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Residential Energy Code Training

Residential Energy Code Training offered

On April 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources is offering an energy code training session at the Town Hall at 6 Walker Street in Lenox for contractors, architects, building inspectors, real estate brokers, appraisers, home inspectors, and others in the building professions.

The presenter will be Chuck Miller, a building inspector in Westhampton, and building science trainer for the Center for Ecological Technology (CET). Advance registration is required.

Attendees will learn about the changes in the energy efficiency requirements of the MA Building Code, 780 CMR, 7th Edition. These new requirements are mandatory beginning July 1. A significant change for residential builders is that for the first time the statewide code will require performance testing of new homes to ensure that heating ducts and the building shell have minimal leakage.

In addition to the code changes, attendees in the session will learn the fundamentals of building science and best practices in homes that would lead to greater efficiency, comfort, and indoor air quality and help the occupants save money on energy. Miller will also review the requirements for the Stretch Code, an optional, more efficient code appendix for adoption by any Massachusetts community that was developed through the Massachusetts Green Communities Act of 2008. New homes subject to the Stretch Code will require performance testing like the new state wide code plus a Home Energy Rating (HERS) Index documenting that the building’s energy efficiency is at least 15-20% more efficient than the base code.

After a public hearing and a vote by the City Council, Pittsfield adopted the Stretch Code, and CET and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission are providing technical support to a number of other Berkshire communities that are working on adopting the Stretch Code through public hearings and a vote at their upcoming Town Meetings.

This is the last expected residential code training in the Berkshires. An additional residential session in western Massachusetts will be offered on April 30, from 8:30 to 1 p.m. at the Kittredge Business Center, Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke.

Advance registration is required for either session, and there is limited space in all trainings. Continuing Education Units will be available for AIA, BBRS, NAHB, ASHI and BPI.

For registration information, visit CET’s Events page at www.cetonline.org, or contact 800-369-3333 ext. 301 / training@cetonline.org.

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