The school district partnered with Eversource to construct its new elementary school that opened in 2022 and is now operating as designed with an all-electric geothermal system, and no fossil fuel use onsite. After analyzing the data from its first full year serving students, the building is exceeding the established performance targets.
ABRSD embarked on this project through the Mass Save® Path 1: Net Zero and Low EUI Buildings program to relocate two of its elementary schools into a single new energy-efficient building. The goal was to build an all-electric, geothermal school that could achieve net zero status and would set the standard for sustainable new construction.
The Eversource and ABRSD teams set an ambitious Energy Use Intensity (EUI) goal of 23.1 – well below the Massachusetts school median score of 65 – and in the two years that the school building has been opened have surpassed that target. Energy Use Intensity normalizes total annual energy consumption by square feet, making it a key indicator of energy performance.
“The new building at the Boardwalk Campus of the Acton Boxborough Regional School District has been operating for over a year at less than a third of the energy use per square foot of a typical Massachusetts school,” said Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility Tilak Subrahmanian. “Thanks to the leadership from Kate Crosby, Energy Manager and Peter Light, Superintendent of Schools, and with its remarkable energy efficiency and forward-thinking design, this project sets a new standard for sustainable building practices statewide.”
Through this partnership, ABRSD built a geothermal, all-electric building with a greatly reduced carbon footprint, serving over 1,000 students and faculty across more than 174,800 square feet since opening in 2022. The construction project involved a multitude of innovative energy efficiency strategies and solutions, including an enhanced building envelope, ground source heat pumps, demand-control ventilation, high performance energy recovery, solar panels with battery energy storage to provide resilience and reduce peak demand, electric vehicle charging, and rainwater harvesting and reuse. Because it is fossil fuel-free and highly energy efficient, it saves 328 tons of operational carbon every year – equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emissions from the energy use of over 140 homes for one year.
“Eversource has been a critically important partner for the District in the Boardwalk Campus project,” said Kate Crosby, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District Energy Manager. “Their very early support gave credibility to the net zero concept, and the incentive structure provided momentum. Their engagement throughout the process helped educate stakeholders on what can be achieved with an all-electric, geothermal school building. We set a clear EUI target at the very earliest stages of design. Doing so was essential in guiding the team’s work and setting the project up for success.”
As one of the first all-electric geothermal Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) projects, this partnership will serve as a model for other schools in Massachusetts. It has demonstrated what is possible throughout the entire district, as ABRSD considers 2050 goals for decarbonization.
Photo: Eversource recognizes the Boardwalk Campus. L to R: Peter Light, Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools Superintendent; Kate Crosby, Acton-Boxborough Regional School District Energy Manager; Tilak Subrahmanian, Eversource Vice President of Energy Efficiency and Electric Mobility; Kim Cullinane, Eversource Manager, New Construction Energy Efficiency
