1. Newton Citizens Climate Action Plan
Acting Now to Secure Our Sustainable Future
Newton Citizens Commission on Energy
May 2019
Is it feasible for Newton to achieve IPCC goal
of zero GHG emissions in 2050?
YES!

2. Today, Newton is a City of 92,000
Today, Newton is a City of 92,000. We Heat our Buildings and Mostly Travel in Cars Using Fossil Fuels
99%+ heated by
natural gas and fuel oil
Total GHG Emissions of 983M Metric Tons
25,000 homes
5,000 apartments
31.7M Therms
5.2M Gallons
98%+ gas-powered
57,000 Cars
16,634,000 Gallons
9,125 miles/vehicle, 23 mpg
99%+ heated by
natural gas and fuel oil
1.5M SQFT of Commercial Space
17.9M Therms
3.0M Gallons

3. Between 2019 and 2050, Newton Will Spend $13B+ on Heating/Cooling/Powering Buildings and Fueling Cars
Replace 22,500 Heating Systems
Build 4,100 New Homes
Build 2,200 New Apartments
$2.5 Billion
$375 Million
$270 Million
Buy 150,000 New Cars
Buy 500M Gallons of Gas
Buy 124T BTUs of Energy for Residential Heating
$5.6 Billion
$1.3 Billion
$1.9 Billion
Build 954K SQFT of Commercial Space
Buy 84T BTUs of Energy for Commercial Heating
$177 Million
$1.2B

4. Transportation Sector
We Can Reach the IPCC Goal for 2050 if ….. ….We Spend This Money Differently
Residential Sector
Transportation Sector

5. Long Term Strategy
Reduce Energy Demand
Electrify Buildings & Transportation
Motivate Largest Commercial Property Owners
20% in residential housing: Passive House Standard & 3x increase in energy retrofits
15+ % in vehicle miles traveled
All-electric heating and all-electric transportation using 100% Class 1 New England renewables
Mayor to use bully pulpit to get large property owners to develop and implement their own climate action plans.
20% Reduction
Green Ribbon Commission

6. Big Challenge: Residents & Building Professions City Hall must drive change technical assistance - education - incentives - mandates

7. Big Challenge: Residents & Building Professions City Hall must drive change technical assistance - education - incentives - mandates

8. Many Opportunities and Leverage Points to Drive Change
100 homes torn down and replaced/year
Energy retrofits heavily subsidized by MassSave
Growing road congestion
Build New Homes to Passive House Standard
Take Greater Advantage of Subsidies to Save Money
Spend Money on Transforming Transportation, not More Roads
Several large mixed-use complexes under development
650 homes sold to new owners/year
31 employers own 50% of commercial floor space
Build High Efficiency Buildings with Electric Heat
Disclose energy performance at point of sale
Use the Bully Pulpit to Drive These Organizations to Change
700 heating systems replaced/year
25% of Newton residents over 65
New car purchases: every 9 years
Thousands of Opportunities to Buy to Lower Cost, Better Performing Electric Cars
Weatherize and Replace with Heat Pumps, Not Gas
Accelerating Home Sales Creates More Intervention Opportunities

9. RESIDENTIAL: Recommendations for Driving Passive House and Energy/Electrification Retrofits
Expected Results
Transition to a requirement for Passive House, starting with special permit review
Transition from today’s best practice to widely-used standard practice
Create Energy Concierge Advisory Service
Assist property owners seeking information and guidance on defining efficiency projects, fuel conversion projects and finding qualified vendors
Publish HERS ratings for all properties, starting with points of sale
Tighten value pricing of real estate resale market (i.e., price-in efficiency)
Property Tax Credit Incentive Program – REEP
Accelerate rate of private investment in the energy efficiency of residential buildings

10. TRANSPORTATION: Recommendations for EV Adoption and Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled
Expected Results
Conduct a city-wide marketing/outreach campaign for EVs
Convince more residents of lower cost of ownership and superior driving experience
Ensure availability of home charging for all residents
Remove a critical barrier: renters; owners; in apartments; in single-family homes
Provide preferential parking spaces for EVs through the City
Incentivize transition to EVs; educate
Expand the NewMo mobility program to all Newton residents.
Encourage less personal-use and more shared-use transportation vehicles
Improve Public Transit, Infrastructure for bicycles; Land use
Enable alternative mobility modes;
Change the culture of mobility

11. COMMERCIAL: Recommendations
Expected Results
Publish energy ratings for all properties
Ensure common bases for benchmarking and performance evaluations
Green Ribbon Commission-owners, developers, utilities
31 own 50%
Largest commercial property owners developing and implementing a custom CCAP
Work with the State and utilities
Encourage stricter building codes and rigorous efficiency programs become standard practice

12. Getting Started – Plan for 2019 (1 of 3)
Initiatives Led by the City Council
Require Passive House and all Electric for All Special Permits
Pass ordinance requiring HERS rating and energy costs to be disclosed for all home sales
Ensure that large projects like Riverside are highly efficient and emissions free rather than adding to our GHG footprint for decades to come
Start building awareness of energy costs to drive owners and buyers to homes that cost less to operate
Pass ordinance requiring an electric option for all heating system replacements
Drive more transitions to electric heat by requiring that residents are presented with an electric heat option so they can make an informed choice

13. Getting Started – Plan for 2019 (2 of 3)
Initiatives Led by the Mayor
Establish preferential free parking for EVs at municipal lots
Start a marketing campaign for EVs
Build visibility of electric cars and create an additional incentive to purchase
Educate residents that EVs cost less to own and perform better
Establish a partnership with Eversource and National Grid
Establish Green Ribbon Commission for commercial building owners
Bring additional funding to the community to offset costs of transition to a low carbon city
Begin process of getting major property owners to start lowering their own emissions

14. Getting Started – Plan for 2019 (3 of 3)
Initiatives Led Jointly by the Mayor and the Council
Set up an Energy Concierge Department and fund it!
Require transportation plans for new developments that meet CCAP goals
Collaborate with builders to make 20 of ~107 new homes Passive House/Electric
Work with homeowners to drive 25 heating system replacements to electric
Ensure that the City does not approve new development that will positively impact traffic and reduce vehicle miles traveled

15. This is a Community Roadmap
The ball is in our court!