Newburyport’s Accomplishments
1998
- Green Teams established at Newburyport Elementary Schools
- Green Teams established at Newburyport Middle School
2006
- Newburyport joins ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
2007
- Mayor establishes Energy Advisory Committee
- Mayor signs US Mayors Climate Agreement
- Newburyport conducts energy audits of municipal buildings, including schools, through 2009
2009
- Mayor endorses goal established by EAC for Newburyport to become a zero-energy city by 2028, revised five years later to 20508-Greater Newburyport Eco-Collaborative formed (Collaboration between the City of Newburyport, the Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce, and Local Eco-Groups)
- 502 kW Solar panel installation completed at Molin Elementary/Nock Middle School and the DPS barn in a power purchase agreement with Ameresco. At the time, this was the largest municipal solar installation in the Commonwealth10-City receives grant for LEED-certified Waste Water Treatment Plant Building 11-City receives grant for solar panels on the wastewater treatment plant
- City permits and approves a 600 kW wind turbine at Mark Richey Woodworking, the first of it’s size on private land in MA,
- Mark Richey installs a biomass furnace for heating that is fueled by scraps from the manufacturing process
- EcoCollaborative receives a grant for three carbon reduction initiatives
2010-12
- City conducts energy efficiency measures in five municipal buildings: Police Station, Public Library, City Hall, DPS Barn, and Kelly School
2010
- City is designated a Green Community by the MA DOER and creates and fills Energy Manager position
- City completes short term Energy Reduction Plan
- City receives EECBG Grant for Energy Efficiency Measures at the Kelley School
- City conducts a carbon reduction challenge for municipal staff and the community with 80 residential households participated in a pledge to reduce CO2 by 600,000 lbs.
- City hosts a 10-day Eco Celebration throughout the greater community.
- EAC completes street light study and energy saving recommendations
- City Council adopts Stretch Energy Code
- City participates in Regional ESCO (Merrimac Valley Planning Department) RFP for Municipal Buildings
2011
- City signs 20-year net metering agreement with True North to save 5,000 tons of CO2 annually and reduce energy costs by 10% annually for associated offtaking accounts
2012
- City participates in MassCEC’s Solarize Mass program adding 423 kW on 46 residences, a six-fold increase in installed solar capacity
2013
- City achieves 17% reduction goal in energy consumption one year ahead of schedule
2013-14
- City undertakes energy efficient renovations at Molin Elementary/Nock Middle School building
2014
- City applies for grant to explore developing parking lot solar canopies
- City opens doors to the new Bresnahan Elementary School, an MSBA Model School Program building, emphasizing a reduction in energy and water use Newburyport EAC forms street lighting subcommittee to focus on more efficiency in street lighting
- City Launches No Wasted Energy Residential Home Energy Audit and Weatherization Program with Next Step Living, completing 367 residential energy audits, 156 air sealing jobs, 143 insulation jobs, 7 heating system upgrades, and 3 hot water system upgrades
- City completes Newburyport Clean Energy Roadmap with 14 Strategies for increasing renewable energy use, building energy efficiency, and sustainable transportation use
- City receives LEED certification for newly constructed Waste Water Treatment Plant that hosts a 28.88 kW solar PV system
- City receives an annual Leading By Example (LBE) Municipal Award from the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
- Energy Office makes renewable energy recommendations to the Planning Office for new Harbormaster Building
2016
- Signed a 3-year energy supply contract with Constellation Energy
2017
- City Master Plan specifies goals to promote energy conservation and renewable energy production in new and existing housing and transportation
- Electric Vehicle charging station added in the State Street parking lot
- Parking office acquires an all-electric vehicle
- Completes purchase of citywide streetlights and upgrades all to LED citywide
- Launched the City’s second Solarize campaign, Solarize Plus, for residents and small businesses
2018
- Examined pricing available for community electricity aggregation
- Gained 22 solar contracts totaling 130kW and 11 Air Source Heat Pumps at the conclusion of the Solarize Plus Campaign
- Initated Greenhouse Gas Inventory as part of becoming a net zero energy community by 2015. Includes specific energy sources, sectors in the community, and boundaries for inclusion or exclusion of off site renewables
2019
- In July, the city adopted a regulation of the use of glyphosate on city owned property
- Launched a city-wide subscription program with Black Earth Compost
- Expanded the hazardous waste program to include 2 Newburyport events and 5 regional events
- Finalized our fifth grant with the Green Communities for energy efficiency upgrades at City Hall, the State Street Library and the Police Station
- Completed a Community Initiative program with Nation Grid to encourage building owners and residents to participate in a no cost energy assessment offered by the Mass Save program. The year's results exceeded our energy assessment goal by 128%
- Through the Solar Mass Renewable Target (SMART), the city completed five solar alternatives on bill credit community solar contracts with NexAmp which will provide discounted solar credits to the Newburyport Schools and bring Newburyport’s total municipal energy supply to 60% renewable
The city has avoided National Grid energy supply costs with a supply agreement with Constellation New Energy from January 2018-January 2020
- Since the LED streetlight upgrade the city has saved 13% in energy costs and over 40% in rental costs
2020
- Completed the Green Communities 2020 Annual Report and concluded that total municipal energy usage in all city buildings has decreased by 18% since our benchmark year, 2009, due in part to COVID-19 impacts
- In response to increased energy usage by the water treatment facility, a program was conducted with the DOER and NG which confirmed that the two most recent years of electricity bills were incorrect. A credit was been initiated by NG
- We are in our sixth grant cycle with the Green Communities for energy efficient upgrades at Newburyport High School and the State Street Library
- Of the five community solar contracts signed with NexAmp under the Solar Mass Renewable Target (SMART), two were operational as of February 2021 and the rest will be operational in the coming months
- A new electric supply agreement was signed with Constellation Energy until 2023
2021
- In March 2021, the city completed a Fleet Electrification Assessment to guide the city to procurement of electric vehicles by 2035
- The City of Newburyport publicly declares itself a municipally aggregated community of electric energy supply on behalf of residents and businesses in the community
- The city passed an ordinance to require annual reporting on the conditional and operational performance of city owned buildings
- The city passed an ordinance to require municipal facilities consume the minimum amount of energy with an ideal of net zero energy for each individual facility and that the construction maintenance and operation of its facilities result in minimal emission of greenhouse gases associated with such energy usage