the DPU approves the alternative plan, the funds allocated for pipe replacement would then be redirected toward the alternative electrification plan. NCEE believes the cost to electrify a street of ten homes would be cheaper than installing a new gas pipe, even if all the homes required complete electrification upgrades, such as upgraded panels, heat pumps, etc.
In December 2024, Newton passed its Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO), applicable only for large buildings over 20,000 square feet. The City’s new BERDO implementation advisory group, which will create the rules for implementing the new ordinance, is expected to begin meeting this fall to develop BERDO regulations, which are anticipated to be in place by next spring.
Under the new ordinance, buildings over 100,000 sq ft must report their energy use by September 15, 2025. The City will use the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager reporting system, which is also used by the State of Massachusetts for its Large Building Energy Reporting law, which requires owners to publicly disclose the energy usage of buildings over 20,000 sq ft by June 30, 2025.
In the May 28 discussion, Councilor Leonard Gentile raised concerns about conflicts of interest on the NCCE. Several NCCE members are residential builders that offer and promote services – such as insulation, heat pump systems, etc. — that are directly related to BERDO. Also in that meeting, Councilor Lisle Baker noted the challenges of working on older, historic homes to make them more energy-efficient.
This discussion will continue in the Committees on June 18. Representatives from National Grid and Eversource will attend the Public Facilities meeting on that date.
