Massachusetts Senate Climate Panel Hears Unified Defense of MassSave Program

BOSTON — May 27, 2026 — Massachusetts Senate climate committee hears sweeping defense of MassSave as budget cuts loom. Chair Cynthia Stone Creem convened the Senate Committee on Climate Change and Global Warming on May 27 to examine the program's record, drawing testimony that MassSave saved ratepayers $20 billion in avoided electricity costs and $3 billion in avoided gas costs between 2010 and 2024, and returned $2.76 in benefits per dollar invested in 2025. Kyle Murray of Acadia Center told the panel that the $8.4 billion invested in MassSave between 2016 and 2024 avoided $16.1 billion in supply and infrastructure costs, and that without the program, statewide electric demand would be roughly 27.7 percent higher today. Vice Chair Michael J. Barrett drew a concession from Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahoney that cutting the program's marketing budget would directly reduce outreach to low- and moderate-income communities. Bronte Payne of Sunrun said the MassSave-funded Connected Solutions virtual power plant program cost $19 million in 2025 but saved ratepayers $51 million, with $227 million in projected savings over the current three-year plan. Contractor Rick Tagliente of Rogers Insulation in Framingham warned the committee that proposed cuts "will kill demand for energy efficiency overnight and will lead to layoffs" across a statewide workforce estimated at more than 87,000.