MIT Efficiency Forward Program - Powered By MIT and NSTAR

Ambitious collaboration between MIT and utility NSTAR aims to cut campus electricity use by 15 percent over 3 years.

In May 2010, MIT established MIT Efficiency Forward: a three year, $13 million collaborative energy conservation and efficiency program with our electric and gas utility company NSTAR. The program is a first-ever-of-its-kind with a utility company and is the single largest energy efficiency project NSTAR has developed with a customer. The program will invest over $13 million over three years, with a mix of funds from MIT, NSTAR incentive payments, and reinvestment of energy savings. MIT has committed to a goal of reducing electrical use on campus by 34 million kilowatt hours over three years – equivalent to 15% of MIT’s current electrical use. The total estimated savings over the lifetime of the investments is estimated in excess of $50 million. MIT Efficiency Forward allows NSTAR and MIT to create a new model for enhanced utility efficiency programs to support the Massachusetts Green Communities Act and the state’s desire to make efficiency competitive with new source generation. Read more at http://mit.edu/efficiencyforward.

Campus Energy Projects Moving the Dial

Campus Energy update PDF

Since 2006, the Campus Energy Task Force has been advancing President Susan Hockfield’s vision of engaging our entire MIT community in campus energy activities. The Task Force has supported and coordinated a broad community of departments and people – department heads, research scientists, faculty, department staff,  custodians,  administrative assistants, undergraduate and graduate students, et al. – to help MIT “walk the talk” on energy and sustainability. The campus energy program has provided a rich opportunity to make an impact on energy use and build awareness of energy issues in general across campus and allow many more people to engage with, learn from, and enrich the MIT Energy Initiative in different capacities. 

Our community has stepped up to advance the priorities of the campus energy program, including demonstrating sound and meaningful energy conservation and efficiency strategies, designing programs to engage everyone in better energy practices, and opening our campus operations as a living laboratory for student learning and education. Read the full summary of campus energy activities at and explore our progress. Full report >

MIT tackles its own energy challenge

More resources | Ways to get involved

The MIT Energy Initiative recognizes that solutions for today’s energy challenges are going to emerge not only from the research laboratories and classrooms but also from practice-based management innovations that focus on minimizing the energy footprint of energy-intensive institutions such as MIT.

Acting on that recognition, the Energy Initiative has established an innovative campus energy program that opens MIT’s campus as a learning laboratory to develop and showcase leading approaches for significantly reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. This program offers a unique platform to engage the entire campus community to identify, develop and implement hands-on sustainable energy practices that leverage the expertise of our students, staff and faculty.

A Campus Energy Task Force has been established to develop an integrated strategy and program of action that enables MIT to “walk the talk” on energy and the environment. By drawing on faculty, staff and students, the task force is well positioned to engage leading MIT energy experts, draw on the newest technologies and approaches developed in their research, and build on the grounded expertise of MIT’s administrative and operational resources.

Co-chairs of the task force are Leon R. Glicksman, professor of architecture and mechanical engineering and director of MIT’s Building Technology Program, and Theresa M. Stone, MIT’s executive vice president and treasurer. Taking full advantage of the rich educational opportunities offered by campus-based projects, the Campus Energy Task Force will collaborate closely with MITEI’s Education Task Force, which coordinates MIT-wide educational initiatives relating to energy.

More resources

Visit the following websites to learn about:

Ways to get involved

For students:

For faculty and staff:

Check back to this website for updates on the campus energy program and opportunities to get involved.