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Resolved: That it is the sense of the Malden City Council that the state of Massachusetts must protect and strengthen the Mass Save program and clean energy grants.
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That it is the sense of the Malden City Council that the state of Massachusetts must protect and strengthen the Mass Save program and clean energy grants. Mass Save provides financial incentives to directly residents to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient and shift to clean energy usage. In 2024, Malden residents received $5.7 million through Mass Save, and generated at least 600 MWh in energy savings. Grants from Mass Save have funded critical city staff capacity to reach out to our diverse community so that every resident can participate. Malden has also received multiple Green Communities grants to support energy efficient projects, funded by the alternative compliance payment option for utilities to meet their clean energy targets.
Mass Save incentives and state grants are critical for Malden’s Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions and make our homes more resilient in this environmental justice community. Since the majority of our buildings are older, we can only meet our climate action targets by retrofitting our buildings. Without Mass Save incentives, these improvements will be out of reach for thousands of residents, especially our most vulnerable neighbors, including many renters and lower income residents. City-level initiatives are also frequently grant funded, and cannot continue without this support.
However, Mass Save and other clean energy grant programs have recently been targeted for cuts by the Massachusetts legislature. As the House and Senate conference committee negotiates final energy affordability legislation, we urge Malden’s delegation to reject the $1 billion reduction to Mass Save funding proposed in the House version and restore any cuts to Green Communities grant funding. To reduce utility bills, the state should focus on capping utility overhead administrative expenses, reducing utility performance bonuses, and phasing out expensive gas line construction and unnecessary replacement.
Cuts to Mass Save and Green Communities grants would have a disastrous effect on our community, increasing long-term utility costs and climate risks for our residents. Mass Save in particular must be not only protected, but further strengthened by making it easier for our most vulnerable residents to access Mass Save incentives.
We call on our legislators to protect and strengthen the Mass Save program and the Green Communities grants, essential supports from the state for Gateway Cities like Malden.