SPRINGFIELD, MA – The EPA awarded a $450 million grant to New England in order to electrify residential heating and cooling.
The grant was awarded to the New England Heat Pump Accelerator, a coalition of five New England energy departments.
Distribution of the funds hasn’t been announced, but Massachusetts should receive a sizable portion. David Cash, the EPA Regional Administrator for New England, told 22News the benefits of switching from fossil fuels.
“We’re addressing the climate crisis, straight on by reducing emissions. We’re improving local air pollution because we’re gonna be shifting off from dirty sources of fuel like home heating oil to clean, renewable electricity,” said Cash.
The EPA expects this grant to help cut emissions significantly. It’s estimated the reduction of CO2 is equivalent to what over 100,000 cars emit each year.
Cash also said the success of this program relies on local governments to give homeowners and HVAC specialists the tools they need to make this transition. One Northampton resident expressed his support for the grant but understands why there’s some opposition.
“I mean, unless you’re running something serious I mean it shouldn’t affect your everyday life too much. I mean we’ve all lived under candlelight for a couple of hours, so it shouldn’t be too bad, but I could definitely see the rest of something especially cameras and things like that that people run, so there is pros and cons to it. I think an option would be a good idea though,” said Andy Colon, a homeowner in Northampton.
Around half a million homes are expected to undergo the conversion, 40% located in low-income communities.
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Jack Wu joined the 22News Storm Team in July 2023. Follow Jack on X @the_jackwu and view his bio to see more of his work.
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