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Date: 9/14/2023
AGAWAM — The “specialized stretch energy code” is too expensive and too sudden for Agawam home builders and renovators, city councilors said on Sept. 5.
In an 8-1 vote, the council rejected a bid by Councilor Thomas Hendrickson to have the town adopt a building code that would require builders to design new homes’ utility systems either to run on electricity alone, or to be easily switched to non-fossil-fuel heating.
Hendrickson said adopting the more stringent building code would “facilitate the transition away from fossil fuels by encouraging builders to build all-electric and build more energy-efficient buildings.”
Councilor Robert Rossi said he agreed with Hendrickson’s goals — Rossi said he had championed the stretch energy code, which is now in place, as an environmental measure years ago — but he would rather see Agawam stick with the state’s timeline of achieving “net zero” fossil fuel pollution by 2050, rather than leading the way and bearing a cost that other communities are not.
“I understand there’s an urgent challenge … but you can’t expect Agawam residents to shoulder the responsibility for this,” Rossi said. “Climate control is not an Agawam issue, it’s a world issue. We are not the major polluters.”
Rossi said the stretch code that is in place now has been updated every three years to make it more environmentally friendly, and the state’s net zero plan, set into place by former Gov. Charlie Baker, envisions updates every five years.
At the start of the Sept. 5 meeting, two town residents had asked councilors to pass the specialized stretch code. Both Susan Grossberg and Corinne Wingard said it was a necessary measure to fight climate change and preserve a healthy environment for future generations.
Grossberg said she’s facing an $81,000 bill to retrofit a three-family apartment building she owns to run on heat pumps rather than fossil fuel heat. Adopting the specialized stretch code would keep future homeowners from facing similar bills, she said. It would not force anyone to stop using natural gas or oil heat immediately, but would ensure that newly built houses have the wiring and capacity in place for all-electric utilities. She said it’s inevitable that homeowners are going to have to make the switch.
“If you have natural gas heat now, and you don’t move to electric, you’re going to be the ones left behind,” she said. A smaller ratepayer base is going to end up paying more to maintain the pipeline network, and “the cost of gas is going to go through the roof.”
Wingard said without the specialized stretch code, Agawam will lose out on state grants for environmentally friendly communities. The town was late to adopt the current stretch code, she said, and missed several grant cycles because of it.
Councilors Cecilia Calabrese, Dino Mercadante and Rosemary Sandlin said they opposed the proposal because it would work against efforts to make homes more affordable in town.
“If you incur a greater cost to build a house, then you put that house out of reach of other people who are sorely in need of housing,” said Mercadante.
Hendrickson was the only “yes” vote on the council for the specialized stretch code. Councilor Anthony Russo abstained, as he holds a contractor’s license and said he had a financial interest in the outcome of the vote. Councilor George Bitzas was absent.