Thank you to guest columnist Adin Maynard for bringing a voice of reason into the conversation about the cost of building new housing (“Energy codes aren’t the enemy of affordable housing,” April 6). Maynard points out some of the misinformation about the opt-in Specialized Energy Code and gives us the facts.
Opting in is a community decision; the energy code requirements add a very small percentage of construction costs compared to the cost of building materials etc.; building for energy efficiency can dramatically decrease energy usage and costs; and the technologies for energy efficiency are improving all the time. The success of the Passive House project in Bunker Hill is encouraging.
Massachusetts is actively preparing the clean energy workforce we need through programs like the Climate Service Corps and HVAC training at Greenfield Community College. Standards that also prepare us for energy independence are an important tool.
Maynard notes, “Energy codes are one of the tools that let us build deliberately.” In a world where there is so much we can’t control, planning sensibly and acting proactively are the smart choice. I hope that more communities in western Massachusetts adopt these practical and forward-thinking codes.
Sia Stewart
Conway