We’re going to need everyone’s help on this.

As of February 9, 2024, 34 communities representing over 26% of the State’s population have adopted the Specialized Code. About a dozen communities have plans to adopt the Specialized Code this Spring or Fall 2024. If you are a community interested in adopting the Specialized Code, we can help provide coaching and plenty of help.

The Specialized Code provides consumer protections like pre-wiring for future electrification and PV solar panels for reducing energy costs. To start, read this short and succinct Opt-in Specialized Code Summary, and also look at the clear and easy Specialized Code Comparison Charts in this 5 page PowerPoint. And see this slide deck as well as this recording of our recent April 12 webinar on the Specialized Code. Here is a great powerpoint produced by Weston for their town meeting.

See our resource folder for lots of helpful information from towns and cities who have already adopted this Specialized Code, including PowerPoint presentations and links to recorded meetings.

We cannot achieve the decarbonization we need by 2030 or 2050 with voluntary individual choices alone. We need to change systems, incentives and regulations to achieve the scale we need. And critically, much of the change we need has to happen at the local and state level, not just at the Federal level.

Find a way to accelerate climate action that feels right to you. Contact us at info@zerocarbonma.org, we can help! For more resources, please click the links below.

• Get involved in your community’s climate action plans. Local change inspires change at the State level:

  • Does your community have a Community Choice Electricity program?

  • Have they voted to adopt the Opt-in Specialized Code? (If not, see Tab above)

  • Have they passed a fossil fuel prohibition Home Rule Petition or other building electrification legislation? Contact us at info@zerocarbonma.org - we can help

  • Are they planning for an all-electric EV fleet and EV ready parking? See the slide deck for our EV-ready webinar on 1.10.24 here and the webinar here.

  • Have they committed to low-carbon concrete? See the slide deck for the Low-Carbon concrete webinar on 1.10.24 here and the webinar here.

  • Have they stopped buying brand new fossil fuel infrastructure?

  • Have they committed to net-zero municipal buildings?

ZeroCarbonMA has filed legislation sponsored by Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, to expand the Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Project to any town or city who would like to participate.

It is not equitable to allow only ten “first-come first-serve” communities (predominantly wealthy communities) the option to adopt a healthier, all-electric building code, while prohibiting it for municipalities with large Environmental Justice populations and high rates of new construction, like Boston.

Set up a meeting with your Senator and Representative to explain this important bill to them and ask for their co-sponsorship of this bill.

See our PowerPoint for the FFF Demonstration Program expansion bill here.

Printable Fact Sheets for the FFF Demonstration Program expansion bill:

FFF Demonstration Program Expansion Bill

Electric Grid

Affordable Housing

Labor

A resource folder for the first 10 approved communities in the 10 community FFF Demonstration program. Including Town Meeting presentations and bylaw language. See the links to the all of the nine municipalities who have filed with DOER here.

Prioritized Communities resource folder

You can start a local program to lend out induction cook plates at your local library! See our resource folder here:

Induction Cooking Resource Folder

Also see “Can’t get rid of your gas stove? Do this!” in the “For individuals” section below.

The most common objection to FFF construction is the (mistaken!) belief, amplified by some real estate and fossil fuel interests, that there is a cost burden to homeowners and developers. The opposite is true, but we still hear this concern even from allies who are new to the topic. With the updated Stretch code, DOER’s own data shows that all-electric construction is less expensive to build and to operate than gas construction, not to mention significantly better for health and carbon emissions. In addition, there are significant state MassSave and federal IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) incentives., making the economics for all-electric construction even more favorable. This paper from RMI is an excellent resource, demonstrating that “The new all-electric, single-family home has a lower net present cost than the new mixed-fuel home in every city we studied.”

In commercial construction, Built Environment Plus (BE+) has documented that for net-zero construction, 81% of surveyed projects reported less than a 1% construction cost premium to achieve Net Zero Ready. The Net Zero and Net Zero Ready building stock in Massachusetts exceeds 32.8 million square feet and is growing at an exponential rate. Multi-family and affordable housing’s combined 11 Million GSF are leading the way for Net Zero development in MA, comprising 44% of all residential Net Zero and Net Zero Ready square footage. The Lab/Tech/Science building sector grew substantially in 2023 to 9.3 Million GSF, making up the majority of the found Net Zero Ready space.

Passive House MA also just released a report on the Low Costs and Improved Occupant Health of Multifamily Projects.

Also see this excellent workshop sponsored by ZeroCarbonMA and BE+ on the updated incentives from Mass Save and IRA tax credits for net-zero construction, and what the utilities are doing to prepare for the increase in demand.

Embodied carbon refers to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the life cycle of a building or infrastructure project. In order to reach net-zero goals, we have to use less carbon-intensive materials, reuse more materials, and shift to low-carbon concrete mixes, among other strategies.

Lisa Cunningham spoke with Rebecca Esau of RMI for guidance on how to limit embodied carbon in construction and to Ira Krepchin of Brookline on how to get municipalities to utilize low-carbon concrete. You can view the recorded zoom call here.

And sample local legislation to require low carbon concrete in municipal projects can be found here.

Help your community write and implement a Climate Action Plan to meet the State’s target of 50% carbon emissions reduction by 2030 and 100% by 2050 - or hopefully better (many towns and cities have a 2040 net-zero goal which aligns more closely with scientific consensus). See this document for examples.

Get a portable induction cookplate. If you are a renter, or don’t have the electrical capacity or the funds to replace your gas stove and oven with induction or electric, DON’T DESPAIR. There are easy and very cost effective measures you can take to improve your indoor air quality. First of all, for less than $150, you can get a great countertop induction cookplate and cookware. We love cooking on our induction cookplate! Our favorite is this no-frills Wirecutter recommendation, but Ikea also has one that is a few dollars less. You need to use magnetic pots and pans on induction: low cost cast iron pans work great and there are great options through Amazon, Ikea, and other vendors. You can also use other electric appliances to supplement the use of your gas stove and oven - countertop ovens, slow cookers, etc..

If you can, venting your stove and oven when you are cooking with gas is important. If you have a ventilation hood - USE IT. (Unfortunately, fans that come with microwaves units over ranges are recirculating and do not vent to the outside, and therefore do not get rid of harmful emissions). You can also open windows if that works.

NEVER USE your gas stove to supplement heat in your home. It is dangerous and emits tons of toxic emissions.

And bring this to your community: see “Start an induction cookplate lending program” in the “For municipalities” section above.

There is a lot of noise and pressure about so many of the decisions we make every day, but as Saul Griffith, author of Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future explains, most of your climate impact comes down to just a handful of major purchasing decisions: your car, heating/cooling system, hot water heater, dryer and stove. If we all electrify those machines at replacement time, instead of buying new fossil fuel machines, we make a huge dent in our carbon emissions.

Rewiring America has put out a very helpful introductory guide to getting started with electrifying your home. Electrify Now has a great library of resources and great webinars as well. And RMI has just published a series of Factsheets tailored to individual States, including MA, MD, WA, IL, NY, ME, WI, PA, CO, TX, MI, WI, OR, NV, and OH.

Last but not least, there are HUGE incentives available for heat pumps and other electric appliances and energy upgrades. See the Rewiring America calculator to learn more about the IRA incentives, and MassSave for Massachusetts incentives. Yes, there are similar incentives for many other states!

Together with electrifying the key machines in your home, investing in insulation and sealing will make your home more comfortable and reduce your energy use and carbon emissions. Here in Massachusetts, you can get started for free, with a Mass Save Home Energy Assessment. Yes, there are similar programs in many states!

ZeroCarbonMA has filed legislation sponsored by Senator Comerford and Representative Sabadosa, legislators from Northampton, to expand the Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Project to any town or city who would like to participate.

It is not equitable to allow only ten “first-come first-serve” communities (predominantly wealthy communities) the option to adopt a healthier, all-electric building code, while prohibiting it for municipalities with large Environmental Justice populations and high rates of new construction, like Boston.

Set up a meeting with your Senator and Representative to explain this important bill to them and ask for their co-sponsorship of this bill as well as the Zero Carbon Renovation Fund.

Slides:

Overview of Demonstration Program and Specialized Code

Printable Fact Sheets for the FFF Demonstration Program expansion bill:

FFF Demonstration Program Expansion Bill

Electric Grid

Affordable Housing

Labor

• Volunteer your time to help accelerate climate action. Send us a note, and we can help plug you in!

• Help your friends make a plan to electrify their home.

• Run for office! Run to be a Town Meeting member, Select Board member, City Councilor, or other important elected positions like Planning and Zoning Boards. Local representation is so important to accelerating action on our climate. Again, contact us - we can help.