Article 13: Adopting the specialized energy code would add standards for new mixed-fuel homes, present grant opportunities

The state is inviting towns to adopt more stringent building codes for energy efficiency in homes and businesses, and in return would make towns that adopt them eligible for energy efficiency grants. The opportunity arises as the state reaches for goals set in 2021 climate legislation to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050.

The specialized energy code would add new standards to Harvard’s building codes and would apply only to new construction. New homes that include both combustion fuel and electric systems would need to add solar panels and install the wiring for future electrification. All-electric homes wouldn’t be subject to the new standards.

The specialized code would become part of Harvard’s 2010-adopted “stretch” energy code, known as such because it expands the efficiency standards of the base energy code. The base code is the minimum standard for all homes built in Massachusetts. Only 50 municipalities in the state have chosen to stick to the base code; 269 have adopted the stretch code; and 45 of those communities have also adopted the specialized code, according to the state’s Department of Energy Resources.

A “no” vote at Saturday’s Town Meeting would mean the town keeps the existing stretch code, which was extensively updated in July. Because adopting the specialized code is one of the requirements to get a grant from the state’s new Climate Leader program, a “no” vote would disqualify Harvard from applying for climate leader grants. And according to the chairs of the Climate Initiative and Energy Advisory committees, Ellen Sachs Leicher and Brian Smith, Harvard needs to tap into new sources of funding. Grants from the state’s current grant program, Green Communities, are drying up, they said. Since 2010, Harvard has received $880,000 from Green Communities, using the municipal grants for weatherizing the Bromfield School and Harvard Public Library, installing HVAC software and control systems, upgrading lighting fixtures, and buying a hybrid vehicle for the Police Department.

A “yes” vote would integrate the specialized energy code into Harvard’s current stretch code as of Jan. 1, 2025. Its adoption would complete Harvard’s criteria for the climate leader program, allowing the town to apply for the program’s grants.

‘Not much different’ from the stretch code

The state has not yet revealed how much money would be available nor precisely which projects would be eligible for the municipal grants. But Jeff Hayes, the town’s building inspector—who is also tasked with monitoring the condition of town buildings—told the Press that one good use of an energy efficiency grant would be to upgrade the Bromfield School’s aging HVAC system. Smith echoed Hayes’ suggestion, noting that “a primary objective is to convert building heating systems from gas to electric,” which he said could be part of the HVAC replacement.

Hayes said he’s recently concluded that adding the specialized code could benefit the town. To begin with, it is “not that much different” from the state’s July update to the stretch code, which he noted was already strict enough to make us “way ahead of the rest of the country.”

Would adopting the specialized code affect the renovation planned for the DPW buildings? No, he said, because fewer than 20,000 square feet will be renovated. He added that the design already complies with the stretch code enacted in July.

Still, Hayes said that building inspectors who attended a recent meeting of the MetroWest Building Officials Association were skeptical. Some called the specialized code “unenforceable” and discussed challenges to the state appeals board based on its being “vague.” Hayes said it’s likely the DOER will adjust the code in response to feedback, and the town should be prepared for that if it adopts the specialized code. “Like the stretch code we adopted [at 2010 Town Meeting], you own the new code regardless of what adjustments are made going forward.” The state normally updates the code every few years.

Whether the new code would increase building costs is as yet unclear. According to Michael Rossi, an energy code specialist with PSD Consulting who works with the state, PSD’s study of the question is ongoing because the specialized code is so new. However, estimates from the DOER show that following the stretch code instead of the base code realized a significant savings for builders when electric heat was installed instead of gas heat, with savings ranging between $11,492 and $28,597. Savings for homeowners were smaller, ranging from $316 to $1,053 depending on the size of the home. Energy specialists point to solar panels as one way to offset the relatively high cost of electricity for homeowners.

One developer who plans to build all-electric homes is Walter Eriksen of Chelmsford-based (formerly Tyngsborough) Juno Construction. Juno will build 12 duplexes, each with roof solar panels and heated and cooled by air source heat pumps, on Old Mill Road. Site work is underway now, with construction set to start next month. Six of the 24 units will be affordable to those earning no more than 30% of eastern Worcester County’s median income.

Eriksen said noncombustion systems are more expensive initially, with one of the bigger expenses being the solar panels. But all-electric, he said, still makes sense. “The state and the country are trending this way,” he said.