Cambridge Getting to Net Zero Project

In response to a citizen petition, the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts is developing a roadmap to becoming a net zero energy community. The City retained Integral Group throughout 2014 to advise City staff and a task force of key stakeholders and expert professionals to develop an action plan to meet the net zero target. The “Getting to Net Zero Task Force” is charged with developing a road map to net zero buildings citywide.

Integral Group is advising the task force by providing project management, facilitation, research, modeling and analysis, and policy recommendations to the task force and Cambridge City staff. Ultimately, Integral Group will develop a set of recommendations for the City that will place them on the trajectory to being
a net zero community. A key focus is policy tools and standards that can be applied to achieve significant energy and GHG savings from new construction and existing buildings.

Integral Group compiled supporting data and research to aid in developing a net-zero strategy in a series of primers as backgrounders to support this objective. The research included the development of three primers: (1) best practices in net zero energy and energy efficiency policy – municipal case studies; (2) Cambridge building energy primer, a snapshot of Cambridge’s building stock including available data on energy use by building type and sector; and (3) a low carbon energy supply primer describing renewable and low carbon energy generation options that are feasible in Cambridge. The project deliverable will be a high-level action plan laying out strategies – including regulation, education, and incentives – to move Cambridge toward the net-zero objective.