Massachusetts proposed energy code changes don’t ban gas

Proposed changes to the Massachusetts energy code would provide incentives for builders to fully electrify buildings, but not impose a ban on natural gas hookups.

The state’s Department of Energy Resources recently proposed updating the stretch energy code used by 85% of Bay State towns and cities. The department also proposed another stretch code option that could be adopted by communities.

It would include the option for homes or businesses that use fossil fuels to install on-site solar panels where feasible and include electrical wiring needed for easy conversion to electric systems. The changes address 2021 legislation that required Massachusetts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% below 1990 levels by 2030.

The state is aiming for net-zero economywide emissions by 2050.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.