A Climate-Smart Reboot for the Accelerated Repair Program is in Motion

This month the Massachusetts School Building Authority is relaunching the Accelerated Repair Program (ARP) with important changes that stand to better serve communities and support the state’s climate goals.  

Since its inception in 2012, districts have relied on the Accelerated Repair Program to fund the installation of new windows & doors, roofs, and boilers. In fact, the program approved over $9 million in funding for new boiler replacements in 2021 despite the state’s commitment to move away from burning fossil fuels. With the reboot of ARP, the MSBA has removed new boilers (the overwhelming majority of which burn fossil gas) from eligibility and will instead work to launch a new heat pump retrofit program. 

The MSBA recommended that the Accelerated Repair Program reopen this month with its narrowed focus and an annual budget of $150 million - double its prior grant capacity. Meanwhile, the staff will work to develop a separate heat pump retrofit program with a desired launch in January 2025.

This is an exciting move in the right direction. 

Developing and releasing a heat pump retrofit program for schools can’t come soon enough. Schools across the state face aging HVAC systems that are not equipped to keep students safe in the context of extreme heat and continue to worsen air pollution. Air pollution from buildings was responsible for $8.394 billion in health impact costs in 2017 in Massachusetts. With over 186 million square feet of building space, schools are substantial contributors to building emissions. 

We need all schools to embrace heat pumps, a heating and cooling system that can help schools save money and improve the classroom environment for students. In districts like Springfield, only about half of schools currently have cooling. Evidence suggests subjecting students to excessive heat harms academic performance putting our children at a comparative disadvantage. A transition to heat pumps is the smart way to reduce energy costs, reduce air pollution, and add much-needed cooling to classrooms.

Meanwhile, unprecedented funding through both Mass Save and the Inflation Reduction Act mean a new state program to encourage heat pump adoption would help communities leverage these other funding sources for greater impact and lower cost to taxpayers.

Ensuring students and communities most in need will be able to access funding will be critical to a successful heat pump retrofit program design. Given Massachusetts’ history of inequitable investment in our school buildings, it is critical that the MSBA design a program that creates a decarbonization on-ramp for communities with years of deferred maintenance in their school buildings. For example, in order to make the transition to heat pumps, schools may first need to remediate toxins like mold or asbestos or catch up on ADA compliance to make buildings accessible. A program that centers equity will be designed to help schools in Gateway Cities and in rural communities make the transition to cleaner, healthier heat pumps. 

Change isn’t easy and it wasn’t so long ago that we were lamenting the state’s continued investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure in our schools. So we’re thrilled to see that months later, the MSBA, under the leadership of its new Executive Director, Mary Pichetti, is making these substantial changes to their program. We hope to see the MSBA move swiftly forward with its new program development work and will stand ready to advocate for robust funding for a well-designed program.