Mayor Ballantyne Seeks to Expand Climate Action & Energy Savings to Renters via New Ordinance

Roughly two-thirds of Somerville residents are renters, and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne is determined to improve their access to the energy savings and health benefits of green energy upgrades often out of reach to renters–especially low-income renters. And she’s asking residents to help her do so. 

The City’s Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is seeking volunteers to help shape a new Rental Registry and Energy Disclosure ordinance designed to improve rental unit energy efficiency, affordability, and healthiness, as well as advance the City’s climate action and affordable housing efforts.

The concept is simple. Landlords would provide basic rental unit information and energy details to the City annually. Then the City would generate energy “disclosures” for owners to post on-site for tenants (and future tenants) to see. Information collected and shared could include the number of rental units, the type of property, and owner or property manager contacts. It could also include energy details such as type of fuels used, if they’ve had a MassSave energy efficiency assessment, and a list of energy saving measures taken such as installing Energy Star appliances, weatherization measures like insulated windows, or green upgrades like heat pumps.  

“Having this information will help the City increase energy upgrades. It will make it easier for us to inform owners of subsidies available to them for improvements that will lower renter’s energy costs. By having energy facts posted for tenants and future tenants, this type of energy disclosure requirement has been shown to drive market demand for landlords to reduce energy costs for tenants. Heating bills, for example, can easily run up into the hundreds of dollars in winter months, and renters vote with their feet when they can get a sense of where they’ll have lower utility costs,” said OSE Director Christine Blais.

Rental registries are common in cities, and energy disclosure measures are already key climate action tools in some States, such as Maine, and cities across the country, including Austin, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and Chicago, IL. Somerville’s would be the first rental energy disclosure ordinance in Massachusetts. 

“We are looking to use every tool in the box both for climate action and housing affordability in Somerville– and they are directly related. When you live in a drafty apartment with an ancient heater, or if you have an old energy-hog window AC unit to keep an elderly parent safely cool in the summer, you may be left choosing between groceries and safe temperatures when you are on a tight budget. You may also be at higher risk for not making your rent. And right now, landlords have little incentive to change that for you. But when owners know about and can make affordable upgrades that lower tenant utility bills, it’s a win-win for affordability, our climate, and for resident health,” said Mayor Ballantyne. 

In Somerville, approximately 37 percent of residents are housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than a third of their income on housing. City data indicates that this number climbs to above 50 percent for households in the Black and non-white Hispanic U.S. Census categories. With lower likelihood of energy efficiency in Somerville’s older housing stock rental units, not only are utility bills likely higher, but health risks increase as well. Energy efficiency measures have been shown to also reduce environmental risks such as mold, pests, and allergens that contribute to asthma, bronchitis, emergency room visits, and financial stress.

“At first glance it may seem as if an initiative such as this would drive up rents, but key to our efforts is helping landlords make upgrades via the many federal, state, and local programs that reduce the costs of energy improvements. That way they get better units with lower investment and they have units that will be more comfortable, desirable, and safer for tenants,” said Blais.”The data we collect on the units will also help our Housing Stability and Housing development teams inform and advance their work to support affordability programs.”

The City also sees the effort as a building block for future work to improve additional health and safety oversight of rental units, and establish improved communication to landlords and property managers on a range of programs designed to support them and their tenants. 

Join a Focus Group

All community members including renters, landlords, real estate brokers, adults of all ages including seniors of fixed incomes, real estate agents, commercial landlords, members of the home improvement workforce, home energy raters, community organizations, and community advocates are invited to join focus groups to discuss how to make the draft ordinance work best for everyone. 

Staff have already been doing their homework, which they’ll share to get everyone oriented. Alongside several years of research, they’ve connected with community members, as well as municipalities and nonprofits across North America, and convened a cross-departmental working group within Somerville, to deepen their knowledge. 

Focus groups participants will answer questions about their views and needs from a rental registry and energy disclosure ordinance. The feedback will be used to inform both the ordinance to be submitted to the City Council for approval, as well as how it would be implemented.

Each focus group will last about 90 minutes. Community members may be eligible to be compensated with a $40 gift card for their participation.

To sign up, please complete the online form at somervillema.gov/rred. If you need assistance filling out the form, please contact 311 (617-666-3311).

For more information, please visit somervillema.gov/sustainaville or contact Garrett Anderson at ganderson@somervillema.gov, 857-270-4403 (call/text) to request paper forms.

Interpretation is available at all focus groups. 

Efforts to secure interpretation into any language will be made upon advance request (at least seven days in advance) by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somervillema.gov/ContactSomerViva or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Adrienne Pomeroy, at 617-625-6600 x2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.