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Early voting for the State Election on November 3, 2026, takes place through Friday, October 30. Find a date and location that works for you:
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Building Decarbonization Advisor Program

The Building Decarbonization Advisor Program (BDAP) is a City of Boston initiative that helps BERDO building owners set a clear pathway to reduce their building carbon emissions over time.

Improving buildings to comply with Boston’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) can be a long and complicated process, especially for owners and operators with limited resources. The City of Boston is here to help. 

BDAP connects eligible building owners with engineering experts to develop a Zero-Over-Time Plan, a long-term roadmap to reduce a building's carbon emissions.

applications for cohort 5 aRE OPEN FROM october 15 TO NOVEMBER 16, 2026.

WHAT IS A ZERO-OVER-TIME PLAN?

Through BDAP, building owners are paired with vetted building science professionals to develop Zero-Over-Time (ZOT) plans. These are long-term decarbonization plans that set a clear and cost-effective pathway to progressively reduce a building’s energy use and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  ZOT plans include recommendations for energy efficiency upgrades, weatherization improvements, electrification opportunities, and renewable energy projects.

Developing a ZOT plan encourages you to think strategically about your capital budget, your building’s conditions, and the age of your equipment so that you can make sequential improvements that lower energy use, save money, and increase your property's value over time. This will help you meet BERDO emissions standards in a cost-effective way. 

learn more about zot PLANS  

explore sample ZOT Plans       

Application Process

Applications for Cohort 5 of BDAP are open from October 15 to November 16, 2026. You must complete and submit the application form by Monday, November 16, 2026.

The City of Boston will review applications on a rolling basis and may request more information to evaluate eligibility. All applicants will be notified about the result of their application between late November and early December 2026.

APPLICATION FORM                          

You must sign in to a Google account to access the form.

If you own multiple buildings, you may either:

  • Apply for a portfolio-level ZOT plan for 2 - 4 BERDO IDs if the buildings are located on the same development and share similar building characteristics. You must submit separate applications for each BERDO ID and specify that you are requesting a portfolio-level ZOT. 
  • Apply for different building-level ZOT plans for each BERDO ID if the buildings are not are located on the same development and/or do not share similar building characteristics. You must submit separate applications for each BERDO ID and specify that you are requesting a building-level ZOT.  The same owner may not get more than 3 building-level ZOT Plans in the same cohort.

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

BDAP is available to under-resourced and equity priority buildings who meet the following eligibility criteria:

 

  1. Building is subject to BERDO and included in the latest ↗ Covered Buildings List.
  2. Building is in compliance with latest reporting and third-party verification requirements.
  3. Building does not already have a Zero-Over-Time Plan or equivalent building decarbonization roadmap.
  4. Building meets any of the following:
         

▸ Deed Restricted Affordable Housing.

▸ Residential Condominium or Cooperative buildings that have a median assessed value of $877,111 or less per unit. 

▸ Residential Condominium or Cooperative building with at least 50% of residents with an income at or below 120% AMI  (You can check IDP Area Median Incomes here).

▸ Rental buildings with 50% or more Section 8 tenants or with 50% or more residents with incomes at 120% AMI or below (You can check IDP Area Median Incomes here).

▸ Rental buildings with 50% or more units with rents at or below the maximum affordable rates for 120% AMI  (You can check 120% AMI rental caps here - IDP limits will be used).

▸ Owned by a small business with fewer than 50 employees or less than $5,000,000 in annual gross revenue.

▸ Owned by a non-profit with fewer than 50 employees or less than $5,000,000 in annual gross revenue.

▸ Other small businesses and non-profits that provide critical services to  environmental justice communities.

PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA

Funding is limited and not all eligible applicants may be accepted into the program. The City of Boston will prioritize applications according to this criteria:

 

  1.  Buildings that are projected to exceed their emissions standards in the 2025-2029 or 2030-2034 compliance periods.
  2. Building owners who have not already participated in BDAP.
  3. Buildings with any the following technical circumstances: 

         

▸ Building has a fuel oil heating system.

▸ Building has an electric resistance heating system.

▸ Building has barriers to receiving services from Mass Save (e.g. the presence of knob and tube wiring, mold, or vermiculite).

PROGRAM TIMELINE AND REQUIREMENTS

Cohort 5 of BDAP will follow the timeline below. If you are accepted into BDAP, you will be expected to participate in this program from December 2026 to June 2027. 

BDAPTimeline_Cohort5

By submitting an application for BDAP, the building owner commits to fulfilling the following participation requirements. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in removal from the program.

  1. Sharing requested energy data and building information with the City of Boston and your assigned building science firm within 2 weeks of acceptance into the program. See the FAQs section for a list of the documentation you will be asked to provide if accepted into the program.
  2. Responsiveness to City of Boston and assigned vendor via email, phone call, virtual meetings, and site visits during the duration of the program. Participation in BDAP requires consistent email and phone communications and attending at least one kick-off virtual meeting and one final presentation virtual meeting. Some buildings will also require a site visit and an interim meetings.
  3. Commitment from senior leadership and key stakeholders to attending final presentation of the Zero-Over-Time Plan and undertaking good faith efforts towards implementing building decarbonization efforts laid out in the Zero-Over-Time Plan. This includes the Board of trustees in the case of residential Condominium or Cooperative buildings.
  4. Agreeing to share Zero-Over-Time Plan on the BDAP website and other City of Boston channels. Sharing Zero-Over-Time Plans helps other building owners learn about decarbonization planning and they types of improvements they could consider for their buildings. Redactions may be requested by the building owner.
  5. Responsiveness to follow-up surveys and check-in meetings after program completion. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

EVENTS
Building Decarbonization Advisor Program Info Session
On Oct 21

Oct 21

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

As part of BDAP, you may be paired with one the following building science firms:

The City of Boston has procured the services of these engineering firms from January 2025 through December 2027.

Upon acceptance into BDAP, you will be asked to provide the energy data and building information listed below to the City of Boston and your assigned building science firm. You will be expected to provide this information via email within 2 weeks.

  • Past reported data in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. This will require you to enable "Share Forward" on all ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager accounts associated with the building.
  • Recent utility bills and/or aggregate utility data.
  • Information on the building's age, mechanical equipment, occupancy, building controls, recent upgrades and any other relevant specifications.  
  • Any available architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) drawings.
  • Equipment nameplate and model numbers.
  • If not submitted with your application, any prior energy audits, reports, assessments, engineering designs, or other relevant documentation that may impact decarbonization efforts in the building.

If your building requires a site visit, you will also be expected to provide access to your building's electro-mechanical equipment including common areas and in-unit equipment, if applicable for a site visit.

Your assigned vendor may request other relevant energy and building data as applicable.

No, BDAP will not cover the costs of any other prior, current, or future work in your building. BDAP will only cover costs associated with developing a Zero-Over-Time Plan as part of this program.

The program has $1,659,990 in total funding that comes from three sources:

  • $659,990 from the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) 
  • $500,000 from BERDO’s Equitable Emissions Investment Fund (EEIF) 
  • $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

EECBG and EEIF funding have been used to pay for the development of Zero-Over-Time plans from Cohorts 1 - 4. Cohort 5 is fully funded by the EEIF.

ARPA funding was used to pay for more detailed engineering studies and equipment purchases for eligible participants from Cohorts 1 - 4. ARPA funding is no longer available for Cohort 5.

Who's Involved:

Environment
617-635-3850
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