Renew Boston Initiative
On March 6, 2009, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the creation of Renew Boston to further his ambitious goals:
200 megawatt electricity demand reduction through energy efficiency and alternative energy installations by 2017
25 megawatts of solar power installations by 2015
7 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2012 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050.
Renew Boston is an innovative network of energy efficiency and alternative energy service providers catalyzed by City government that coordinates local utilities, job training programs, for-profit and non-profit partners to help Boston residents, businesses, and institutions save energy and money, and to create jobs.
Renew Boston Residential Program under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act
The Renew Boston Residential Program provided 1,700 Boston households with no cost energy efficiency improvements such as air sealing and insulation upgrades to help conserve energy, save money and lower utility bills. The program is funded with $2.1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) and through existing MassSave program administered by NSTAR and National Grid. Through leverageing MassSave, Renew Boston conducted over 6,000 energy assessments and 1,700 no-cost insulation improvements saving Boston residents over $2 million per year in energy costs, and is expected to create 58 local jobs.
