Buildings
Commercial and residential buildings make up the largest chunk of greenhouse gas emissions in Worcester. Our goals are for new buildings to be net zero and climate resilient and to promote deep energy retrofits of existing buildings. A net zero building produces enough renewable energy to meet its own energy consumption needs.
GHG Emissions from Buildings
Getting to Net Zero
Commercial and residential buildings together make up 65% of Worcester's greenhouse gas emissions. From heating and cooling to electricity use, buildings are intense energy users. The Green Worcester Plan lays out several strategies to get our buildings to net zero:
- Make new buildings net zero through requirements and incentives.
- Promote standard energy retrofits and incentivize and provide financing options for deep energy retrofits of older buildings.
- Use electricity rather than fossil fuels for building energy systems.
- Make renewable energy the source of electricity and heat.
GHG Emissions from Buildings
Our Progress So Far
Since 2009, we have made great progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. In 2019, commercial buildings were down 10% and residential buildings were down 7%. Together, we can continue to make emissions reductions as we ramp up our actions to get our buildings to net zero.
Source: Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 2019
Municipal Building Energy Projects
Leading the Way
The City of Worcester is determined to lead the way to a net zero future for the rest of the community, starting by tackling emissions reductions in municipal-owned buildings. Since 2007, the city has invested millions of dollars in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in 92 of its municipal buildings. This endeavor is a significant step toward modernizing municipal facilities and achieving long term energy and cost savings.
Municipal Building Energy Projects
Measuring Energy Use
One way to calculate the greenhouse emissions for a community is to understand the energy usage over a given period of time. Energy sources like gas, electricity, and oil across different sectors in the community are accounted for in these calculations. The following graphs indicate energy usage and the lifetime savings (cost and energy) for the various building types in Worcester.
UNIT | Energy from different sources is measured in different ways – electricity is measured in kWh, natural gas in therms, oil in gallons. We can convert these different measures into a common measure- million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) -to better understand and compare total energy use. | MMBTUMillion British Thermal Units |
| Energy from different sources is measured in different ways – electricity is measured in kWh, natural gas in therms, oil in gallons. We can convert these different measures into a common measure- million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) -to better understand and compare total energy use. | MMBTUMillion British Thermal Units |
Municipal Building Energy Projects
Energy Use by Building Type
It's important to track our energy usage across the most common building types in Worcester. We use this information to identify the areas that need improvement around energy reduction. This graph does not include school buildings because they are significantly higher in energy usage than all the other categories. The next graph below shows the energy trend over time for our schools.
Since 2009, Vehicle Maintenance Buildings have reduced their energy usage the most by an impressive 52%! Only our public works buildings saw an energy use increase. They are the smallest energy users and overall only had a 2% increase since 2009.
However, if you look closely, you'll notice that the 2022 column total is much lower than the 2009 total. When we look at the energy usage across all building types (including schools) we see a 6% reduction between 2009 and 2022.
Municipal Building Energy Projects
Energy Use in Schools
As is common in many cities, our schools are some of our largest buildings and therefore the largest energy users.
To get our schools to net zero, we're working on a number of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The new Doherty High School was designed with our net zero building goals in mind. The heating and cooling will be primarily electric, with high-efficiency gas boilers used as a back-up heat source on extremely cold days only. To top it off (literally), we're putting a large solar array on the school's roof!
Municipal Building Energy Projects
GRITS – Energy Savings Project Data
Over the past ten years, the City of Worcester has undertaken a number of energy saving projects. The financial data for these projects (costs, est. savings, ROI, etc.) were entered into an online database called “GRITS.” Due to these energy savings projects, buildings in Worcester have produced a lifetime energy savings of 1,020,067 MMBTU and an impressive $29,921,736 in cost savings!
Municipal Building Energy Projects
Bringing the Light
Let there be light! In 2020, the City started large-scale lighting efficiency projects in 67 buildings - 48 schools, 9 fire stations, and 10 municipal buildings. As part of the City’s Energy Conservation Performance Contract, the project includes replacing existing old fluorescent lighting with high efficiency, motion-sensored LEDs. The project’s value is approximately $8 million, avoiding over 4 million kWh and 2,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, while improving light quality for city’s students, employees and visitors.
Municipal Building Energy Projects
Solar on Public Schools
Between 2011 and 2022, Worcester installed 3,777 KW-DC of solar capacity at 12 schools. Six of these installations are roof mounted arrays where we piloted painting the roofs below white. The roof painting has improved system performance and the building’s energy efficiency
How You Can Help
Reduce Building Emissions Through Improvements and Investment
