Build in the savings...

Cape Light Compact offers two pathways to help you save energy and money. For both pathways, you should reach out early on in your project planning process to ensure you don't miss out on savings opportunities.

The Residential New Construction Pathway

Offers financial incentives to make newly constructed homes and multi-family buildings more energy-efficient than typical code-built homes. The Residential New Construction path is broken down into two categories:

  1. Single-Family 1-4 Units
  2. Multi-Family 5 or More Units
The Renovations and Additions Pathway

Provides incentives for incorporating energy efficiency upgrades to the renovations and/or additions of existing homes. Here's what you need to know:

  • Renovations that consist of 50% or more of the original home undergoing renovation. Additions need to meet a minimum of 500 square feet of total floor area. 
  • A certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rater, approved by a Sponsor of Mass Save, conducts a preliminary site visit at your home before construction or demolition and registers the project with the program. 
  • Your home energy project may also be eligible for a 0% Mass Save HEAT Loan. 

Find details of how each pathway works below


New Construction Pathway

How it works:

Participants work with approved HERS (Home Energy Rating System) companies to enroll their homes for our incentives. Your HERS Rater can guide you and help ensure that you receive all the eligible incentives. 

Single Family

1 - 4 Unit Homes


The Sponsors of Mass Save® have launched a new initiative to drive market transformation in residential new construction toward high-performing, all-electric homes. We are offering incentives up to $40,000, as well as technical assistance, to support builders, developers, and homeowners in the construction of new homes that will use substantially less energy than code-built homes while providing enhanced comfort and long-term resiliency.

Is your project eligible?

Single-family homes (defined as homes with 1-4 units) that are fully electric for space conditioning, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying are eligible if located within Sponsor service territories. Homes must also meet a set of requirements for electric vehicle charging readiness to qualify. 

What determines your incentives?

There are three pathways to qualify for incentives, all of which require the homes to be fully electric. Incentives at each pathway are determined on a per-unit basis, with additional incentives for specific equipment types, certifications, and building performance available to promote market transformation in single-family home construction throughout Massachusetts. 

TierBaseENERGY STARPassive House
OverviewAll-electric heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes dryingENERGY STAR NextGenPassive House
Performance Specifications≥15% savings above baseline≥30% savings or HERS: ≤45 Infiltration: ≤ ACH50 ENERGY STAR SF NH v3.2 + NextGenPassive House Certification( Phius or PHI)
IncentivesSingle Fam: $7,500
2-unit: $8,750
3-unit $10,000
4-unit: $11,250
Single Fam: $15,000
2-unit: $17,500
3-unit $20,000
4-unit: $22,500
Single Fam: $25,000
2-unit: $30,000
3-unit $35,000
4-unit: $40,000
Market Transformation Adders*Wi-Fi Connected Thermostat (Base tier only): $100/unit
Induction Cooktop: $250/unit
Split-System Heat Pump Water Heater: $750/unit
ENERGY STAR v3.2 certification (Base tier only): $250/unit
DOE Zero Ready certification (Base and ENERGY STAR tier): $500/unit
ENERGY STAR Certified Ground-Source Heat Pump: $9,000/unit

* The Market Transformation adders are designed to encourage participants to incorporate emerging equipment technology into their residential projects, to drive higher building performance while offering enhanced occupant experience. Adders are also available for advanced certifications from the Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR, which if achieved could qualify the home for 45L federal tax credits. Consult with a tax professional to determine eligibility. 

How do you receive incentives?

You will work with an approved Home Energy Rating System (HERS) company to enroll your home and make energy-efficient choices that maximize your incentives. All homes must be verified by an approved HERS rating company. Please contact a participating HERS rater to get started. 

What is Passive House?

Passive House is the gold standard in high-efficiency design: buildings that minimize energy consumption and have added comfort and durability features. The Passive House Institute US (Phius) and the Passive House Institute (PHI) have established two independent standards and provide certifications for such buildings: the PHIUS+ Passive Building Standard and the international Passive House Standard. Participating projects may be certified under either standard. 

What is ENERGY STAR® NextGen?

ENERGY STAR NextGen certification is an additional level of recognition for homes and apartments that incorporate leading-edge efficient electric technologies and electric vehicle charging capabilities to maximize energy and emissions savings — while delivering the comfort, quality, and durability that consumers expect from ENERGY STAR. The ENERGY STAR NextGen certification is designed to promote the adoption of all-electric construction strategies in residential homes while ensuring maximum efficiency and comfort for its occupants. Certification requires verification from an approved third-party verifier, which includes participating HERS Raters. 

Multi-Family

5 or More Units

The Sponsors of Mass Save® have launched a new way to drive market transformation in the energy efficiency industry to meet and exceed energy-savings targets across Massachusetts. We are offering incentives and assistance to support the construction of multi-family buildings (five units or more) with deep energy savings. Certification and performance incentives are available to assist builders and developers in achieving Passive House certification or similar levels of efficiency. 

Is your project eligible?

Residential multi-family and mixed-use new construction that utilizes all-electric equipment for space conditioning, cooking, and clothes drying are eligible if located within a Sponsor’s service territory. Multi-family buildings that utilize fossil fuel-fired domestic hot water systems will be eligible to receive incentives for a limited time, all end-uses in the building must otherwise be all-electric to qualify. Both low-rise (3 stories or less) and high-rise (4 stories or more) buildings are eligible, as well as buildings with master-metered HVAC systems.

What determines your incentives?

There are three pathways to qualify for incentives, all of which require buildings to meet electrification requirements. Incentives for each pathway are determined on a per-unit basis, with additional incentives for specific equipment types, certifications, and building performance available to promote market transformation in multi-family construction throughout Massachusetts.

TierBaseENERGY STARPassive House
OverviewAll-electric heating, cooking, and clothes drying. Fossil fuel DHW is allowableENERGY STAR Multi-Family New Construction (MFNC) v1.2Passive House
Performance SpeculationsLow-rise: ≥15% savings above baseline or HERS: ≤45 High-rise: Exceed baselineENERGY STAR MFNC v1.2Passive House certification
(Phius or PHI)
Passive House Adders$5,000 Feasibility Study Incentive
Up to 75% Energy Modeling Costs ($500/Unit or $20,000/Project max)
Market TransformationWi-Fi Connected Thermostat: $100/Unit
Induction Cooktop: $250/Unit
In-Unit Heat Pump Water Heater: $250/Unit
Centralized and Split-System Heat Pump Water Heater: $750/Unit
ENERGY STAR Certified Ground Source Heat Pump: $1,000/Unit
ENERGY STAR NextGen Certification (ENERGY STAR tier only): $250/Unit
DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes Certification (ENERGY STAR tier only): $250/Unit
High-rise Whole Building Infiltration Testing (Base and ENERGY STAR tier only):
ASTM E779 test results - 0.4 CFM/sf @75pa: $300/Unit
ASTM E779 test results - 0.25 CFM/sf @75pa: $400/Unit

*The Market Transformation adders are designed to encourage participants to incorporate emerging equipment technology into their residential projects, to drive higher building performance while offering enhanced occupant experience. Adders are also available for advanced certifications from the Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR, which if achieved could qualify the building for 45L federal tax credits. Consult with a tax professional to determine eligibility. Market Transformation adders for multi-family buildings with 50 or more units are subject to Sponsor pre-approval. 

How do you receive incentives?

Low-rise buildings (3 stories or less):

  • All homes must be verified by an approved HERS rating company. Please contact a participating HERS Rater to get started. If pursuing Passive House certification in a low-rise building, contact multifHR@icf.com to register the project.  

High-rise buildings (4 stories or more, or any multi-family with master-metered HVAC):

  • Dedicated account managers will guide you and ensure that you receive all eligible incentives  
  • Account managers will provide ongoing technical support throughout construction, including optional design charrettes, to help you increase building efficiency 
  • You will be asked to provide documentation, including drawings, specifications, and approved submittals. You can speak with an account manager and register your project by contacting multifHR@icf.com 

What is Passive House

Passive House is the gold standard in high-efficiency design: buildings that minimize energy consumption and have added comfort and durability features. The Passive House Institute US (Phius) and the Passive House Institute (PHI) have established two independent standards and provide certifications for such buildings: the PHIUS+ Passive Building Standard and the international Passive House Standard. Participating projects may be certified under either standard.  

What is ENERGY STAR MFNC v1.2? 

ENERGY STAR-certified buildings save energy, save money, and help protect the environment by generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. To be certified as ENERGY STAR, a building must meet strict energy performance standards set by EPA. The ENERGY STAR Multi-Family New Construction v1.2 standard is designed to help multi-family buildings achieve maximum efficiency and comfort for its occupants. Certification requires verification from an approved third-party verifier, which includes participating HERS raters. 

Ready to get started? Contact us today!

Renovations and Additions Pathway

How to participate

  1. Get Started. Contact a Sponsor-approved HERS Rater or fill out an Interest Form. Within a few days, a representative will contact you to proceed. If you have questions, please call us at 1-866-527-SAVE (7283) or email RenovateAddMA@icf.com. 
  2. Schedule a preliminary site visit. This visit will be completed by the HERS Rater you choose to work with and should take place prior to the start of construction or demolition of your home. Contact a Sponsor-approved certified HERS Rater to schedule this site visit. 
  3. Have a site visit. Your HERS Rater will review your plans, conduct diagnostic testing as needed, and may recommend additional energy efficiency upgrades. Afterward, you will receive a report summarizing the estimated savings and incentives your project will receive.
  4. Schedule your insulation inspection. This visit takes place at the midpoint of construction, after you have installed new insulation but before the wallboard has gone up. This is an important step, contact your HERS Rater to schedule your insulation inspection.
  5. Schedule a final inspection. As you near completion, set up a final site visit with your HERS Rater. They will conduct a final walkthrough of the home, perform diagnostic testing, and finalize all the details of the energy model. 
  6. Receive your incentive. After the final inspection is processed, you’ll receive an incentive completion notification and a post-participation survey via email. Within 10–12 weeks of your final inspection, you’ll receive an incentive check in the mail. 

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