Green School Works Technical Assistance​ Services

2. Technical Assistance Studies

Why should I complete a Comprehensive Building Assessment for my school building?

As stated in the Program Manual, a Comprehensive Building Assessment should be helpful for participants who want to map out a decarbonization strategy for a particular school building, especially for buildings that are planning or considering a significant capital investment to ensure the capital investment is aligned with a broader strategy to decarbonize. A Comprehensive Building Assessment may be required when seeking other funding opportunities, including Mass Save incentives and the Department of Energy Resources’ Transforming Energy in Schools Initiative.

What is the difference between Mass Save’s technical assistance offerings and MassCEC’s?

Our services are aligned with the Mass Save offerings and are designed to help schools cover cost shares associated with Mass Save technical assistance. Additionally, Green School Works technical assistance provides an additional Green School works renewable scope and may cover additional scopes for a school or district’s decarbonization planning on a case-by-case basis.

What is the Green School Works renewable scope?

As described in Section 2 of the Program Manual, Green School Works renewable scope may be added to other technical assistance services or approved as a stand-alone scope. The scope includes the following:

• On-site renewable energy and storage feasibility analysis of existing building(s) and site(s)
  • Conduct on-site renewable energy and storage feasibility analyses of existing building(s) and site(s), including but not limited to location, sizing, recommended system type(s), cost estimates, electrical system capacity and upgrade requirements, roof condition, flexible interconnection strategies, and monitoring and control equipment.
• MA Class I Renewable Energy Certificate (“REC”) analyses
  • Conduct REC analyses for zero emissions by 2050 scenario planning, including estimated annual electricity volume to offset.
• Additional scope approved on a case-by-case basis.
  • Potential participants may suggest additional associated tasks and/or expanded study scopes.

3. Eligible project types and costs

If I am looking to do a solar power purchase agreement (PPA), should I still get technical assistance from Green School Works?

In some cases, solar vendors, including PPA providers, already provide no-cost analysis of a school’s solar potential. Green School Works renewable technical assistance may help schools and districts understand opportunities for solar, including different procurement options and storage opportunities. If you are unsure of whether Green School Works technical assistance would be beneficial for your school or district, please reach out to greenschools@masscec.com or sign up for our weekly office hours so we can discuss your school or district’s needs and determine if Green School Works is a good fit.

Does a Focused Study include preliminary heating design?

As described in Section 2, a Focused Study is a detailed study investigating the economic and energy impacts of implementing a measure or specific set of measures, so a Focused Study would model the impacts of a heating design, not create a preliminary heating design. Please reach out to greenschools@masscec.com so we can discuss your school or district’s needs and how Green School Works technical assistance can best support decarbonization planning.

Does the Green School Works renewable scope include bore test hole drilling?

MassCEC will consider covering the cost of test bore holes for ground-source heat pump/geothermal on a case-by-case basis.

Can a study include fossil fuel-powered technology?

No, Green School Works funding does not cover the cost of studies for fossil fuel-powered technologies. However, if the study is for a technology that uses electricity—such as a heat pump—and the school keeps an existing fossil fuel-powered system as a backup, this is acceptable. Please make sure to include this information in the enrollment form.

Multiple projects in one district

I would like technical assistance for multiple schools. How many enrollment forms should I submit?

If you are enrolling for a Comprehensive Building Assessment (CBA), Focused Study, or stand-alone renewable energy analysis for more than one building in your school district, you will need to complete an enrollment form for each building. If you are looking to complete a Portfolio Decarbonization Roadmap, you may complete one enrollment form for all the buildings you expect to be included in the study.

Is there a limit to how many studies a district or municipality can receive?

We do not currently have a limit, however MassCEC may elect not to accept an enrollment request due to a lack of available funding or for any other reason.

4. Timeline

What is the enrollment deadline?

Funding for Green School Works technical assistance services will be awarded on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis. Funding is limited, so we encourage all schools, districts, and collaboratives to enroll as soon as possible.

When should I expect to hear back after submitting an enrollment form?

Typically, responses are sent within 1-2 weeks. We aim to respond to enrollees within 6 weeks of submission.

Once I have enrolled, does the study need to be completed by a certain date?

This will depend on the type of study and the size of the school or district.

5. How to Enroll

Who signs the participant agreement?

The signatory must be authorized to sign on behalf of the participating school, district, or educational collaboratives. MassCEC recognizes that the authorized signatory will vary. As mentioned in the enrollment form, if the signatory differs from the primary contact, please list the signatory as the secondary contact.