UMass Boston

With $5.3 million in funds from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the university will be able to implement innovative decarbonization efforts utilizing its harborside location.

UMass Boston received a $5.3 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to support the initial phases of its campus-wide decarbonization plan, accelerating plans to reduce on-campus greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas by 7,500 metric tons annually, starting in 2029. To achieve this reduction, UMass Boston will install a unique heating system that would not be possible on any other UMass campus: one which relies on seawater.

The current seawater cooling system has been in place since 1974, when it was installed during the construction of the Columbia Point campus. A pipe reaches out from the seawater pump house into Savin Hill Cove, taking in seawater at a rate of up to 20,000 gallons per hour. Similar to how geothermal systems operate with air exchange, the seawater is currently used to cool fluids sent through UMass Boston’s buildings. The fluids are never mixed, and the seawater is released back into the harbor near the campus center, a few degrees warmer than it initially was.

Over the next several years, the university will expand this system, installing a set of three electric heat-shift chillers in the Central Plant to capture excess heat and use it for winter heating. Once the system comes online, the seawater that is released back to the harbor will be cooler.

"We are deeply grateful to Governor Healey and the Commonwealth for this forward-looking investment in UMass Boston’s decarbonization efforts,” said UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. “This partnership is transforming our campus infrastructure to benefit our students, our community, and our environment for generations to come.”

A view of the pump house on the edge of Savin Hill Cove. Image by: Kaitlin Prince

With the DOER DIG grant, UMass Boston will be able to speed up the timeline of its Energy and Carbon Master Plan, published in 2023, to implement the electric heat-shift chillers. This process will cut projected natural gas consumption significantly by 82%, helping the campus to meet its 2030 state targets for carbon reduction.

As this new system of heat-shift chillers comes online, UMass Boston will be able to decommission three of the four natural gas boilers in its central plant, which are currently used to generate hot water to heat the university. The fourth will remain for use as a backup. This will lead to a substantial drop in fossil fuel use, and associated greenhouse gas emissions, for the campus.

The DOER DIG funds are part of a larger system of grants to public universities to expand geothermal, heat pump, and energy efficiency projects. Though the seawater system plays a central role in UMass Boston’s decarbonization plans, DOER grants also support other initiatives, such as the upcoming installation of an additional four solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of university buildings to generate clean electricity.

“Our goal is to connect these important facilities investments with the science, health, and climate resilience policy work our students learn in class and our faculty research. I love being able to lead campus resiliency tours for the community, which get our students excited about new clean energy infrastructure and incorporating climate solutions as part of their future careers,” said Janna Cohen-Rosenthal, the sustainability and resiliency planner at UMass Boston. “We have the opportunity to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, and it’s another vital step in creating a sustainable future for everyone.”