H 3565

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2527  FILED ON: 1/16/2025
 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3565
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _________________
  PRESENTED BY:
  Amy Mah Sangiolo
  _________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
   Court assembled:
   The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
  An Act relative to Mass Save assessments.
  _______________
  PETITION OF:
NAME:  DISTRICT/ADDRESS:  DATE ADDED:
Amy Mah Sangiolo  11th Middlesex  1/16/2025
James C. Arena-DeRosa  8th Middlesex  4/9/2025
Michael D. Brady  Second Plymouth and Norfolk  1/28/2025
Mike Connolly  26th Middlesex  3/20/2025
Marjorie C. Decker  25th Middlesex  6/26/2025
Carmine Lawrence Gentile  13th Middlesex  10/12/2025
Tara T. Hong  18th Middlesex  3/12/2025
Vanna Howard  17th Middlesex  5/7/2025
Patrick Joseph Kearney  4th Plymouth  1/28/2025
John J. Lawn, Jr.  10th Middlesex  12/8/2025
Margaret R. Scarsdale  1st Middlesex  10/14/2025
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  HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2527  FILED ON: 1/16/2025
 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3565
By Representative Sangiolo of Newton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3565) of
Amy Mah Sangiolo, Michael D. Brady and Patrick Joseph Kearney relative to Mass Save
assessments. Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  _______________
  In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
  (2025-2026)
  _______________
An Act relative to Mass Save assessments.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1Amend Chapter 25 by adding a new subsection (g)
2Said section 21 of said chapter 25, as amended by chapter 179 of the Acts of 2022, is
3 hereby further amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-
4SECTION 1. Section 21 of chapter 25 …, as amended by chapter 179 of the Acts of
5 2022, is hereby amended by adding the following subsections:
6(h) The administrators of the programs established pursuant to section 19 of this chapter
7 shall (i) offer to a customer at no cost a zero-carbon assessment of such customer’s building,
8 including a heat load calculation, that identifies measures that a customer must take to heat or
9 cool such building without the use of combustible fuels and (ii) identify rebates and incentives
10 available under such programs to assist a customer in implementing measures identified by such
11 assessment. Measures identified in a zero-carbon assessment may include, but shall not be
12 limited to: improving building shell insulation; air sealing; air duct sealing; improving air
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13 exchange and indoor air quality; upgrading windows, doors, and cladding systems; electric
14 wiring and service upgrades; on site solar generation; electrical or thermal storage; electric peak
15 load management equipment and software; and replacing fossil fuel appliances and equipment
16 with electric or otherwise non-combusting appliances and equipment. A zero-carbon assessment
17 shall include a safety evaluation including a combustion safety test of existing fossil fuel
18 appliances, an instrumented test for ambient gas and particularly for gas leaks at the gas meter,
19 and a test of existing carbon monoxide alarms. A customer whose building has undergone a zero-
20 carbon assessment shall be provided with a zero-carbon report that identifies for each measure
21 that reduces emissions additional benefits including, but not limited to: (i) improvements in
22 comfort, safety, and health, including indoor air quality; (ii) cost savings; and (iii) any other
23 information the program administrators determine to be necessary to include. The zero-carbon
24 report shall include at least one scenario incorporating a combination of efficiency measures,
25 replacement of gas appliances with non-emitting appliances, on site solar energy and electrical
26 storage which takes advantage of available promotional electric rates, income eligible electric
27 rates and utility offerings for off peak and peak avoiding incentives to reduce projected client
28 energy expenditures. The Massachusetts energy technology center shall develop the zero-carbon
29 assessment and the zero-carbon report in consultation with the program administrators and the
30 energy efficiency advisory council established pursuant to section 22 of this chapter. The
31 commonwealth shall retain rights to the use of the zero-carbon assessment, the zero-carbon
32 report, and any associated data and software for use by Mass Save or any successor organization.
33 The zero-carbon assessment shall be the standard assessment service available to all customers
34 receiving services provided pursuant to this section.
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35SECTION 2. Section 21 of chapter 25 of the General Laws, as amended by chapter 179
36 of the Acts of 2022, is hereby amended, in clause (xiv) of paragraph (2) of subsection (b) by
37 striking out “, delineated by utility and sector, including residential, residential low-income,
38 commercial and industrial” and inserting in place thereof the following:-
39"; provided, that the data collected pursuant to subclauses (A), (B), and (C) shall be
40 delineated by utility and sector, including residential, residential low-income, commercial and
41 industrial, and zip code”
42SECTION 3. Said section 21 of said chapter 25, as amended by chapter 179 of the Acts
43 of 2022, is hereby further amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-
44"(h) The electric distribution companies, municipal aggregators with certified efficiency
45 plans, and the natural gas distribution companies shall no later than March 31 of each year
46 provide to the department the data that is collected pursuant to clause (xiv) of paragraph (2) of
47 subsection
48(b) of this section during the previous calendar year. The department shall publish such
49 data on the website of the energy efficiency advisory council no later than April 30 of each
50 year."
51(i) The administrators of the programs established pursuant to section 19 of this chapter
52 shall establish criteria to determine qualifications of contractors approved to install
53 recommendations of the zero-carbon assessment authorized pursuant to subsection (h) of this
54 section, including mitigation and remediation of barriers identified in such zero-carbon
55 assessment. Such contractors approved to install such recommendations shall agree (i) to meet
56 program and industry standards; (ii) to warrant their work for at least 12 months after completion
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57 of their work; (iii) to undergo quality assurance assessments of their work; and (iv) to require
58 their employees and subcontractors to participate in periodic training programs and to adhere to
59 program goals and standards as determined by such program administrators. In assembling lists
60 of contractors approved to install recommendations of such zero-carbon assessments, such
61 program administrators shall award preference to qualified businesses owned by women or by
62 minorities …. [cite to statute defining those] and to qualified businesses located in or serving
63 environmental justice communities [cite to statute defining those]. Such program administrators
64 shall whenever feasible procure cost savings for customers through purchases in bulk of
65 appliances and other equipment necessary for decarbonization of buildings.
66(j) Such program administrators shall develop (i) consulting programs to advise building
67 owners undertaking projects to replace fossil fuel appliances and equipment with electric or
68 otherwise non-combusting appliances and to upgrade and retrofit buildings as proposed in a zero
69 carbon report; and (ii) training programs for participating staff, contractors, and volunteers that
70 cover program procedures, costs and benefits of electrification of buildings, incentives available
71 by electrification of buildings.
72(k) Such program administrators shall report annually no later than March 31 on results
73 achieved by the programs established pursuant to this section to the governor and to the clerks of
74 the house of representatives and the senate, who shall forward such reports to the president of the
75 senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the chairs of the joint committee on
76 telecommunications, utilities, and energy.
77(l) The department shall within 12 months of the effective date of this section promulgate
78 such rules and regulations as are necessary to administer the requirements of this section.
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79SECTION __. Section 1 shall take effect upon its passage and shall apply to energy
80 efficiency plans beginning with the plan that covers the years 2025 to 2027.
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