The Boston Medical Center has started an unusual program to help low-income patients save on their electricity bills and support a healthier recovery.
Some patients in Boston, Massachusetts are receiving an unusual prescription from their doctors: solar energy.
The Boston Medical Center Health System (BMCHS) has begun its Clean Power Prescription program, a program intended to offer bill savings to patients that may struggle to pay for electricity during recovery. The new pilot program enables BMCHS providers to write patients a prescription for a reduced utility bill using renewable energy.
Clean Power Prescription was initiated by Dr. Anna Goldman, a primary care physician at BMCHS.
“When people can’t afford the cost of running their air conditioner, they can be exposed to extreme heat, or they might under-use treatments like CPAP or nebulizers that rely on electricity,” Goldman said.
The Clean Power Prescription program was initiated with a 365 kW, 519-panel installation on the administrative building of BMCHS. Electricity produced by the installation generates bill credits that can be applied to patients’ bills. This is facilitated a virtual net metering program facilitated by Eversource and the SMART program administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.
During the pilot phase, 80 households with eligible patients will receive monthly credits averaging $50 per month, for a total of roughly $600 in savings per household per year. That represents a reduction of approximately 30% off the cost of the average Bostonian’s annual electrical bill, BMCHS said.
“Through this innovative program, we are able to directly improve patients’ health, while providing a healthier environment and economic mobility opportunities for the communities we serve,” Goldman said.
The program was also made possible in part by the 10% Low-Income bonus tax credit within the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which offers bonus incentives to projects developed in low-income designated areas.
“To our knowledge, BMCHS is the first healthcare system in the nation to leverage this IRA tax credit to bring renewable power to patients experiencing energy insecurity,” BMCHS said in a statement.
BMCHS has extended an invitation for local businesses, real estate holders, and institutions to support Clean Power Prescription by contributing renewable energy credits to its patients. It said companies and institutions interested in participating can use existing solar installations or develop new arrays. By contributing at least 50% of the credits generated by an array to Clean Power Prescription, partners may become eligible to receive the Low-income Communities Bonus Credit, BMCHS said.
However, Roth Capital Partners warned in an industry note that the incoming Trump administration may seek to remove the 10% bonuses for both domestic content and low-income communities. Roth said it has 80% confidence that the administration will change rules to require domestic content for the base 30% investment tax credit awarded to all clean energy installations, and remove the Low-Income Communities bonus used in this BMC project entirely.
