ENERGY SHIFT: Pruning the Gas “Tree” to Go Carbon Free
The Problem

Why rebuild last century’s infrastructure?
- 1/3rd of natural gas pipes under MA streets are aging and leak-prone.
- At current rates, replacing all leak-prone pipes will cost $9.5 billion.*
- Ratepayers (gas customers) are paying for this, raising gas prices.
- The work will continue for the next 17 years, damaging our streets and disrupting traffic.
- The new pipes last 60 years, long past when we will have primarily moved to electricity, becoming ‘stranded assets’.
The Opportunity
- Why rebuild last century’s infrastructure?
- Instead let’s offer customers the choice of using the funding to transition to modern micro district heating powered by geothermal.
- The cost of the install per linear foot of low temp hot water pipe is less than the current average install cost per foot of the gas pipes here.
- The result would prune the “tree” of the gas infrastructure, while growing a new tree made of interconnected heating districts, a more resilient, renewable, cleaner tree. A better investment.
Utility-reported data pinpoints good locations for the pilot.
The Pilot Study
- One short street or cul-de-sac will have the opportunity to demonstrate this transition, winning insulation and state of the art electric appliances for all participants if 100% of gas customers sign on.
- Designed and overseen by a collaborative team of renowned experts, this pilot aims to match or beat the cost of replacing the aging gas pipes and delivering gas.
The Outcomes
- The gas utility is handed a viable business model that can fuel market growth and stabilize costs.
- We unlock ratepayer funding for electrification and renewable thermal by persuading the Dept. of Public Utilities to enact regulations allowing groups of customers to choose how the gas-main-replacement funding is spent.
- We help educate the public on long term benefits (health, environment, economic) of transitioning off fossil fuels.
- We demonstrate a path to a carbon free future NOW.
Regulatory/State Level
- Passed law providing a waiver of regulations for innovative greenhouse gas reduction pilots.
- Assembled working group to oversee pilot at regulatory/state level: Includes AGO office, DOER, and Conservation Law Foundation.
- Pursuing long-term regulatory change and reform together with Gas Leak Allies and Conservation Law Foundation.
Technical/Utility Level
- Columbia Gas and Eversource interested.
- BuroHappold Engineering will perform the feasibility study to investigate the engineering and economic aspects of the pilot study and a potential scaling up of the project.
How to use an efficient electric induction stove. Credit Colleen Brannen photographer
Community/Household Level
- Several municipalities engaged and supportive.
- Designed and tested the ‘Taste the Future’ events: cooking parties demonstrating that electric induction cooking is faster, safer and more precise than gas.
Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster
- We are working to place the pilot in Merrimack Valley if possible to allow affected families the option of transiting off of gas.
*Using publicly available utility-supplied Gas System Enhancement Program data
GeoMicroDistrict by HEET is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License