My Building is Above its Emissions Limit, What can I do Now?

You have two options to address excess emissions produced by your building:

1. Buy MA Class I Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to mitigate your electricity emissions. A MA Class I REC is a digital record representing 1 MWh of high-quality renewable energy generated in the New England grid. Buying MA Class I RECs allows your building to take credit for local renewable energy even if it is not physically connected to a wind turbine or a solar panel.
   • Log in to your BERDO Reporting Portal and navigate to the Mitigation of Emissions page to confirm the maximum number of RECs needed to offset your building's electricity emissions above the limit.
   • Purchase the number of RECs shown in the column titled “Max Eligible RECs”. You can purchase your RECs through the City of Boston’s MA Class I REC Connector Program or independently through REC brokers. 
   • Contact energyreporting@boston.gov with your BERDO ID to have REC reporting enabled in your BERDO reporting form.
   • In your BERDO reporting form, upload proof of your qualifying REC purchase and REC retirement and resend your data to your third-party verifier.
     
     TIP: Some buildings are able to fully comply with emissions standards by only mitigating electricity emissions with MA Class I RECs. If this is the case for your building, in the Mitigation of Emissions section, the column “Compliance with MA Class I RECs Only” will show “Yes”.
2. Make Alternative Compliance Payments (ACPs) to mitigate emissions from any energy sources: ACPs are payments of $234 for every metric ton of CO2e a building is above its emissions limit. ACPs can be made annually to keep your building in compliance. ACPs go into the new Equitable Emissions Investment Fund, which will fund future decarbonization projects in Boston’s environmental justice communities. 
   • To pay an ACP, log in to your BERDO Reporting Portal account, navigate to Mitigation of Emissions, and select "Request Invoice" to begin the process.

If you need help understanding your compliance options, you can ↗ sign up for a one-on-one virtual call on emissions compliance and/or contact us at energyreporting@boston.gov or  617-635-3850 x5  

You still have time to evaluate if your building may benefit from a flexibility measure. Flexibility Measures available to you include:

• Blended Emissions Standard: If your building has more than one primary use, you will be able to opt-in for this measure via the BERDO Reporting Portal after completing reporting and verification.
• Building Portfolio: If you own more than one building subject to BERDO, apply by September 1, 2026.
• Individual Compliance Schedule: If you have historic energy data and you would like a customized emissions reduction timeline based on your historic emissions, apply by September 1, 2026.
• Short-Term Hardship Compliance Plan: If you are facing technical and/or financial hardship meeting emissions standards, apply by September 1, 2026.

• Streamlined Short-Term Hardship Compliance Plan: If your building is deed-restricted affordable housing, a residential condo building with below-average assessed unit values and/or low-income residents, a rental building with below-average rents and/or low-income tenants, a small business, or a small non-profit, ↗ apply via this simplified Google Form by September 1, 2026.

If you are considering applying for a flexibility measure or if you have started an application and feel stuck, you can ↗ schedule a 30-min conversation with the BERDO Review Board Team to ask clarifying questions. 

Visit the ↗ BERDO Emissions Calculator to view your estimated emissions, emissions limits, and potential Alternative Compliance Payments by entering your building address or BERDO ID. 

The estimates displayed in the BERDO Emissions Calculator are based on your latest reporting data and do not currently account for renewable energy purchases, enrollment in Boston Community Choice Electricity (BCCE), opting into a blended emissions standards, or other flexibility measures.

• Connect with Mass Save. Mass Save provides residents and businesses a wide range of energy efficiency services, rebates, and incentives. In Boston, Eversource and National Grid serve as the Program Administrators for Mass Save. Get started by connecting with the appropriate program to identify energy saving opportunities and explore existing rebates, incentives and loans.

↗ Multi-family Residential

↗ residential condos

↗ Small businesses, Commercial and Industrial Facilities

↗ Eligible Income-Based Assistance

↗ Find a contact to connect with Mass Save

• Apply to receive a free Zero-Over-Time plan. Are you ready to start long-term compliance planning? You may be eligible to participate in our ↗ Building Decarbonization Advisor Program (BDAP). You’ll be paired with a building science firm the City has hired to develop a free Zero-Over-Time Plan for your building. This plan will give you recommendations for building electrification to remove fossil fuel usage over time, energy saving upgrades, and renewable energy projects. You may also be eligible for funding assistance to advance specific building decarbonization projects. ↗ Apply now to be considered for future cohorts. You can find examples of Zero-Over-Time Plans delivered through BDAP ↗ here.
• Ready to take action? Connect with us to receive free engineering consulting services. Building owners who are ready to implement building upgrades and need a second opinion may be eligible to receive free engineering consulting services with our hired consultant, Steven Winter Associates.  Assistance may include:
  • Advice on what building improvements make more sense for your building
  • Advice on timing building improvement projects.
  • Answering technical questions on upgrades you are considering.
  • Reviewing contractor bids, specifications, and scope language before you start hiring vendors.
  • Reviewing schematics and early designs to flag potential issues.
  • Advice on what questions to ask vendors, auditors, and design teams.

These services are available to building owners who have already received an audit, scoping studies, or other assessments from Mass Save or another third-party. Get started now by ↗ signing up for a virtual BERDO Building Decarbonization Consultation.

• Apply for BERDO’s grant program. BERDO’s Equitable Emissions Investment Fund is a grant program that is open to nonprofit organizations and provides financial support for projects that reduce building emissions. Application cycles open on an annual basis, typically opening in the spring with award announcements typically following in the fall.  You can find more information about this granting opportunity and see examples of awarded projects on the ↗ Equitable Emissions Investment Fund website. 

Click here to schedule a virtual call to receive one-on-one support on a wide variety of BERDO-related topics:

• BERDO Reporting
• Third-Party Verification and Data Quality Assurance
• Emissions Compliance
• Renewable Energy Purchases
• Flexibility Measures

We also have many other resources available to support building owners with BERDO compliance. See our ↗ BERDO Resources Roadmap to help you explore our full suite of resources and programs. 

If you have any questions or need support, please email our team at energyreporting@boston.gov or call 617-635-3850 x5.