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The Healey-Driscoll Administration last week announced that the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC), which is chaired by the Department of Energy Resources, unanimously voted to approve a resolution to support the draft 2025-2027 Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan for Massachusetts’ nation-leading energy efficiency programs. The Three-Year Plan guides the Mass Save® program, which is funded through surcharges on consumer utility bills. Over the last year and a half, DOER, the EEAC, and the Mass Save Program Administrators (PAs) collaborated to develop the draft Three-Year Plan.
The proposed plan prioritizes decarbonization, equity, and customer experience. Consumer choice is being curtailed as rebates will no longer be offered for most incentives for fossil fuel appliances and the Plan sets a new goal to support the installation of heat pumps in nearly 120,000 Massachusetts households, and weatherization in over 180,000 homes. 21 new “Equity Communities” will be designated, making over 2.1 million residents eligible for enhanced services and incentives from the Mass Save PAs, including no-cost energy efficiency upgrades for all residential customers, as well as no-cost heat pumps and other housing upgrades for moderate-income customers and renters, all delivered through a managed program designed to fully support customers through the process. The draft plan also establishes a multilingual Statewide Contact Center, Virtual Decarbonization Consultations, and trained Electrification Advocates to assist customers in their electrification experience.
“Massachusetts is consistently ranked first in the nation for energy efficiency. This new three-year plan will take Mass Save to the next level,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This draft plan will provide more residents with access to no-cost electric heat and cooling, energy efficiency, and protections against climate change. I’m grateful for the strong advocacy of our team and the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council and for the partnership of the Program Administrators to usher in a new era of Mass Save.”
“The impacts of the new Mass Save Plan will be transformative for Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The plan goes beyond traditional energy efficiency services – it will provide expanded training programs for heat pump installers and a strong support for small businesses looking to electrify. Together, through partnership, we can advance our clean energy transition and grow our economy.”
The draft 2025-2027 Three-Year Plan will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 million metric tons. It will deliver 8.3 million MWh and 1.1 billion therms in energy savings. The plan invests almost $5 billion in Massachusetts and will deliver $13.8 billion in total benefits to customers, including a historic $1.9 billion of program funding dedicated to equity-related initiatives. This includes $1.3 billion in incentives paid for low- and moderate-income customers, $4.74 billion in equity benefits, and more than $615 million in incentives for renters.
“We’re grateful for the partnership of the Mass Save Program Administrators to help phase out fossil fuels and electrify our communities,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “The electrification and efficiency upgrades offered lower customers’ electric bills, improve community health, and ensure our homes and businesses are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. This is our clean energy transition in action.”
“In our negotiations, we placed a strong emphasis on supporting low- and moderate-income communities, expanding access for renters, and prioritizing electrification,” said DOER Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “I’m proud of the EEAC, the Equity Working Group, and the Program Administrators’ work on this groundbreaking proposal. We’re especially excited about the strong focus on equity and distributive energy justice. Under this plan, the people hit hardest by climate change will be eligible for free new appliances and insulation, and they will have personalized support to manage contractors. Some of these programs are being piloted already, setting up a smooth transition to the next plan. This is what environmental justice looks like.”
“The new Three-Year Plan marks an important step forward for the Mass Save program and Massachusetts’ overall building decarbonization goals,” said Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer. “By prioritizing heat pumps and electrification, we can harness the power of the Mass Save program to lower emissions and combat climate change.”
“This plan will deliver significant, cost-effective benefits to Massachusetts residents, reducing energy burdens for thousands of households and making real progress in transitioning our state to clean heating technologies,” said Chief of the Attorney General’s Office’s Energy and Ratepayer Advocacy Division Liz Anderson. “As the ratepayer advocate, we worked with the Program Administrators and other parties to secure a budget cap, cost controls, and cost savings throughout the plan, mitigating the bill impacts of this largely ratepayer-funded program. Critically, we are happy to have secured an unprecedented level of investment and focus on low- and moderate-income households, helping to ensure that Mass Save provides increased benefits to the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable communities.”
As required by law, the Mass Save PAs will submit the draft Plan to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for approval on October 31, and the DPU will issue an Order on the Plan by February 28.
Decarbonization
A total of 632,000 households across Massachusetts will be supported by the Mass Save PAs during the Plan term. The Plan’s goal is to install heat pumps in over 120,000 households, including 33,000 low- and moderate-income residents and renters. This target represents almost double the goal from the previous Plan and about 50 percent year-over-year growth in low-income heat pump installations during the 2025-2027 Plan term. The Plan also has a target to improve energy efficiency for nearly 185,000 homes, including more than 126,000 low-and moderate-income households and rental units, to make homes electrification-ready.
Equity
Nearly 40 percent of program funding for the Plan will focus on equity initiatives. Twenty-one communities will be designated “Equity Communities:” Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Fitchburg, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Oak Bluffs, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Tisbury, Woburn, and Worcester. Renters in these communities are eligible for no-cost weatherization, barrier remediation, and electrification. Residents who participate in various government programs may also be eligible for the Income Eligible Program, which currently provides no-cost energy efficiency improvements, housing upgrades, and electrification through a similar managed delivery model.
Additionally, the draft Plan expands the definition of moderate income, providing more customers with access to no-cost services and personalized support. Moderate-income customers statewide will be eligible for no-cost services through the managed Turnkey Delivery Pathway.
The draft Plan will increase funding for Community First Partners, through which the Mass Save PAs connect with municipal governments and local nonprofits to drive more participation in programs, support small businesses’ decarbonization goals, and offer each partner tailored marketing, multilingual support, and improved data access.
Customer Experience
The draft plan will continue to improve the consumer experience through customer-focused enhancements and improved program access. Through a new Turnkey Delivery Pathway, moderate-income customers statewide and renters in Designated Equity Communities will work with a trusted vendor to project manage the entire process and subcontractors, from home assessment to scheduling the work to post-installation inspections. This service will expand to market-rate customers in 2027. Virtual Decarbonization Consultations, offered in both English and Spanish, will provide ongoing support for residents as they decarbonize their homes and businesses. Additionally, customers can pre-qualify for heat pump rebates and work with local Electrification Advocates through the Community First Partnership to support their experience.
Supplier Diversity and Workforce Development
To increase supplier diversity, the draft plan sets an aspirational benchmark of spending 15 percent of the dollar volume of direct Mass Save contracts with diverse suppliers for the 2025-2027 term. The Mass Save PAs will collaborate with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to increase workforce diversity, doubling annual funding to $24 million per year.
The Mass Save programs support approximately 76,000 high-quality, energy efficiency and electrification jobs in Massachusetts. Under this Plan, the PAs will expand Massachusetts’ already robust heat pump installation workforce and provide continued contractor training and development of the Heat Pump Installer Network to ensure the delivery of high-quality installations. The Plan also proposes to expand Commercial & Industrial training opportunities.
More information on the draft 2025-2027 Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan can be found here. Information on the EEAC Resolution on the draft 2025-2027 Plan can be found here.
About the EEAC
The Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) is charged with developing a long-term vision for the Commonwealth’s energy future. EEAC members guide the development of state- and nation-leading energy efficiency plans by the Commonwealth's investor-owned gas and electric utilities and energy providers. The Council’s priorities are to develop, implement, evaluate, and monitor the implementation of these plans.
About Mass Save
Mass Save is a collaborative of Massachusetts’ electric and natural gas utilities and energy efficiency service providers including Berkshire Gas, Cape Light Compact, Eversource, Liberty, National Grid, and Unitil. The Mass Save Program Administrators implement Massachusetts’ nation-leading energy efficiency programs, as outlined in the Three-Year Plans.
Statements of Support:
Mary Wambui, Asset Manager, Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc.
“The 2025-2027 Plan represents a significant step forward in recognizing the diverse lived experiences of all Massachusetts communities, particularly those previously underserved by past Mass Save Plans. By embracing a distributive justice lens, the plan is fostering innovative ideas and nurturing a culture of equity in energy planning. I am truly grateful for this progress!”
Kyle Murray, Director, State Program Implementation and Massachusetts Program Director, Acadia Center
“With each recent iteration of the Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan, the Commonwealth has taken significant steps forward toward a decarbonized future. This plan is no exception. It delivers upon long-requested improvements to the customers journey and provides record funding for investments in equity. I am proud to have been a part of this process.”
Alexis Washburn, Northeast Regional Director, Emerald Cities Collaborative
“The success of the 2025-2027 Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Plan hinges on having a diverse, skilled, and robust workforce capable of driving the Commonwealth's ambitious climate goals. By doubling our investment in workforce and supplier diversity and enhancing training initiatives, we are committed to not only meeting our net zero commitments but also ensuring that our workforce reflects and equitably reaches the diverse communities across the Commonwealth.”
Brian Beote, Division Director of Energy Services, Action Inc.
“LEAN is pleased with the results of all the hard work that went into the development of this new term plan and particularly around the focus on equitability. We are excited to be part of its implementation in providing energy efficiency, decarbonization, and electrification services to the eligible residents here in the Commonwealth.”
Sharon Scott-Chandler, President and CEO, Action for Boston Community Development
“As the lead partner for Eversource within the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) and Mass Save programs that provide climate equity work to low-income residents, senior citizens and those in environmental justice communities, we applaud the incredible work of all those involved in creating this milestone Three-Year Plan and making the largest ever investment in our communities. ABCD, in partnership with other Community Action organizations across the state, look forward to doing our part to help ensure everyone has access to the benefits of these energy efficiency and climate protection efforts.”
