On May 7th, We Must Save The Stretch Code.
What is the Stretch Code?
The Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code is central to Nantucket’s "Green Communities" designation. It determines a building's energy performance by use of an advanced, data-driven process called the Home Energy Rating System, or HERS. HERS ratings range from 100—equivalent to a home built in 2006—to 0, or Net-Zero Energy.
The Money Matters
The Stretch Code is the most powerful tool Nantucket has to avoid costly upgrades to our electricity supply. Revoking it would mean losing our Green Communities designation, which has already provided $477,000 for municipal energy upgrades. It would also accelerate the need for a $250 million cable—putting the fifty-year horizon cost of energy and climate mitigation at over a billion dollars.
Immediate Savings
The benefits to the Stretch Code are here now, in the form of utilities incentives. All-electric homes that meet the HERS 45 target will receive between $7,500 and $25,000 through Mass Save. Utility companies are currently engaged in discussions to increase that amount.
Our Climate Reality
Decarbonizing residential construction is a powerful weapon against climate change. Nowhere is this more evident than the Coastal Resiliency Plan driven by sea-level rise, estimated to cost as much as $800 million dollars over the next fifty years. As a coastal community, we are on the front lines of this battle.
Time is Running Out
After 2030, the use of fossil fuels in residential construction will be prohibited. Per the Clean Energy Standard, this regulation may arrive sooner. Meanwhile, fossil fuel homes will no longer be incentivized under utility programs. To qualify, construction on new fossil-fuel homes needs to be completed by this summer.
And about those electrical upgrades? If the Stretch Code is eliminated, we may as well sign that quarter-billion contract with National Grid tomorrow.
Freedom of Choice
Contrary to what some may have you believe, the Stretch Code does not impose any constraints on Nantucket homeowners. In fact, it’s perfectly okay to use fossil fuels under this code. The Stretch Code is about efficiency—and using less of any fuel is the goal.
We Have What It Takes
In its infancy, two-hundred years ago, Nantucket ruled the energy market. In order to recover that position, we must act swiftly and decisively. Retaining the Stretch Code is critical to that effort.
We owe it to our children, and we owe it to the generations before us who preserved Nantucket’s beauty and delivered its security. The very future of our Island depends on it.
Vote NO on Article 72
Your support is critical. We urge you to vote against Article 72 and preserve Nantucket's Stretch Code status.
Please join us tonight, day 2 at the Annual Town Meeting (Wednesday, May 8), 5pm at Nantucket High School, and make your voice heard. Together, we can safeguard our island's future.
Questions? Call Andy Buccino at (508) 280-6542, or email AndyB@stephensandcoinc.com.
Want to know more about the Stretch Code?