Did you know that Newton has many hundreds of unrepaired gas leaks? For the past 5 years, Mothers Out Front Newton has been raising awareness about the danger, waste and pollution from methane gas leaks and promoting clean energy, efficiency and conservation.

Is there a leak near you? Use Newton’s Interactive Gas Leaks Map to find gas leaks polluting the air on your street or near your child’s school. As of December 2021, Newton had 649 unrepaired gas leaks (yellow) and 231 repaired leaks (red). Gas leaks are measured in the streets, not the buildings, and are identified by the nearest address. 

How are gas leaks prioritized for repair? 

• Grade 1 – leaks are potentially explosive. They must be repaired immediately. They are leaks in or near a contained space, such as a building or manhole.
• Grade 2 – leaks are considered non-hazardous, but could become hazardous in the near future. They must be repaired within a year.
• Grade 3 – leaks are considered non-hazardous and are expected to remain non-hazardous. Grade 3 leaks are required to be repaired or eliminated within 8 years.
• Grade 3 SEI – leaks are greater than 2000 square feet and have significant environmental impact (SEI). SEIs are 7% of all leaks yet are responsible for approximately 50% of all methane emissions. They are required to be repaired in 1–3 years.

Note: These are underestimates. Only reported leaks are included. Independent researchers typically find 1.5 to 3 times as many leaks as utilities report.

Mothers Out Front, with the support of the City of Newton, advocates for state and local policies to fix the gas leaks, and calls for accountability and transparency from Newton's gas provider, National Grid.

For more information visit Mothers Out Front Newton.

Smell Gas– Act Fast. If you smell gas anywhere, including in your home, go outside and call 1-800-233-5325 or 911.

Newton Power Choice is the City’s electricity supply program for our residents and businesses. The program is a form of group electricity purchasing known as electricity aggregation. Our program provides an opportunity for Newtonians to significantly increase both their own and our community’s investment in clean energy. Participating in our Newton Power Choice program is much less expensive for now through at least July 2023 than remaining on Eversource Basic Service. Even if you opt up to 100% renewable power, you save approximately $62 per month, or $370 over the next six-month period, as compared to Eversource Basic Service. Learn more about 2023 pricing here and sign up for Newton Power Choice here.  

With Newton Power Choice, Eversource delivers the electricity; customers continue to contact Eversource for power issues; and Eversource will continue to bill them. The difference with Newton Power Choice is that the City of Newton selects the supplier of the electricity for customers rather than leaving it up to the utility.

The City of Newton has been the leader in the State in choosing the highest percentage of renewables of any city or town’s electricity aggregation program since signing the first Newton Power Choice contract in November 2018. Our current Newton Power Choice contract includes 84% local renewable sources such as wind and solar as the Standard/Default for our electricity supply.

The City of Newton currently has solar arrays operating at 18 City owned parking lots and building rooftops. The projects reduce carbon emissions and produce revenue for the City. The projects are being installed in three phases. Phases 1 and 2 were completed in 2013/2014 and 2017. They included ten rooftop projects, two parking canopy projects and the solar farm at the Rumford landfill. Phase 3 electricity generation  began in 2020 when three rooftop projects came on-line. In August and September of 2021 (FY 2022) three more parking canopy projects came on-line at the Newton Free Library and North High School. Seven additional projects are planned under Phase 3 and are under development.  The projects that were up and running in FY 2023 generated over 6 million kWh which was equivalent to 30% of the total municipal electrical use in that year. The projects also saved the City over $1,000,000 in FY 2021. When all planned projects are completed they will generate the equivalent of 40% of total municipal electricity use. More on Newton Solar.

This program allocates solar net metering credits, generated from the City's large solar canopy located at the DPW yard on Elliot Street, to low-income residents' electricity bills. As of 2023, about 1,300 low-income Newton households are each receiving $40 per year in electricity savings from this program. Click for FAQs about the Community Solar Share program.

In FY2021 the City executed new multi-year contracts for its natural gas supply, electricity supply, and RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates). The gas contract is a four-year fixed price contract at a rate that is 20% lower than the previous contract and runs from November 2019 through October 2023. The electricity contract is a four-year fixed price contract that was substantially  lower than the Eversource Basic Service rates for the winter of 2022. For every cent that the electricity price is lower than Basic Service the City saves about $200,000 per year. The REC contract is a four-year fixed price contract for 2100 Mass Class 1 RECs, which represents 10% of annual electricity use.  The REC contract is for the same period as the electricity supply contract.

The City is in the process of installing EV charging stations in public parking areas and at municipal buildings throughout Newton in partnership with Eversource, Ameresco, and Greenspot. Chargers are used by both the public and the municipal fleet.  The City currently has 22 EV charging stations, each with two ports, located on City property and available to the public.  Locations include:

• Auburndale (Lexington Lot)
• Nonantum (Adams Lot)
• Newton Corner (Richardson Lot)
• City Hall (War Memorial side)
• Newton North High School
• Newton Free Library
• 52 Elliot St (Public Buildings Department)
• Newton South High School
• 100 Crafts St (DPW building)
• Newton Corner (Pearl St Lot)
• Newton Centre (Pleasant St Lot)

Plugshare.com posts locations of all private and City of Newton chargers available to the public.

Interested in electric vehicles? Learn more about your options for EVs and green transportation.

The City has replaced 100% of its non‐emergency sedan fleet to electric. The non-emergency sedan fleet has 31 EVs, 6 PHEVs and 28 hybrid vehicles.

The City has built three new elementary schools since 2016 (Angier, Zervas, and Cabot) that are LEED silver or gold certified. New buildings, renovations and additions are being done as net zero and/or all electric heating. This includes an addition at Oak Hill Middle School which will be net zero carbon, the renovation of the former Horace Mann school at 687 Watertown Street which will be all electric using heat pump technology, and the Auburndale Library has been converted from steam oil- fired heat to heat pumps. The major renovation of the former Aquinas School at 15 Jackson Road is being designed using heat pump RVF technology to replace oil-fired heating and to include solar.

In March, 2022, the City Council passed a Home Rule petition that, if passed by the Legislature, would give the City the legal authority to require new buildings and significant renovations to use electricity for heating, cooling, hot water, cooking, and other appliances, and to minimize the use of fossil fuels in these buildings. City staff is also working closely with State Representative Kay Khan on a proposed bill that would require the electrification of all new buildings and substantial renovations statewide.

In 2023, changes to the state building code were enacted, increasing energy efficiency requirements for all new buildings and new construction. Since Newton adopted the Stretch code in 2009, we have had higher energy requirements than municipalities following the Base code. The 2023 code updates changed both the Base and Stretch code to be more energy efficient, and introduced a third, more stringent code known as the Specialized code. Newton City Council adopted the Specialized code on March 6, 2023 and it will go into effect on January 1, 2024. Click to learn more about the Specialized code, commercial codes, and residential codes.

The City is in the process of redesigning Newton’s Zoning Ordinances. Zoning is a set of regulations governing land use development in the City. These rules tell us what may be built in different areas of the city, or zones, regulating the size and shape of new buildings, additions and renovations, and setbacks from neighboring properties. Zoning also imposes certain development standards, such as for storm water management, lighting, parking and other environmental requirements. The redesign is an opportunity to include provisions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Newton, as called for in the Newton Climate Action Plan.

State law requires that all new residential construction and major renovations must meet a numerical standard for energy efficiency performance. The performance metric is the Home Energy Rating System, HERS, with better energy efficiency associated with a smaller number. All HERS scores are publicly posted on the Newton Assessor Database in order to educate homeowners and motivate them to improve their homes.

The Climate and Sustainability Team has launched an outreach campaign, called 4 Our Future, to encourage and support Newton residents to make four key energy efficiency/renewable energy home upgrades: weatherize, heat and cool smart with heat pumps, use green transportation, and use renewable energy. Learn more on the 4 Our Future webpage.

The City fulfilled an important commitment of the CAP in hiring an Energy Coach in February 2021. This individual works in the Climate and Sustainability Office and is committed to achieving residential sector CAP goals by providing support and education to residents. The Energy Coach also manages the Energy Coach volunteer program, in which Newton residents sign up through the City website for a free 1-to-1 consult on their home energy project with either the City staff or a volunteer Coach. There have been close to 500 consultations in the first two years. Have energy questions? Sign up for a consult here!

The City has converted over 60% of the lighting in its schools and other City buildings to LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which are significantly more energy efficient than other types of lighting. In FY2020 the City completed LED lighting projects at the Newton South High School and 687 Watertown Street as well as insulation and air sealing at the Nonantum Library using Mass. Green Communities grants. The City will continue to convert buildings to LED lighting and look for more opportunities to insulate/air seal buildings and to convert buildings from fossil fuels to heat pumps. The City has received a State Green Communities grant to continue these projects. The City has received over $1.5 million in Green Communities grants which have been used primarily for LED lighting.

The City is working with local volunteer-led environmental groups to encourage the spread of heat pump technology for heating, cooling, and hot water. Heat pumps are powered by electricity and are highly efficient as compared to traditional electric resistance heating. They are able to replace fossil fuels for heating, cooling, and hot water.  Learn more about HeatSmart Newton.

The City has an MOU with Eversource and National Grid to deliver enhanced energy efficiency and EV programs (i.e. over and above typical State utility programs) to Newton customers in order to meet mutually agreed upon performance and energy savings goals. New and higher rebate levels for buildings will be available under programs approved by the Department of Public Utilities in January 2022. The City and the utilities will collaborate to get this information to Newton utility customers to effectuate broader and deeper implementation of energy efficiency and GHG reduction measures in the community. New electric vehicle incentives for charging stations will be available through Eversource for residential, multi-family and commercial customers in the summer of 2022 and will also be promoted through this partnership. See Mayor's letter to all electric account holders.

BERDO is a proposed ordinance addressing the 293 Non-Residential buildings over 20,000 square feet of Gross Floor Area in the City of Newton, which account for 23% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the City. BERDO sets a schedule for building owners to report energy use and  emissions from the buildings, and for reducing emissions over time  to zero by 2050. The BERDO is being submitted to the City Council Zoning and Planning Committee on May 28, 2024. Learn more, including reading the draft ordinance language, here.

Newton's Department of Public Works, Sustainable Materials Management Division, is focused on waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and proper management of municipal solid waste. In FY2023, the Newton DPW will focus on continuing to promote the subscription curbside organics collection program, which now includes over 2,500 households. The organics drop-off pilot program at the Resource Recovery Center on Rumford Ave will continue, with plans for expansion at up to three locations. In addition, the feasibility of diverting food waste from school cafeterias will be investigated and revisited. Education and outreach programs will continue to encourage waste reduction, reuse, and diversion of food waste as high-impact actions residents can take.

The Village Bank and the City of Newton are announcing their new microgrant program to support local projects designed to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Village Bank and the City are each contributing $2,500 to the program for one year, with the expectation that the program will be continued if there is sufficient interest on the part of advocates. Grants of $250 to $1,000 will be available. 

Interested applicants can review the announcement and application form, also available on The Village Bank's website.

The City is implementing initiatives consistent with the recently completed Climate Vulnerability Plan. The plan addresses issues related to adaptation and resiliency to climate change such as flooding and excessive heat. Read Plan.