On August 4th, 2016, the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety put out an announcement regarding amendments to the Energy Conservation provisions of the Massachusetts State Building Code. Here’s what you need to know:
Public Hearing and Comments
In early June, a public hearing was held in order to receive feedback and review amendments to 780 CMR Chapter 13 and 780 CMR 115 Appendix AA, the commercial energy efficiency standards and the Stretch Energy Code. After the public hearing was held, additional comments were accepted in writing until the end of June. At the following board meeting, the feedback and comments were addressed and the board voted on, and approved, amendments to 780 CMR Chapter 13 and Appendix AA. These amendments were filed the Secretary of the Commonwealth in late July and approved.
Code Basis
The newly amended Energy Conservation and Stretch Energy Codes are based on the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with Massachusetts specific amendments.
Date of Adoption
The new codes went into effect on Friday, August 12, 2016.
Use of Old Code
The adoption of the new provisions includes a concurrency period which is in effect from August 12, 2016 until January 1, 2017. During this time period, individuals seeking building permits are permitted to comply with either the old energy provisions in effect prior to the August 12 adoption, or the new amendments that went into effect on August 12, but not a combination of both. After the January 1 deadline, all submitted plans and documents are required to comply with the new energy provisions.
Have questions on how this affects your design? Contact us with questions about the implications of the code change!