Net Zero buildings are all-electric and produce and/or procure renewable energy to cover their operational emissions. Net Zero Ready buildings are electrified and efficient enough to run on renewable energy as soon as sources become available.

Many Types!

From multifamily housing and K-12 schools to labs and healthcare, projects across a wide range of industries are achieving high-performance building standards, proof that achieving Net Zero is possible across project types.

FEAR: Net Zero multi-family and affordable housing will not be feasible as it is too cost prohibitive.

REALITY: Multi-family and affordable projects are leading the way for Net Zero development in Massachusetts. It is clear that these projects are not just possible; they are the leading building typology in Connects.

FEAR: Laboratory, technology, and life science buildings will be too technically challenging to achieve.

REALITY: Lab/tech/science represents one of the top project types documented in Connects. Through making these projects, high-performance building professionals have shown they have the knowledge and technology to make it possible.

Not Much!

Of the projects that reported cost data, many Net Zero and Net Zero Ready buildings have less than a 1% construction cost premium compared to conventional buildings. High-performing buildings also significantly reduce operating costs, which can offset any upfront premiums in a matter of years. In 2024 we added an option “We didn’t calculate the cost premium.”  Of the projects that did not calculate cost, over half said Net Zero was necessitated by regulation or client preference.

FEAR: Net Zero is expensive.

REALITY: Of project profiles reporting on cost data, Net Zero buildings often carry little to no added construction cost and significantly reduce operating cost. Therefore, Net Zero buildings typically have lower total cost of ownership than conventional buildings. When construction is financed via loans or bonds, the operating savings more than offset the loan payment premiums. This results in positive cash-flow from day one of operations.

Cost data often includes incentives from the utilities and the government. There are significant incentives through Mass Save®, Federal Tax Credits, the Mass Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and more.

Heat Pumps!

All Net Zero and Net Zero Ready projects employ heat pumps to electrify their heating and cooling operations. There are many options available to design teams, made easy by low overall energy demand in ultra-efficient projects.

FEAR: Net Zero buildings must be 100% electric with no exceptions.

REALITY: Net Zero standards promote electrification and allow flexibility for fossil fuel use where appropriate. For example, the Massachusetts Fossil Fuel-Free Demonstration Program includes exemptions for lab buildings, healthcare facilities, and large domestic hot water systems.

FEAR: The electric grid can’t support electric buildings.

REALITY: New Net Zero buildings often have lower peak electric demand than their peers. The Built Environment Plus 2019 report, Zero Energy Buildings in Massachusetts: Saving Money from the Start, found that the peak electric demand for all-electric buildings was lower for existing building renovations, new office buildings, K-12 schools, and mixed-use buildings. Only the residential buildings had higher peak electrical loads. However, single and small multi-family residential buildings are able to cover most or even all of their electrical demand with on-site solar, and thus reducing overall peak demand on the grid.

Yes, Many!

Many projects use electrified domestic hot water systems, deploying a range of strategies with proven performance across multi-family, education K-12, and lab projects, just to name a few.

FEAR: Electrification of domestic hot water is not possible for some high-energy building types, such as labs and healthcare.

REALITY: Electrification of domestic hot water is possible for high-energy building types of all types. In fact, many laboratories and healthcare facilities in Connects reported relying on all-electric domestic hot water.

FEAR: Electrification of domestic hot water is not possible for multi-family buildings.

REALITY: Electrification of domestic hot water is possible for multi-family buildings. As of 2026, 60% of Gross Square Footage (GSF) of all multi-family buildings reported are electrifying domestic hot water. This includes 7.8M GSF of affordable housing.

On-Site And Off-Site Renewable Energy!

There are many procurement methods for renewable energy, which can greatly reduce operating costs and strain on the grid. This is happening across project types, powering buildings of all sizes.

FEAR: Net Zero buildings must produce all energy on-site.

REALITY: Net Zero buildings can procure renewable energy from off-site. Around half of the Net Zero buildings that provided renewable energy data use off-site renewable energy or a combination of off-site and on-site renewable energy.

FEAR: Renewable electricity costs more than grid electricity.

REALITY: There are many procurement methods for renewable energy. Some marginally increase cost. Others cost less, such as: power purchase agreements and virtual power purchase agreements.

Year over year data collection progress as of April 2026

Since 2021, Built Environment Plus has been actively asking the Massachusetts building community for data on what’s happening around Net Zero buildings. We want to take an ongoing pulse on:

• How many Net Zero projects exist or are in development in and around Massachusetts?
• Does it cost more to build these projects?
• What building types are achieving Net Zero?
• Who is bringing these projects to reality?
• How are they getting it done?

The Bottom Line

1. The Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building stock exceeds 66.1 million GSF, across 500+ projects, and is growing at a constant rate in the Commonwealth today.
2. Of the 19.3 million GSF with reported cost data, 71% reported <1% construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready.
3. Multi-family and affordable housing's combined 20.9 million GSF are leading the way for Net Zero development in Massachusetts, employing heat pumps and on-site renewables to reach their Net Zero targets. Lab / Tech / Science grew by 20% since 2024 up to 16.5 million GSF, making up the majority of the found Net Zero Ready space.
4. Affordable Housing makes up 37% of all multi-family residential Net Zero and Net Zero Ready square footage.
5. All projects rely on heat pumps as the primary source of heat. The majority of building types utilize air-source heat pumps, with the exception of K-12 which more often use ground-source heat pumps. Net Zero buildings produce renewable energy on-site and/or procure off-site renewable energy to offset any fossil fuel consumption on a net annual basis.
6. Since 2024, nearly twice as many projects have reported being all-electric for domestic hot water, totaling 39.7 million GSF.

The intent of this Massachusetts State Page is to provide data for municipalities considering adopting the opt-in Specialized Code, or implementing fossil-fuel legislation or building performance regulations. Built Environment Plus hopes other states will find the data useful as they consider their own initiatives. It is also a resource to share between professionals on how they are achieving Net Zero projects.

As of April 2026, Connects includes 500+ Net Zero and Net Zero Ready projects across Massachusetts. The continued success of cataloguing Net Zero building data relies on the cooperation and commitment of Massachusetts building professionals to update existing project profiles and continue to add new project profiles to Built Environment Connects.