Last updated: 6/13/24

Renew Boston Trust

The City of Boston is leading by example with energy efficiency and resiliency in the City of Boston’s buildings.

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"We have a unique opportunity to update our municipal buildings and exterior lighting in a way that preserves Boston’s character and aligns with our broader environmental goals. I am excited to work on ensuring our city is saving energy and the associated costs while bringing us closer to our net zero goals." — Mayor Michelle Wu

About

Renew Boston Trust (RBT) began in 2017. It is a City program that conducts energy audits and invests in conservation upgrades for municipal buildings. In 2022, Renew Boston Trust extended its scope to include an energy audit of all exterior City-owned lighting. This program is an important tool for the City as it leads by example in reaching carbon neutrality and becoming a Green New Deal city.

Renew Boston Trust was developed in phases. Each phase includes a unique set of municipal buildings. At the end of RBT's Phase 3 and the exterior lighting scope, all City departments that own and operate buildings will have received energy efficiency upgrades.

The initiative is overseen by departments in three of the City’s cabinets:

the Environment Department
the Public Facilities Department, which handles major construction projects for the City, and
the Budget Office, which handles the City’s budget and spending.

Phases of Renew Boston Trust

Phase I

In Phase 1, energy conservation measures were installed at 14 municipal buildings and renewable generation at three sites.

Phase II

In Phase 2, 24 new facilities and seven facilities included in Phase 1 were upgraded with additional energy conservation measures. These included chillers and heat pumps.

Phase III

Phase 3 will include deep energy efficiency and carbon reduction upgrades in Boston Public Schools for the first time in Renew Boston Trust. The City will also expand its fleet of solar panel arrays on municipal properties.

Exterior Lighting

Each year the City spends about $5 million for energy for exterior lighting.

Interactive map

Check out RBT's project locations and energy-saving measures

Launch map

Renew Boston Trust benefits

Benefits

Green jobs

The City has improved and expanded its contracting with Women and Minority Business Enterprises (WMBE) in Boston.

Cost savings

In 20 years, energy conservation measures in the project will help the City save money for other future investments.

Reduce emissions

The City reduces its use of fossil fuels and its greenhouse gas emissions and shifts to cleaner energy.

Program Updates

JULY 2023

The City will know the energy savings from Phase 1 projects (from July 2022 - June 2023) by October of 2023. In Phase 2, the Renew Boston Trust team is installing equipment at two community centers and a police station. All construction in Phase 2 should be complete by November 2023.

Phase 3 includes several parts. The first part is 70% complete. Renew Boston Trust is replacing over 14,000 lights in City Hall. This project is over 60% complete and ahead of schedule. The second part of Phase 3 started earlier this year. Heating and cooling equipment installations have begun at the Tynan and Murphy schools. Other projects at the Tynan, Murphy, Condon, and Ohrenberger schools will begin later this year.

The exterior lighting audit is complete. The City and the project team are reviewing the results and identifying projects to reduce energy use and emissions.