UMass Boston

2026 Plan Update: Accelerating Carbon Reduction

The goal of the Energy and Carbon Master Plan, published in 2023, was to provide potential pathways for practical, cost-effective energy efficiency, electrification, on-site renewable, and resiliency solutions. The result was a review of the viability of technology options to eliminate burning of onsite fossil fuels by 2050, the majority of which is from natural gas used to heat the campus via the Central Utility plant.  In addition the capacity for expanding roof top solar photovoltaics was studied.

In 2026 both new funding resources and advancing the engineering design process allowed acceleration of the published timeline for installing Heat Shift Chillers, the chosen decarbonization technology for the Central Utility plant. In addition contracts were signed for Bright Beacons Solar Project, consisting of 4 new rooftops. 

Goals of the 2023 Plan

By implementing a range of initiatives and investments, UMB aims to meet environmental mandates, significantly reduce emissions, and create a sustainable campus for the future. 

Sustainability and environmental justice are key themes of the recent Campus Master Plan. The Master Plan incorporates strategies including energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy sources, recyclable and locally available materials, and clean transportation alternatives. The concurrently developed Energy & Carbon Master Plan aims to operationalize these strategies and meet state climate change reduction goals. Through this plan, UMass Boston will meet the goals of Executive Order 594.

• Executive Order 594 establishes iterative miles to reduce GHG emissions from state government operations, aligning with the statewide goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
• Progress is reported via the Commonwealth's Leading by Example dashboard

Highlights

• Sets the path to meet the 2050 goal to burn no onsite fossil fuels, reach net-zero emissions, and increase resilience
• Plans for growth while still reducing energy use in total
• Accomplishes this by :

1. 1. Reducing building energy consumption and enhancing resiliency in existing buildings
   2. Building very efficient and resilient new buildings
   3. Switching fuel sources by electrifying the Central Utility Plan (CUP) and expanding Sea-water use for heating 
   4. Utilizing renewable energy on and offsite

Energy & Carbon Master Plan

Energy Carbon Master Plan Executive Summary