Stretch Code Returns to 2012 Warrant

Within minutes of opening the Town Meeting Warrant last Monday, the Westwood Board of Selectmen approved for the adoption of to be listed on the warrant for Town Meeting 2012. 

If adopted, the code, which was originally listed on last year's Town Meeting warrant and to the town, would allow Westwood to move one step closer to being designated as a "Green Community." 

The code itself is a component of the Massachusetts Building Energy code, and would aim to provide a cost-effective route to achieving 20 to 35 percent better energy efficiency for newly constructed residential buildings, residential additions and renovations, and construction of some new commercial buildings in Westwood. 

"The purpose is to basically reduce energy consumption and try to push the state in the right direction," said Peter Kane, chair of the Westwood Environmental Action Committee, who presented the benefits of the Stretch Code to the Selectmen at last Monday's meeting. 

Adopting the Stretch Code would allow the town to fulfill one of the five criteria needed to be designated as a "Green Community" by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), which include:

• Adoption of as-of-right siting in designated locations
• Adoption of an expedited (12 month) application/permitting process
• Establishment of an energy use baseline inventory with a program to reduce baseline by 20 percent in five years
• The purchase of only fuel-efficient vehicles
• The requirement that for all new residential construction and new commercial and industrial real estate construction to minimize life-cycle energy costs, which in Westwood's case would mean the adoption of the Stretch Code

But there was as to how beneficial adopting the code would be in the long run for the town; several members of the Westwood Finance Commission asked questions that touched on how stringent the code could become over time to what incentives are involved.

If adopted homes could be rated using a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) device. If a home is built to a base line code, it should obtain a code of about 100, Kane explained. But the state is looking to ideally get homes to be about 20 to 30 percent more efficient. 

The HERS rating would essentially provide a veritable "nutrition label" for homes, in order for prospective new home buyers to see how efficient the home is. 

The board commended Kane and WEAC for their efforts, and said that adding the code to the warrant would help get the conversation started again after last year. 

"I really think that as the Stretch Code has progressed in terms of usage, and the data not showing problems, those bode well for us to look at this more broadly," said Hyde. "My feeling is we should proceed and keep the discussion going."