Municipal Assistance

UMass Clean Energy Extension (CEE) and our partner programs offer support to Massachusetts cities and towns seeking to understand their energy use and increase their energy efficiency and use of renewable energy, while providing valuable service learning experiences to undergraduate and graduate students and helping to develop the clean energy workforce.

We work closely with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to support programs including the Green Communities Designation and Grant Program. 

See more information below, and contact CEE Municipal Services Program Director Lauren Mattison (laurenm@umass.edu) with questions or to request assistance.

Facility Audits & Clean Energy Studies

The UMass Clean Energy Corps offers energy audits and studies of selected buildings at no charge for cities and towns across Massachusetts.  Learn more on the Clean Energy Corps webpage.

Green Communities Program Review

In partnership with DOER, CEE conducts a program review process for selected Green Communities that need assistance in reaching their energy reduction goals.  This process includes:

• Interviews with community representatives about their energy management practices
• Detailed review of energy data in MassEnergyInsight (MEI), the free online tool that DOER provides for cities and towns to benchmark and track energy use, including the community's baseline year
• Assistance with correction of any errors or missing data found in MEI
• Analysis of energy use and energy conservation measures in targeted facilities
• Potential referral of specific facilities for more in-depth study through our auditing programs described above
• A report with recommendations to help the community improve energy management practices, prioritize efficiency efforts, and get on track toward their energy reduction goal

Muncipal Energy Profiles

The Municipal Energy Profile is a two-page report that CEE is able to generate for any Massachusetts city or town that tracks its energy use in MassEnergyInsight. The profile provides an executive summary of municipal energy use (energy used by municipal-owned facilities and vehicles, not including businesses, residences or other private energy use in the city/town), along with actionable recommendations to improve efficiency. It is designed to help communities understand their energy use, identify priorities to work toward the Green Communities energy reduction goal, and connect with targeted resources for more information or assistance.

Guidance Materials

We have developed these materials to educate communities on opportunities to upgrade their buildings with improved efficiency or cleaner heating and cooling equipment:

• Energy Efficiency Checklist for Municipal Buildings - Overview and checklist of measures to reduce energy use in schools and other municipal buildings.
• Selection of Clean Heating and Cooling Equipment - Overview and comparison of air-source heat pump, ground-source heat pump, solar thermal, and wood heating technologies.

See our Municipal Resources page for more information and other programs that offer assistance and/or financial incentives to support clean energy in Massachusetts cities and towns.

MassEnergyInsight Support

CEE is part of the team that supports users of MassEnergyInsight.  See more information at massenergyinsight.net/support

Vehicles

See our Greening Municipal Fleets page for information on improving efficiency of municipal vehicles.

Other Assistance

In addition to the services described above, CEE provides other services and guidance to municipalities on a case-by-case basis.