PAYETTE Awarded Three Net Zero Grants

We are proud to announce that PAYETTE has won three grants by the Department of Energy Resources through the Massachusetts Pathways to Zero Grant Program to look into the possibility of getting to Net Zero Energy in three projects: Cape Cod Community College New Science Center and Renovations, Massasoit Community College Allied Health Building and Salem State University Building for New Science Laboratories. [View a complete list of the projects awarded grants.] These three projects would greatly benefit in the long run from right-sizing of mechanical equipment, as well as high performance envelopes and maximizing the use of natural resources such as free cooling through natural ventilation, free heating though solar thermal collection or solar walls and electricity generation stemming from wind, solar and geothermal sources. The grants involve studying the possibilities to get to Net Zero Energy by investigating synergies between various energy conservation and generation measures, based on each project’s location, program and potential to use renewable energy.

Winning these grants will not only benefit the three projects to be studied, but will benefit our practice as a whole. Given our pledge to the 2030 Commitment, all of our buildings will target Net Zero Carbon emissions in less than two decades. These studies will challenge us to re-evaluate some of the energy-saving strategies implemented in past projects, investigate promising new technologies and think outside of the box to harvest every bit of free energy given to us by nature, and start aiming for Net Zero in every project in the office.