Specialized Building Energy Code

In September of 2023, the Worcester City Council by vote adopted the Specialized Building Energy Code as the mandatory energy code requirement for new residential and new commercial construction in the city. Worcester is the first Gateway City to adopt the Specialized Code in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The code is slated to go into effect on July 1, 2024.

The Specialized Code was developed by the Commonwealth in 2022 as an option for municipalities to make new buildings more energy-efficient. The code builds upon the existing codes (Basic and Stretch Codes) for making buildings within the Commonwealth more energy-efficient. 

Specialized Code:

Specialized Code = International Energy Conservation Code 2021 model energy code (updates every 3 years) with MA Amendments + Stretch Code Amendments + Specialized Code Apendice

The Specialized Code helps achieve MA GreenHouse Gas emission limits and building sector sub-limits set every five years from 2025 to 2050. All compliance pathways under the specialized code are designed to ensure new construction that is consistent with a net-zero Massachusetts economy in 2050. 

Who Developed the Code:

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources developed the Specialized Code. Once a municipality adopts the Specialize Code, all further editions, amendments, and modifications of the code are automatically adopted.

Application:

The Specialized Code applies only to new residential and new commercial construction

Three Pathways for Residential Low-Rise: 

    1. Zero Energy pathway
      1. Potential pathway for new low-rise buildings under 4,000 SF in size and new buildings over 4,000 SF in size 
      2. Requires net-zero energy on an annual basis from the first year of construction
      3. Demonstrated only with on-site generation (typically solar PV), and all buildings must meet minimum energy efficiency requirements for renewable offsets
      4. Option to show compliance using HERS 0 or Phius ZERO certification
    2. All-Electric pathway
      1. Potential pathway for new low-rise buildings under 4,000 SF in size and new buildings over 4,000 SF in size 
      2. Meet the minimum efficiency standards of either HERS 45 or the Passive House Pathway
      3. Use either air source or ground source heat pumps for primary space heating and heat pump or solar thermal water heating, as well as all electric appliances
      4. Not required to install on-site solar panels, but roofs must be solar-ready in accordance with the base and Stretch code requirements 
    3. Mixed-Fuel pathway
      1. Potential pathway for new low-rise buildings under 4,000 SF in size and using fossil fuels for any on-site use
      2. Meet minimum efficiency requirements of HER 42 or the Passive House Pathway 
      3. Required to install solar panels that provide no less than 4kw for single-family
      4. Houses using fossil fuels for space heating, water heating, cooking or drying must install sufficient electrical service, space, and wiring to allow for future conversion to all-electric buildings

Three Pathways for Commercial Specialized Code:

  1. All Electric Building Performance Standard
      1. Requires the energy efficiency requirements of the Stretch code
      2. Requires all space heating, water heating, cooking equipment, and drying equipment to be powered by electricity and meet efficiency standards.
  2. Mixed-Fuel Building Performance Standard
      1. Allows fossil-fired systems like space heating systems, water heating systems, or appliances 
      2. Requires mitigation of these emissions by having minimum efficiency requirements for space and water heating, solar development of available on-site solar potential, and pre-wiring and electrical service to allow for future electrification of space and water heating and cooking and drying equipment 
  3. Zero Energy Building Performance Standard
      1. Requires net-zero energy on an annual basis from the first year of construction
      2. Zero energy may be demonstrated only with on-site generation (typically solar PV), and all buildings must meet minimum energy efficiency requirements prior to renewable offsets
      3. Option to show compliance using HERS 0 or Phius ZERO certification

Solar PV Requirements: 

    • Required
      • Using Fossil Fuels
      • Using Net-Zero Path
    • Optional 
      • All-electric building
    • Expectations
      • For shaded sites, can reduce min. size

Specialized Code Multi-Family Passive House Requirements:

As of January 2024, the specialized code will require Passive House certification for all large multifamily buildings over 12,000 SF. The PHIUS+2015 Passive Building Standard released by Passive House Institute US in 2026 is the only passive building standard on the market based upon climate-specific comfort and performance criteria.

Chamber’s Initiative:

The Chamber is cautious to support new regulations on small businesses and property owners, and we do not express this support without consideration of the consequences. Ultimately, we believe it to be a question of when, not if, the specialized code becomes the new stretch code, which is automatically adopted by the city. Worcester should still make a statement on its commitment to battling climate change by becoming the first community outside the Greater Boston Area to adopt the specialized code and get a head start on preparing for its implementation.

There are several limitations to implementing the specialized code that Worcester must overcome and changes that already must take place to catch up on implementing the stretch code. The city must, first of all, be able to enforce the code by training its building and fire department inspectors and having enough energy raters to verify that homes and buildings are meeting new HERS ratings and Passive House standards. Contractors need time to adjust to ordering and installing new energy-efficient components like heat pumps and meeting increased demand for their services. Another looming question is whether the grid has the capability to handle a transition to an increasingly electrified building stock – the city and National Grid need time to analyze.

Property owners and homeowners need time to understand the costs and what incentives are available through programs and organizations like Mass Save, National Grid, the new Massachusetts Community Climate Bank, and MassDevelopment’s Property Assessed Clean Energy financing program – which Worcester still needs to opt into via city council for any city property owners to access. These programs must be optimized so builders and developers can rely on them when making financial projections.

The Chamber will continue to work with the city council, DOER and the state administration, the city manager’s administration, National Grid, and other partners to make sure our members and the community at large are well-informed of new changes to the building energy code and that changes are implemented in a manageable manner while also doing everything we can to address climate change.

For questions, please contact Mike Kane, Economic Development and Public Policy Associate at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.