On November 13, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced Decarbonization Accelerator Grants to four towns, including Acton. Acton will receive “$1 million to support the full decarbonization of its historic town hall, including a heat pump project and advanced heating and ventilation controls.” “Decarbonization” in this context means reducing an entity’s carbon footprint by reducing emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane.
Decarbonization Accelerator Grants are available only to communities that have previously won recognition from DOER as Climate Leader Communities (CLCs). Acton was one of the first cohort of communities to win that designation, in May 2025. To become a CLC, Acton had to “meet certification requirements that include a local committee to advise and help coordinate local energy activities in the municipality; a commitment to transition away from on-site fossil fuel use in municipal buildings and fleets by 2050; a zero-emission-vehicle first policy; and adoption of the Specialized Energy Code.”
Town Hall was one of the buildings targeted in the Acton Decarbonization Roadmap published by the Town of Acton and Acton-Boxborough Regional School District in December 2024. At May 2025 Town Meeting, the voters declined to includeTown Hall HVAC replacement as a component of Capital Equipment and Projects borrowing, after lengthy discussion and a very close vote.
Reflecting on the new award, Acton’s Sustainability Director, Andrea Becerra, wrote: “The electrification of Acton Town Hall represents a major step forward in the Town’s commitment to decarbonization, sustainability, and climate leadership. As a central and symbolic municipal building, Town Hall serves as a public-facing hub of government operations, policy development, and civic engagement. By transitioning this facility to 100% clean electric heating and cooling, the Town of Acton will significantly reduce its municipal carbon footprint and reinforce its leadership role in building a decarbonized future.”
Ms. Becerra also shared some of the details that made Acton’s proposal a winner:
- This shovel-ready project will replace the building’s aging and inefficient natural gas HVAC system with a fully electric air-source heat pump (ASHP) system. This renovation will eliminate fossil fuel combustion in the facility, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and bring the Town closer to its ambitious climate target of net-zero municipal emissions by 2030, as defined in the Acton Climate Action Plan (2022).
- According to the Salas O’Brien Concept Design (2025), the new ASHP system is estimated to consume over 64% less energy annually compared to the current system. The fully electric system will also reduce the building’s emissions by 24 MTCO2e per year. This number will steadily increase as the electricity grid becomes cleaner, with a greater portion of renewable energy.
- The Town’s Facility & Electrification Study (2023) found that the majority of the Town Hall’s heating system equipment and piping, installed in 1987, is nearing the end of its useful expected service life, making the building the highest priority building for electrification.
