Building Codes Assistance Project

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On May 12, the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) approved Appendix 120AA as an optional amendment to the 7th edition Massachusetts Building Code 780 CMR. This optional "stretch code" was developed in response to the call for improved local building energy efficiency in the state. Towns and cities may adopt Appendix 120AA as an alternative to the base energy efficiency requirements of 780 CMR and the forthcoming 8th edition to be based on the 2009 IECC (Massachusetts is required by the Green Communities Act of 2008 to adopt each new IECC edition within one year of its publication).

The appendix, which includes both a residential and commercial stretch code, is designed to be about 30% more stringent than the 2006 IECC/ASHRAE 90.1-2004 and will go into effect in a few weeks. The appendix will function as a local option code and once it goes into effect, municipalities will be able to adopt it.  

The Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) will hold a public hearing on March 10, 2009 at 1:00pm for public comment on a new appendix (120AA) that contains code which exceeds the energy conservation requirements of Chapters 13 (non-residential) and 61 (residential). The appendix may be adopted by a municipality, through its' public hearing process, and mandated for all buildings that fall within the scope of 120AA.

On November 20, during the U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick set two major goals for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The first aims to make all new malls and "big box" retail stores like Wal-Mart and Target energy efficient and powered in part by solar energy by 2010, and the second goal is for the state to offer a super-efficient building code as a local option for municipalities.

Massachusetts garnered a grant of half a million dollars to work with other states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to develop and implement plans to upgrade, implement and enforce building energy codes that are a 30 percent improvement over ASHRAE 90.1-2004 and/or the 2006 IECC.

The 7th Edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code Chapters 13 and 61 have been updated to include the 2006 IECC with the 2007 Supplement and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 with state-specific amendments (including a long-standing requirement for air barriers).

The new edition will become effective on October 6, 2008. The residential code update will become fully effective immediately. For commercial buildings, there will be a 6-month interim period in which either the 6th or the 7th edition of the commercial code can be used.

On July 2, 2008, the state of Massachusetts updated its 7th Edition One- and Two-Family (low-rise residential) Energy code by adopting the 2006 IECC with state-specific front-end amendments but preserving the technical requirements. Governor Deval Patrick signed legislation requiring that energy efficiency standards for all new buildings are to be met via compliance with the 2006 IECC with the 2006/2007 Supplement and ASHRAE 90.1-2007.