Here in South Portland, our buildings are our greatest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with 42 percent of our greenhouse emissions coming from residential and commercial buildings. One Climate Future, the city’s joint climate action and adaptation plan with the city of Portland, identifies 68 strategies to reduce our emissions 80 percent by 2050. Each of these strategies uniquely targets specific areas of greenhouse gas emission reductions to reach our ambitious climate action goals.

To reduce emissions related to our building stock, One Climate Future identifies building codes as the single most powerful tool that states and cities have at their disposal to require higher levels of performance from new buildings.

In 2019, South Portland sustainability staff successfully advocated for the state to update its energy code and allow for the adoption of a stretch code, an alternative compliance path that will set a pathway toward net-zero energy buildings within the decade. Energy codes in Maine are based on the International Energy Conservation Code and apply to new residential and commercial construction, as well as major renovations. Effective July 1, 2021, the state of Maine updated its base code to conservation code 2015 (20 to 25 percent more efficient than the 2009 code), stated that this base code will never be more than three code cycles behind the current conservation code, and for the first time, the state of Maine established a stretch code, which they set at International Energy Conservation Code 2021 (10 to 15 percent more efficient than the 2015 code). Every three years as the codes are updated, municipalities will be required to adopt either the base code or the stretch code.

This year, South Portland officially adopted the state of Maine Stretch Energy Code for residential and commercial buildings, which will go into effect for our city on April 1, 2022. To date, South Portland and Portland are the only two municipalities that adopted the stretch code.

Coffee & Climate: Energy efficient housing edition

Are you wondering what adopting the stretch code means for our city? Interested in how it relates to housing affordability? Join us Friday, Feb. 11 from 9 to 10 a.m. for this month’s Coffee & Climate, a monthly event hosted by the Portland and South Portland sustainability offices that dives into sustainability topics and encourages ongoing community dialogue. This month we will be joined by Jesse Thompson, principal at Kaplan Thompson Architects, to discuss the synergies between energy efficiency and housing affordability. Grab a cup of joe and we’ll see you there! Register for the free event at oneclimatefuture.com/events.

Housing affordability

International Energy Conservation Code 2021 sets standards for building heating and cooling systems, water heating systems and building envelopes — the separation of the interior and exterior of the building — to ensure high performance buildings. New buildings in compliance with the energy stretch code will have better insulation as well as efficient heating and cooling systems, which will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions coming from our building sectors, but increase the comfort and affordability of our buildings. Energy efficient buildings and affordable housing are not mutually exclusive. Affordable housing projects across the country are designing buildings to achieve highly efficient or net-zero status.

In our region, Bayside Anchor in Portland was developed to Passive House standards, and as a result is approximately 61 percent more efficient and costs 39 percent less to operate than a standard code compliant development.

While upfront construction costs can be high for energy-efficient homes, energy costs are unstable and high energy costs due to inefficient buildings add up over time. Stricter codes demonstrably reduce energy usage and therefore costs, increasing the long-term resilience and affordability of South Portland buildings.

Our Sustainable City is a recurring column in the Sentry intended to provide residents with news and information about sustainability initiatives in South Portland. Follow the Sustainability Office on Instagram and Facebook @soposustainability.

Mia Ambroiggio is a Greater Portland Council of Governments Resilience Corps Fellow serving with the Sustainability Office. She can be reached at mambroiggio@southportland.org

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