Article 18

ARTICLE 18.  To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town’s Bylaws, Part II: General Legislation, Chapter 164, Stretch Energy Code, , by deleting the  chapter title in the Table of Contents and replacing it with “Specialized Stretch Energy Code” and deleting the language contained in that chapter in its entirety and replacing it with the following language,  for the purpose of regulating the design and construction of buildings for the effective use of energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, pursuant to the entirety of 225 CMR 22 and 23 including Appendices RC and CC, including future editions, amendments or modifications thereto, with an effective date of July 1, 2025, a copy of which is on file with the Town Clerk, or take any other action relative thereto.

Chapter 164

SPECIALIZED ENERGY CODE

§ 164-1 Definitions

§ 164-2 Purpose

§ 164-3 Applicability

§ 164-4 Stretch Code

§ 164-1 Definitions

International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) – The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is a building energy code created by the International Code Council. It is a model code adopted by many state and municipal governments in the United States for the establishment of minimum design and construction requirements for energy efficiency, and is updated on a three-year cycle. The baseline energy conservation requirements of the MA State Building Code are the IECC with Massachusetts amendments, as approved by the Board of Building Regulations and Standards and published in state regulations as part of 780 CMR.

Specialized Energy Code – Codified by the entirety of 225 CMR 22 and 23 including Appendices RC and CC, the Specialized Energy Code adds residential and commercial appendices to the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, based 3 on amendments to the respective net-zero appendices of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) to incorporate the energy efficiency of the Stretch energy code and further reduce the climate impacts of buildings built to this code, with the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings sector no later than 2050.

Stretch Energy Code - Codified by the combination of 225 CMR 22 and 23, not including Appendices RC and CC, the Stretch Energy Code is a comprehensive set of amendments to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) seeking to achieve all lifecycle cost-effective energy efficiency in accordance with the Green Communities Act of 2008, as well as to reduce the climate impacts of buildings built to this code.

§ 164-2 Purpose

The purpose of 225 CMR 22.00 and 23.00 including Appendices RC and CC, also referred to as the Specialized Energy Code is to provide a more energy efficient and low greenhouse gas emissions alternative to the Stretch Energy Code or the baseline Massachusetts Energy Code, applicable to the relevant sections of the building code for both new construction and existing buildings.

§ 164-3 Applicability

This energy code applies to residential and commercial buildings.

§ 164-4 Specialized Code

The Specialized Code, as codified by the entirety of 225 CMR 22 and 23 including Appendices RC and CC, including any future editions, amendments, or modifications, is herein incorporated by reference into the Town of Boxford General Bylaws, Chapter 164.

The Specialized Code is enforceable by the Inspector of Buildings or Building Commissioner

                          Sponsored and supported by the Sustainability Committee

                          Select Board to make recommendation at Town Meeting

COMMENT:  The Boxford Sustainability Committee is sponsoring this article for the Town to adopt the Specialized Opt-in Building Code.  Massachusetts cities and towns have 3 related choices of stringency of building energy code. These are the ‘Base code’ the ‘Stretch code’ and the ‘Specialized code’.  Since 2019, Boxford has operated under the Stretch Code, which increases the energy efficiency requirements for all new residential and commercial buildings, as well as for additions and renovations that require building permits. The Specialized code is required by statute (MGL 25A Section 6) to help achieve MA GHG emission limits and building sector sub-limits set every five years from 2025 to 2050. As a result, all compliance pathways under the Specialized code are designed to ensure new construction that is consistent with a net-zero Massachusetts economy in 2050, primarily through a combination of energy efficiency, that it in turn enables reduced heating loads, and efficient electrification. Use of fossil fuels such as gas and propane or biomass is permitted but comes with additional requirements for on-site solar generation and pre-wiring for future electrification of any fossil fuel using equipment.