DESE0001542

The primary goal of the proposed project is to provide critical support for the implementation and enforcement of the two currently adopted building performance standards (BPS) in MA: Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) in Boston and Building Energy Use Ordinance (BEUDO) in Cambridge.

By providing building-specific decarbonization plans and additional technical support to covered properties to comply with the local requirements, as well as local implementation, enforcement, and workforce development capacity, the project will build capacity and expertise necessary for successfully implementing and enforcing BPS in Cambridge and Boston, while laying the groundwork to scale up BPS to other cities or the state level.

It is critical that adequate resources be deployed in a coordinated manner and in sufficient quantity to meet the demand in both cities: BERDO currently covers 5,400 properties in Boston and BEUDO covers 800 properties in Cambridge.

Prioritizing the resources and developing the needed workforce in the Metro Boston area will provide ready access to buildings in the two cities while creating the necessary infrastructure to scale up support to other communities that are actively considering adopting benchmarking and/or BPS policies.

Furthermore, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities Climate Leaders Program is an effective mechanism to share best practices and encourage adoption in communities across the state, as has been demonstrated in the prior adoption of the Stretch Code.

The resources will be tailored and targeted to benefit low income disadvantaged community (LIDAC) neighborhoods in Cambridge and Boston, supported by partnerships with affordable housing stakeholders and community-based organizations who can direct LIDAC stakeholders towards the project resources and enable the prioritization of Justice40 communities for future BPS adoption.

Massachusetts Department Of Energy Resources

THE OFFICE OF STATE AND COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAMS (SCEP) IS ISSUING THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA). AWARDS MADE UNDER THIS FOA WILL BE FUNDED, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, WITH FUNDS APPROPRIATED BY SECTION 50131 OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT (IRA) OF 2022, ASSISTANCE FOR LATEST AND ZERO BUILDING ENERGY CODE ADOPTION. THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT OF 2022 (IRA) PROVIDES UP TO $1 BILLION FOR STATES AND UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT WITH THE AUTHORITY TO ADOPT BUILDING ENERGY CODES TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT THE LATEST BUILDING ENERGY CODES, ZERO ENERGY BUILDING CODES, OR EQUIVALENT CODES OR STANDARDS. AN ENERGY CODE IS ONE OF SEVERAL TYPES OF BUILDING CODES THAT HELP CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL HEALTH, SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, AND LONG-TERM RESILIENCE OF BUILDINGS. ENERGY CODES CAN BE ADOPTED DIRECTLY AS A STANDALONE CODE, SUCH AS THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE (IECC), WHICH IS COMMONLY ADOPTED BY STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. MOREOVER, ENERGY CODES ARE ALSO FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF CERTAIN MORE BROADLY ADOPTED BUILDING CODES, INCLUDING THE INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE (IBC) AND INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE (IRC), WHICH ARE REFERENCED IN THE UNITED STATES AS “PARENTAL” CODES. ENERGY CODES ARE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A SUBSET OF THESE BROADER BUILDING CODES, REPRESENTING DISTINCT CHAPTERS OF THE IBC AND IRC ALONGSIDE OTHER COMMONLY RECOGNIZED PROVISIONS, SUCH AS THOSE PERTAINING TO STRUCTURAL, PLUMBING, OR ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS, AND OTHER BASIC ASPECTS OF BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH CODES SUPPORTS THE DECARBONIZATION OF NEW AND EXISTING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. IN ADDITION, UPDATES TO REFRIGERANT APPROVALS AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL THAT ALLOW FOR THE INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT THAT UTILIZE REFRIGERANTS WITH LOWER GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY’S SIGNIFICANT NEW ALTERNATIVES POLICY PROGRAM ALONG WITH ENERGY CODE UPDATES HELPS TO SUPPORT THE TRANSITION TO A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY. THIS OPPORTUNITY ASSISTS ELIGIBLE ENTITIES IN FURTHER DECARBONIZING THEIR BUILDINGS THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF THE LATEST NATIONAL MODEL BUILDING ENERGY CODES, ZERO ENERGY CODES, OTHER CODES THAT DELIVER EQUIVALENT OR GREATER ENERGY SAVINGS, INCLUDING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO DECARBONIZE EXISTING BUILDINGS THROUGH CERTAIN MEASURABLE AND ENFORCEABLE REQUIREMENTS. THE IRA IS UNPRECEDENTED IN ITS OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE CHANGE AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO ADVANCING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF NEW, RENOVATED, AND EXISTING BUILDINGS. DOE IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN IMPLEMENTING LOCAL CAPACITY BUILDING, MULTI-YEAR INVESTMENTS IN WORKFORCE AND EDUCATION, AND LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN BUILDING ENERGY CODES THROUGH MULTI-CYCLE ADOPTION AND BUILDING PERFORMANCE STANDARDS (BPS). BUILDING ENERGY CODES ESTABLISH MINIMUM LEVELS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR NEW AND EXISTING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. MODEL ENERGY CODES, SUCH AS THE 2021 IECC AND ASHRAE STANDARD 90.1-2019, ARE DEVELOPED AND UPDATED THROUGH NATIONAL CONSENSUS PROCESSES. STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ULTIMATELY IMPLEMENT BUILDING ENERGY CODES, WHICH ARE HANDLED THROUGH VARIOUS ADOPTION, COMPLIANCE, AND ENFORCEMENT PROCESSES AND CAN VARY WIDELY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. MANY STATES HAVE CONSISTENTLY RECEIVED FUNDING THROUGH THEIR STATE ENERGY PLAN TO SUPPORT THE ADOPTION OF TRADITIONAL BUILDING ENERGY CODES. IN ADDITION TO THIS COMPETITIVE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT, A FORMAL FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT WAS PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 FOR STATES PURSUING PRE-APPROVED CODE PACKAGES. DOE UNDERSTANDS THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF BUILDING ENERGY CODES ALSO DEPENDS ON A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT JURISDICTIONS, BUILDING AND SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, BUILDERS, CONTRACTORS, AND DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, OWNERS, OCCUPANTS, AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF CRITICAL COMMUNITY INTERESTS. SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LATEST MODEL ENERGY CODES, ZERO ENERGY CODES AND OTHER INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO INCREASING BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY RELIES UPON THE FORMATION OF PARTNERSHIPS AMONGST MANY OF THESE GROUPS AND IS CRITICAL TO ENSURING THEIR BENEFITS ARE REALIZED IN AMERICAN HOMES AND BUSINESSES.

81.117 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Information Dissemination, Outreach, Training and Technical Analysis/Assistance

Golden Field Office (GFO) [DOE - EERE]

Department of Energy (DOE)

Boston, Massachusetts United States

City-Wide

Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) Assistance for the Adoption of the Latest and Zero Building Energy Codes (DE-FOA-0003056)