AMHERST — UMass Amherst and Eversource have renewed a nonbinding agreement to cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions on campus, extending a partnership that dates to 2014.
The three-year memorandum of understanding, announced jointly by the university and the utility, runs through 2028. Under it, the two will work to maximize energy efficiency in new construction and major renovation projects, supported by incentives Eversource administers through Mass Save, the statewide energy efficiency program funded by a charge on utility bills.
“Renewing our strategic partnership with Eversource will support the university’s commitment to sustainability and enable further emissions reductions through the 2050 target year set by the commonwealth,” Andrew Mangels, vice chancellor for administration and finance, said in a statement. “We are proud to have reduced our carbon emissions as of 2025 by more than 20%, an example of the shared commitment of the university and Eversource.”
Mangels added that the agreement helps the campus meet its clean energy goals in a financially sustainable way.
Projects completed through the partnership over the past 12 years have cut the campus’s electricity use by 34 million kilowatt-hours a year, which UMass says is equivalent to taking 3,100 homes off the grid.
Among those projects are the Computer Science Laboratories and the Sustainable Engineering Laboratories, both powered by the North Energy Exchange Center and its 640-ton ground-loop heat pump system. The two buildings share a district energy loop rather than having separate geothermal systems, which improved efficiency and cut infrastructure costs.
Other work under the partnership has included converting buildings from fossil fuels to electric power, upgrading older buildings to run more efficiently and improving cooling systems to make laboratory space more sustainable.
UMass and Eversource are also exploring ways to reduce electricity demand on campus during periods of peak grid use, through initiatives to lower demand, battery and thermal energy storage and enhanced building management controls.
Tilak Subrahmanian, vice president of energy efficiency and electric mobility at Eversource, said the partnership shows what can be done when energy and sustainability goals are aligned.
“This renewed agreement builds on that momentum, creating new opportunities to improve energy efficiency, reduce peak demand and advance the university’s decarbonization goals in a cost-effective manner,” Subrahmanian said. “Together, we look forward to supporting innovative projects that will help create a more resilient and sustainable campus for years to come while also helping the university manage its energy costs.”
The agreement also supports workforce development and transportation goals for UMass. This will be done through connecting UMass students with available cooperative study and internship opportunities and collaborating on the university’s electric mobility roadmap by continuing to install EV charging stations for fleet and personal vehicles.
