1. DOER recommendations for BBRS
Building Energy Code 2018
DOER recommendations for BBRS

2. Pre-existing MA amendments
Item
Current State
Proposed
HERS ratings
Currently HERS 55 with renewable tradeoffs
Keep the same (IECC 2018 slips to HERS 61 with no tradeoffs)
Commercial Efficiency Measure Options
Currently C406 requires 2 out of list of 6 choices of additional EE measures
Increase to 3 as MA IECC2018 options increase from 6 to 8-10
Passive house
Currently in MA amendments as alternative compliance
Update language to better conform to new DOE guidelines (remains voluntary compliance alternative)
Site to Source
Currently uses site to source factors (From DOER) that are out of date
Update factors to most up to date ISO NE factors

3. Technical fixes / Loopholes
Item
Current State
Proposed
Residential HERS rating documentation
This is lacking in the current MA amendments
Add language similar to existing language for Energy Star Homes and Passive-house documentation
ASHRAE Appendix G
This has completely modified tables in the 2016 version that reference back to 2004
Keep existing Appendix G from ASHRAE 2013 – keeps the stretch code 10% unchanged
Window ratio in multi-family
This is lacking in ASHRAE Appendix G
Add row to existing table G
Mechanical room wall areas
Mechanical room wall areas are being used to artificially increase mandatory wall areas
Add footnote b. to existing table G to exclude mechanical room wall area

4. EV Readiness in New Construction
Item
Current State
Proposed
Residential EV readiness
BBRS asked its Energy Advisory board to review and provide language
50% of spaces – with exceptions
Multifamily EV readiness
20% of spaces – with exceptions
C&I EV readiness
5% of 1st 80 spaces and 3% of over 80, only for certain building types – with exceptions

5. Recommended Commercial Building Changes (1)
Item
Current State
Proposed
Encourage option for high-rise wood construction
Pending change to IBC2021 with hearing this year
Add to C406 options
Efficient electric space and water heating (Heat Pump) option in C&I
No encouragement for heat pumps in prescriptive code for commercial buildings
Envelope Backstop
Better align modeling and prescriptive paths with respect to envelope performance levels
Make C406.8 option a requirement for buildings using modeling paths in C