Greenfield, Montague race to meet 'green' rules

[ Originally published on: Monday, March 08, 2010 ]

Several Franklin County towns -- including Greenfield and Montague -- are working toward designation as ''green communities'' which would ultimately allow them to compete for renewable energy grants from a fund that now totals $10 million.

Along the way, towns have to adopt a ''stretch'' building code with much stricter energy-efficiency requirements and provisions allowing expedited siting of renewable energy facilities. They also must present a detailed five-year plan for cutting municipal energy consumption and carbon emissions 20 percent and commit to buying energy-efficient vehicles.

With a May 15 deadline for communities to apply for certification and be eligible for up to $1 million in renewable energy grants from a statewide fund derived from utility carbon-offset fees, communities are racing to meet the five state criteria.

In Greenfield, that translates into a informational meeting Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Greenfield Middle School Library about the voluntary ''stretch code'' the Town Council is considering adopting as an appendix to the state's overall new building code.

A study by the state predicts that meeting the new standards could cost an additional $8,000 to build a new three-bedroom home, with added insulation, more energy-efficient windows and other features to make it 35 percent more energy efficient, but that annual energy savings would total an average of more than $1,300.

For the full version of this story, you may purchase The Recorder electronically, by returning to the home page and clicking under ''E-Edition'' on the right side of your screen, or you can purchase the print edition, which is available throughout Franklin County, Massachusetts.

 

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