Maine is getting a new energy code, and it’s a stretch

It’s a safe bet that new residents of The Cottages at Winding Ridge in Gorham won’t be spending much time in their attics. After climbing through the scuttle hatch in a bedroom closet, they’d have to wade through 14 inches of gray, blown-in cellulose insulation covering the ceiling joists.

That thick blanket is one strategy home builders use to meet Maine’s current energy code for new construction, which requires ceilings to have an R-value of 49, a measure of a material’s resistance to heat loss. 

The problem is, the space where the pitched roof meets the exterior wall is less than 14 inches high. To insulate all the way to the eaves and not block ventilation, builders may need to use advanced framing techniques to raise the roof truss. That costs more money. 

Now a new cost is coming to the attic.

Starting in April, builders statewide are being asked to stretch — to R60. That’s an unprecedented mandate in Maine and could require up to 20 inches of insulation, depending on the material.

It’s happening after the volunteer board that oversees the Maine Uniform Building Energy Code (MUBEC) voted last December to adopt the 2021 version of International Energy Conservation Code.

The IECC is a model code used by many states and municipalities to set minimum energy standards for new construction. The 2021 edition is sometimes called the “stretch code” because insulation levels and other specs go beyond the previous levels from 2015.

Three Maine communities already require builders to follow the stretch code — Portland, South Portland and Freeport.

The stretch code is a hot topic among home builders, with R60 being the headline. And in attics across Maine this year, meeting the new code will stretch builders in opposite directions, with top state policy goals at either end.

On one side is energy efficiency.

Maine winters are cold and summers are getting warmer. Residents struggle with above-average heat and electricity costs, which hit record levels in 2022 and 2023. Better insulation means lower year round energy bills. And with southern Maine in a post-pandemic building boom, it makes sense for these new homes to be as energy efficient as possible.

On the other side is affordability.

Maine’s home prices are high and aren’t easing. The median price in Maine shot up 50 percent between 2020 and 2024, according to MaineHousing. It hit $390,350 in January. In Cumberland County, where Gorham is located, the price was $595,000. Many building materials, too, have become more expensive since the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the state is nudging builders to erect 84,000 new homes statewide over the next five years. To put a dent in the housing shortage, it makes sense for new homes to be as affordable as possible...................................

....................................“I think the incremental cost of upgrading to the new code isn’t as much as people think it is,” said Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine. “You’re talking about multi-hundred thousand dollar buildings. And then a little more cost for insulation and air sealing.”

Stoddard, who serves on the board that oversees MUBEC, said failing to adopt the strongest code, or exempting more communities from enforcement, would be unfortunate trends.

“By backsliding on these building codes, we’re dooming Maine homeowners to excessively high energy bills for as long as they own the homes,” he said. “And the second buyer, they should know that when they invest in a home, it’s insulated to minimum standards.”.............................

Article continues at https://themainemonitor.org/maine-energy-code/

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