Cambridge Net Zero review finds new-building wins, residential gap still unresolved

CAMBRIDGE — March 31, 2026 — Cambridge Health and Environment Committee reviews Net Zero Action Plan, flags residential decarbonization as top unfinished work. The committee met Tuesday for its annual review of the city's building-sector climate plan, hearing from Cambridge Climate Chief Julie Wormser and Deputy Climate Chief Suzanne Rasmussen that 55 new buildings and 42 major renovation projects have been completed fossil-fuel-free since March 2024, and that the city's community electricity aggregation now delivers 75 percent green power by default to more than 42,000 customers — 50 percent greener than a year ago. The Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance's performance requirements are now in effect for large non-residential buildings representing 50 percent of total citywide emissions, with 97 percent of tracked properties reporting. Cambridge Climate Committee Chair Joel Nodzik and member Megan Lim presented a December 2025 review letter calling for a working group on thermal energy networks and stronger decarbonization financing for residential buildings; public commenter and former councilor Quentin Zondervan called the on-hold status of transaction-point upgrade requirements "very unfortunate" and urged immediate action on low-barrier measures like energy audits at time of sale. The city's full greenhouse gas inventory, based on 2024 data and the first since 2019, is expected to be completed by June 2026 as the next five-year Net Zero Action Plan update gets underway.