After a series of public hearings, the Cambridge City Council adopted the stretch energy code on December 21st.  The stretch code is about 30% more efficient than the baseline building code and has different requirements for both the residential and commercial sectors.  Visit the city’s website to learn more about the stretch code, which includes a summary table that outlines the new requirements.

By passing the stretch energy code, the city of Cambridge demonstrates its continued commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, by requiring higher efficiency standards for buildings, which produce 80% of all carbon emissions in the city.  In addition, the city of Cambridge has now met one of the requirements of the Green Communities Act, that may provide grant funding for  efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.

The stretch code is not without controversy, as expressed in the E2.0 July blog post.  The city council weighed in feedback from the community and received recommendations for the code’s adoption from the Climate Protection Action Committee and the city’s Green Building Task Force.  The new building code will go into effect on July 1, 2010.