by Dominic Nicholas HEET continues to act as a watchdog, verifying utilities identification and repair of their super-emitting gas leaks—these are the leaks that emit most of the greenhouse gas methane directly into the atmosphere. Our goal over the next five years is to be the first in the nation to halve methane emissions from…
By Sarah Griffith After the Department of Public Utilities rejected their first attempt, National Grid is back with a new proposal to build a GeoMicroDistrict. It’s described in Docket No. 21-24 for those of you who want to read along. Their new proposal has many good details. Their new proposal: Looks at how a GeoMicroDistrict…
By Carrie Klein Gas utilities have faced both regulatory constraints and business pressure to adapt for years. Now, new climate legislation in Massachusetts spells out that gas utilities need to adopt new practices. “An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy,” defines more clearly the state’s goals for reducing emissions. By 2050,…
by Sarah Griffith HEET has long believed in the wisdom of the crowd, that is, the ability of a group of people to rapidly problem solve. Now that GeoMicroDistricts are going in the ground this year, HEET has begun monthly topical Community Charrettes. Our Charrettes gather stakeholders to share knowledge, anticipate needs, and reduce uncertainty…
By Sarah Griffith and Carrie Klein HEET commissioned the Applied Economics Clinic to project heating costs in Massachusetts. The results predict that by 2030, heating with gas in Massachusetts will become more expensive than heating with efficient electric heat pumps. Inflection Point: When Heating with Gas Costs More shows that rising costs mean gas customers are…
By HEET Staff Repairing gas leaks is a strategy for near-term climate action in Massachusetts. Natural gas leaks account for as much as 10% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. A new study in Environmental Science & Technology, led by Dr. Morgan Edwards, set out to determine the effectiveness of this strategy. The researchers mapped…
Eversource is selecting a street segment now for its GeoMicroDistrict pilot. And you could be the person who identifies the site. It would be especially useful if the site suggested includes a developer or owner of a multi-unit building. The pilot will go in the ground this year––the first of its kind in Massachusetts! The…
Over 70 stakeholders gathered at HEET’s first two virtual Community Charrettes of the year. Attendees included utility executives, regulators, labor representatives, community organizations, advocates, legislators, geothermal designers and installers, and heat pump installers and manufacturers. HEET is hosting Charrettes each month throughout 2021 in an effort to share information and from all to make the…
You can now view estimates of your town’s annual methane emissions from gas leaks on our gas leak maps page. These are calculated using the number of leaks in the town and data from utilities’ lost and unaccounted for (LAUF) emissions estimates. LAUF is one way utilities report data about gas leaks, including estimates of…
Our Table, a program distributing groceries to families in Lawrence, delivered food, games, and books to over 70 families this holiday season. We are delighted to announce that Our Table is now funded through March, thanks to both a $10,000 grant from the Random Acts Foundation and many generous donors. Our Table grew out of a…