[MassHistPres] mandated replacement sash?

[Russ Feldman]

Hi Dennis,
The Massachusetts AIA tracks legislation like this through their Government Affairs Committee, which I chair.  John Nunnari, Mass AIA’s Executive Director (jnunnari at architects.org), is generally our point person on these matters.
The proposed legislation actually doesn’t stipulate that windows be double glazed, replaced, or any other specific physical solution.  Its focus is on energy conservation and it establishes an “energy performance rating” and an “energy scorecard” that standardizes measurement of the energy efficiency of a building.  Acting through utilities and the state government this will become an index that all property sellers and buyers would have access to.
Debate is just starting on the bill so the details are still in flux.  It appears to require that property owners pay for some aspect of this analysis with some financial offsets for lower income homeowners.  At this time the proposal is only for residential properties.
This may affect the value of historic houses and, more generally, older homes.  Older buildings may not be as tight or highly insulated, resulting in relatively higher operating costs.  This scorecard will illustrate this and that may affect the market price.
The article that Dennis mentions misstates the proposal but it reflects the common misunderstanding that new windows are always better than refurbished older ones.  Many preservationists understand that the most energy efficient thing to do is to make use of existing buildings rather than tear them down, and this can also be the case for restoring individual building elements as well.  It’s important to make that somewhat more complicated picture better understood by the public.
AIA Mass is tracking this and we’re happy to keep interested parties posted about this proposal’s progress.  We also invite you to get in touch with John or myself (at rfeldman at tbaarchitects.com<mailto:rfeldman at tbaarchitects.com>) to get the specific language of the proposal.  When the time comes, it may be important to reach out to your legislators so they understand how this proposal might affect historic preservation.
Russ


[TBA Inverted green back without text]

M. Russel Feldman, AIA, NCARB
Principal | TBA Architects, Inc.
43 Bradford Street, Suite 300 | Concord MA 01742
tel: 781 893-5828 x 25 | mobile: 617 429-5033
www.tbaarchitects.com




From: MassHistPres [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Dennis De Witt
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2018 3:59 PM
To: masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Subject: [MassHistPres] mandated replacement sash?



Did you see this story in yesterday’s Globe?

It was headlined
Could your home make the grade? Governor seeks to mandate energy-efficiency scores


And had this lead photo caption:
Having air-tight windows that use double-pane glass is one of the criteria a home would be judged on under a bill before the Legislature.


And this intro text:
Homeowners could soon have a new reason to button their homes up tight: a bad grade on an energy-efficiency report card.  Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday filed legislation to require a home energy rating to be included in listings when a property is offered for sale. The bill, if approved by lawmakers, would make Massachusetts the first state in the nation with such a requirement.  Proponents say the bill could prompt homeowners to modernize their homes by adding insulation, replacing windows, or installing high-tech HVAC systems.


Has anyone been tracking this?
Does the draft legislation favor or mandate IG and replacement sash over storms as the article suggests?
Have there been hearings?

Best



Dennis De Witt
Brookline
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