Massachusetts has one of the oldest natural gas systems in the country, with 25% of the pipes under the ground considered ‘leakprone’(1). The map below shows the next 5 years of gas pipe replacement sites across Massachusetts.
Replacing all these pipes will cost gas customers approximately $20 billion according to a report by Dorie Seavey, PhD, and Gas Leak Allies. At the current rate, this cost will take over 100 years to pay off. Given our state’s mandate to reduce emissions 80% by 2050, is sinking this much money into new fossil-fuel infrastructure wise?
In the map below:
- You can click on any map point to see the utility-reported information.
- This is just 5 years of data out of a 20 year plan.
- The work is on public streets, not inside buildings.
- You can view a large map here, or just click the View Larger Map button in the top right hand corner on the map below.
- If you are experiencing difficulties viewing the map, email us.
At HEET we propose instead that these streets transition off of gas to the GeoGrid, a system networked ground source heat pumps Our Feasibility Study showed that GeoGrids:
- Are safer (no explosive gas!)
- Provide renewable energy
- Likely to be less expensive than gas
- Are healthier (since they reduce or eliminate combustion gasses in the home)
- Offer both heating AND cooling
We share our geocoded leaks data under a Creative Commons license. Please contact us directly if you would like a copy.
You can learn more about HEET’s GSEP mapping process here.