Goshen, MA Stretch Energy Code Support

According to the state's adoption list, Goshen has used the Stretch Code since July 1, 2015. Every residential permit in town is reviewed against the current Stretch Code requirements.

For new homes in Goshen, that means a HERS 42 score with gas or other fuel-burning equipment, HERS 45 if the home is all-electric, or Passive House certification. Renovations and additions over 1,000 sq ft or over 100% of the existing home target HERS 65 (mixed-fuel) or 70 (all-electric), while smaller additions and alterations can still use REScheck or the prescriptive path. Commercial buildings up to 20,000 sq ft can use COMcheck.

Hitting a HERS 42 or 45 target is mostly about the envelope: continuous air sealing at the rim joists, attic hatches and penetrations, insulation installed without gaps, and balanced ventilation sized to the tested air tightness.

In Goshen, building permits go through the Building Department. Paper applications are downloaded from the town website or picked up at the Town Office and mailed in.

Air sealing is where most scores are won or lost. Attic hatches, rim joists, recessed lights and plumbing penetrations are the usual leaks in Goshen homes, so we mark them on the plans and check them on site before insulation is covered.

Duct leakage counts too. Ducts outside the conditioned space have to be sealed and tested, and keeping them inside the thermal envelope makes the target much easier to reach.

Our Marlborough office at 272 Lincoln St C1 covers Goshen. Sending us the plans before the permit application lets the HERS, REScheck or COMcheck paperwork go in with the submission instead of holding up plan review.