Find out what's happening in your state:
HPSE: Massachusetts
State Policies
Massachusetts has drafted its own version of CHPS (referred to as MA CHPS). The state requires that even if a school doesn't apply for MA CHPS certification, it must meet a set of required performance standards. These include energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and policy/operations.
Grants and Rebates
The MSBA (Mass School Building Authority) offers a 1.5-2 percent incentive for money spent towards energy efficiency in the context of designing towards MA CHPS certification.
If a school designs towards the MA CHPS guidelines, it can apply for a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for reimbursement of costs associated with renewable energy installation and/or building design.
The Cape Light Compact offers several incentive programs which can be viewed at their website.
National Grid runs a diverse set of programs to encourage energy efficiency, some of which can be applied to schools.
DSIRE maintains a database of incentives for Massachusetts, many of which can be applied to schools. See the page for more information.
For More Information
The High Performance Schools Exchange offers presentations and trainings to design and building professionals as well as school administrators and committees. These are available at no cost. and can be scheduled by contacting Carolyn Sarno at csarno@neep.org or at (781)860-9177 x119.
High Performance Schools in Massachusetts
School Name |
Location |
Criteria Used |
Status |
Features |
| Completed | ||||
| Ashland High School | Ashland, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | The 197,000 square foot high school incorporates a variety of green features like a 33.6 kW solar system on the school roof, materials with recycled content, skylights that increase the amount of natural light in the school’s interior spaces, and several energy saving mechanical system upgrades. |
| Berkshire Hills Regional MS | Great Barrington, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Renewable Energy Trust funding was used to assist the school in adopting many energy efficient ideas as well as their specified photovoltaic system. |
| Blackstone Valley Tech HS | Upton, MA | MA-CHPS April 2004 Version | Completed | The school has incorporated a solar thermal domestic water preheating system and showcased a large solar array on the roof of the building. One of the nicest features of the school is the Energy Management System that helps the students understand how the building uses energy. |
| Capuano Early Childhood Center | Somerville, MA | LEED NC - no MTC formal rating | Completed | Energy-saving measures include a 35-kW solar electric system to produce energy, an energy-efficient building envelope, and mechanical and electrical systems that reduce energy costs by more than 38% based on energy modeling simulations. |
| Carlton Elementary | Salem, MA | Designed to LEED - no MTC formal rating | Completed | Features include a 31 kW of solar photovoltaic cells, including 30 kW of flat panels mounted on the school roof and 1 kW of photovoltaic-insulated windows for the school’s greenhouse. A small 1 kW wind turbine is visible on the roof of the school. |
| Centerville Elementary | Beverly, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Renewable Energy Trust grant helped Beverly’s Centerville School to reduce the school’s water irrigation needs, develop an educational curriculum based on renewable energy, and install a combination daylight and skylight system in the form of a “roof monitor.” |
| Collicot-Cunningham Elementary | Milton, MA | MA-CHPS December 2004 Version | Completed | During the design phase of funding the planners decided to transform two schools that share the same site but occupy two buildings into a single building that share a cafeteria, kitchen, media center, several specialty classrooms and a common energy source for heating, cooling and electrical needs. Milton maximized energy efficiency opportunities in this addition/renovation project and paid special attention to improving the schools’ indoor air quality |
| Dedham Middle School | Dedham, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Green features that make these savings possible include: efficient lighting, Energy Star equipment, high-efficiency HVAC equipment, high-efficiency condensing boilers, CO2 sensors that control ventilation equipment based on occupancy, and an energy management system that allows facility personnel to monitor and control mechanical systems throughout the building. |
| Falmouth High School | Falmouth, MA | Completed | The project also paid close attention to the sorting and recycling of construction waste, designed a storm water runoff reduction and treatment system and chose to install locally manufactured and low-emitting materials. | |
| Great Falls MS/Turners Falls HS | Montague, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Energy-saving features include: skylights allowing daylight into interior classrooms, efficient lighting with occupancy sensors, high-efficiency HVAC equipment, CO2 sensor controlled fans, and three operable windows in each classroom. |
| Holten-Richmond Middle School | Danvers, MA | MA-CHPS | Completed | The HRMS design incorporates several high efficiency systems, including occupancy sensors for HVAC and lighting, high-efficiency boilers, and an improved building envelope. The building was also designed with a demonstration-sized photovoltaic system and a stormwater storage and irrigation system. |
| MATCH School | Boston, MA | Designed to LEED - no MTC formal rating | Completed | MATCH installed a rooftop photovoltaic panel system that provides 15 percent of the school's electricity. The building is also energy efficient, consuming an estimated 42 percent less energy than it would use if built according standard code regulations. The design won first prize in the Solar Electric Building category of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's 2003 Green Buildings Award. |
| Newton South High School | Newton, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Project highlights include a 47.5 kW solar array on the field house roof and a 6.5 kW solar array on a south-facing field house awning, daylighting sensors that dim lights when adequate ambient light is present, occupancy sensors that turn lights off when rooms are not in use, a rainwater collection system that recycles rainwater for toilet flushing, and low VOC paints and sealants that improve air quality for the building occupants. |
| Quincy Street Elementary | Brockton, MA | MA-CHPS December 2004 Version | Completed | Brockton used feasibility study grant to produce a comprehensive report which looked at the feasibility of incorporating three different photovoltaic installations, a small 400 watt wind turbine, and solar hot water pre-heating system into the design of its Quincy Street Elementary School. |
| Veterans Memorial Middle School | Melrose, MA | MA-CHPS April 2004 Version | Completed | The school is very water efficient and will save over 350,000 gallons per year relative to a typical school of this size. The school is also about 30% more energy efficient than the Massachusetts minimum building code requirements which will save the City of Melrose about $100,000 per year on the utility bills for the school. |
| Wachusett Reginal High School | Holden, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | |
| Whitman Hanson Regional HS | Hanson, MA | MA-CHPS April 2004 Version | Completed | A 51-kW solar electric array mounted on the roof; and a 20,000-gallon underground greywater storage tank collects rainwater and reuses it to flush toilets and urinals in the school. |
| Woburn Memorial High School | Woburn, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Building beats energy code by more than 25%, with nearly 720,000 kilowatt hours per year in energy savings compared to a typical school of the same size. Green features that make these savings possible include: solar panels, efficient lighting, high-efficiency HVAC equipment with heat recovery system and daylighting. |
| Williamstown Elementary | Williamstown, MA | CA-CHPS | Completed | Most recently, Williamstown installed a custom designed energy display panel that streams real time building energy use data in graphic and numeric formats. The Superintendent and teachers at the school have begun using the information displayed as part of this kiosk system as a teaching tool and a major component of their environmental curriculum. |
| In Progress | ||||
| Beverly High School | Beverly, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | Received an $18,000 feasibility study grant to explore renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures and has now been approved by the Mass School Building Authority for construction reimbursement based upon a plan to design and construct the new school totaling approximately 260,000 square feet. |
| Bridgewater Raynham Regional HS | Bridgewater, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | The Bridgewater Raynham Regional School District has been approved by the Mass School Building Authority for construction reimbursement based upon a plan to design and construct a new high school totaling 330,000 square feet. |
| Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School | Cambridge, MA | municipal mandate to design all city buildings to LEED | In Progress | Plans include a new roof, new windows, new skylights, new mechanical HVAC equipment, new lighting, new interior finishes for improved acoustics, and water efficiency measures. |
| Dr. Albert F Argenziano School at Lincoln Park | Somerville, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | Recently awarded a Design grant totaling $50,000 to support the following activities related to a high-performance green school design: Green Team Support; Renewable Energy System Design; Commissioning |
| Freeman Centennial ES | Norfolk, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | A variety of renewable energy technologies were examined for both new structure and renovation of the existing structure and included wind, photovoltaics, biomass, and landfill gas. Additionally, Norfolk performed a preliminary energy model of the building which predicted significant energy savings in the areas of heating, cooling and lighting. |
| Lincoln Elementary School | New Bedford, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | |
| Manchester-Essex Regional JHS/HS | Manchester by the Sea, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | |
| Newton North High School | Newton, MA | municipal mandate to design all city buildings to LEED | In Progress | By using the life-cycle costing method, analysis of HVAC system energy efficiency opportunities were done, proving the cost effectiveness of a central chiller plant with the use of gas heat. Onsite wind generation, both large turbine and small building integrated systems, as well as building mounted solar photovoltaic systems for electrical generation were also investigated. |
| Putnam Vocational High School | Springfield, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | |
| Quincy High School | Quincy, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | The City of Quincy has been approved by the Mass School Building Authority for construction reimbursement based upon a plan to design and construct a new Quincy High School totaling approximately 325,030 square feet. |
| Worcester North High School | Worcester, MA | designing to MA-CHPS version 1.0 (10-16-06) | In Progress | The Worcester North High School has been approved by the Mass School Building Authority for construction reimbursement based upon a plan to design and construct the new North High School totaling approximately 235,000 square feet. The voters of Worcester have approved the budget and plan. |