Massachusetts has taken a page out of California’s book, literally. Our policy is now to adopt any green initiative that California adopts. California has long been considered the leader in green technology and MA is right behind. Many towns in MA have signed the Green Communities Act and adopted the Specialized (Stretch) Energy Code that requires all electric HVAC, appliances, and even barbecues. All of this is done with good intention, but harsh realities often collide with idealistic goals.
If you have been shocked by your electric bills lately, you’re not alone. Massachusett’s electric rates are among the highest in the nation at $.30-.40 per kilowatt hour. Pushing new homes to all electric simply increases demand on an already overworked grid, we simply don’t have the electric infrastructure in place to support everyone having all electric homes. Additional demand and the costs of expanding infrastructure will continue to drive costs higher and create greater burden on rate payers. Intensifying the effects of this rate surge is the fact that electrification incentives such as the Federal Heat Pump tax credit, the Mass Save heat pump rebate program and the Federal 30% solar tax credit are scheduled to be phased out between 2025 and 2026. According to figures from the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, typical winter heating bills range from $500-$1500 per month on Cape Cod for electric, yet only $200-$400 per month for oil or gas systems. Winter months bring temperatures (below 40 degrees) at which electric heat pumps don’t work as efficiently, and heat pump systems revert to electric resistance back up heating which is the very least efficient and most expensive option. Ironically, switching to all electric simply shifts the carbon load to electric power generation plants which are over 60% fueled by fossil fuels anyway. Utility companies say that considering increased demand, that situation won’t change anytime soon, as they struggle to keep up with electric demand.
The modern building envelope as regulated by our base building code is remarkably efficient. The purpose of the building code in MA which came into being in 1975 was to standardize construction techniques. The idea that we now have a base code and a stretch code is therefore confusing. If a homeowner wants to build to a higher standard like the stretch code or even net zero and can afford to do so, then they should absolutely have that right, but to require all homeowners to go beyond the base building code drives a lot of expense in construction and in the operation of the home, for a very small increase in actual performance. Housing affordability today is really a challenge and every increase in costs pushes housing further out of reach for more people.
Our technology and our infrastructure need to catch up, and we have to find ways to combine more energy efficiency with cost efficiency to find a balance. The new energy codes don’t really have ventilation figured out and we are producing houses so insulated that they don’t breathe properly. This is not good for the occupants or the structure of the house itself. The costs of mold remediation and early component failure are other parts of the whole cost equation that lurk below the surface.
We all want to feel good about how we are protecting our environment, but we need to examine all aspects of the challenge and the solutions. California, the nation’s leader in green building, has actually frozen residential energy standards until 2031 because of the affordability crisis in housing there and the US Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing roll backs on energy standards on many appliances. Locally, some MA towns (Marion, Rochester, and Essex) have withdrawn from the Stretch Energy Code citing the threat to affordability. Barnstable, the last remaining town on Cape Cod that is not a stretch town, recently voted in the Stretch Code but delayed implementation until Jan 2027, citing the need to closely examine what would be involved. We all support sustainability but it’s not as simple as just that. The conditions we face call for careful thought, planning and execution of a long-term strategy. Just saying yes to Stretch Codes doesn’t address the very real issues of underperforming existing housing and continually escalating costs and unintended consequences. If we want our children and future generations to be able to afford to live here on the Cape and Islands,we have our work cut out for us.