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Town may be first in state to adopt stretch energy code

Date: 11/2/2009

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW -- The town of East Longmeadow is on track to become the first municipality in Western Massachusetts -- if not the entire Commonwealth -- to adopt the Stretch Energy Code, according to Dan Hellyer, Building Commissioner.

This optional building code, adopted by the state in May, was developed in response to the call for improved building energy efficiency in Massachusetts. Towns and cities may adopt the code in place of the energy efficiency requirements of the "base" building code.

The town's Green Committee, chaired by Selectman James Driscoll, was the driving force behind the pursuit of the adoption of this code.

"Future buyers of new homes will see up to a 35 percent reduction in their energy bills [if the code is adopted]," Hellyer stated.

According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), the stretch energy code would require new residential buildings of three stories or less to meet an energy performance standard using the Home Energy Rating System3 (HERS). The HERS index scores a home on a scale where 0 is a zero-net-energy home, and 100 is a code compliant new home (based on the 2006 code).

The Commonwealth's stretch code requires a HERS index of 65 or less for new homes of 3,000 square feet or above, and 70 or less for new homes below 3,000 square feet.

"A HERS index of 65 means that the home is estimated to use 65 percent as much energy as the same home built to the 2006 energy code, or a 35 percent annual energy savings," information from the EOPSS stated.

New commercial buildings smaller than 5,000 square feet are exempt, as are buildings like supermarkets, laboratories and warehouses below 40,000 square feet in size, due to their widely differing energy needs. Large buildings -- over 100,000 square feet -- and specialty buildings over 40,000 square feet are required to meet a performance standard set at 20 percent below the energy usage of the 2007 code.

"This is a result of the Green Committee's efforts to find out what the town can do better, what we can do to be a truly green community for both residents and industry," Driscoll said. "Once we're designated a 'Green Community' [by the state] we'll be eligible for millions of dollars in grants."

He added that adoption of the code would have a positive impact both environmentally and fiscally on the town, even though compliance with the code will mean slightly higher costs during building.

"There is an increase at the beginning, but the payoff is tremendous," Driscoll noted. "This [code] is going to be mandatory eventually -- why shouldn't East Longmeadow be the first [to adopt it]?"

Hellyer will be hosting an information session on the stretch energy code on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. in Town Hall, and a public hearing on the topic on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in the same place. A public hearing is required to take place before the Board of Selectmen can consider adoption of the code.