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Since buildings account for 89% of Cambridge's emissions, the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) requires certain properties to track, report, and reduce their emissions. This is a cornerstone of the City's strategy to reach net zero by 2050. In effect since 2014, BEUDO also gives the City the data needed to measure progress, target solutions, and design effective climate policies.
In August 2022, Massachusetts passed An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, creating the Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Demonstration Program. This program allows ten communities to create fossil fuel-free requirements for new buildings and major renovations – typically projects where 50% or more of the whole building is being renovated. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) created regulations and a suggested ordinance. Cambridge was selected as one of the ten communities for this program after submitting a petition to the state in April 2022 to request the ability to enact such requirements, in line with our Net Zero Action Plan priorities.
DOER reviewed the City's proposed fossil fuel free ordinance and issued its approval on December 22, 2023. DOER also collects building permit data to assess program impacts. Under the Fossil Fuel Free Ordinance adopted by the City Council in August 2023, new buildings and major retrofits are required to eliminate the use of oil, gas, propane, or other fossil fuels. Labs and certain medical facilities are exempt. Major renovations may not install new fossil fuel-using equipment.
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) approved Cambridge's ordinance in December 2023, and it went into effect on March 22, 2024. Making buildings fossil fuel free means healthier homes and workplaces, and helps Cambridge reach our climate goals.
Hospitals, medical offices, and labs are specifically exempt from the requirements by state law. Exceptions were made for certain building types and equipment. For buildings undergoing major renovation, no new fossil fuel-using equipment can be installed in the permitted work area.
Cambridge adopted the Massachusetts Specialized Stretch Energy Code, effective July 1, 2023. This new Specialized Stretch Code was developed by the Commonwealth in 2022 as an option for municipalities. The Specialized Code will require new construction to meet high performance standards, prepare buildings for all-electric heating and cooling, and make parking ready for electric vehicle chargers. The adoption of the Specialized Code is part of the goals of Cambridge’s Net Zero Action Plan.
To assist builders, building owners, and interested Cambridge residents in understanding the implications of this new law, we partnered with MassSave in presenting two webinars to explain the basics of the Stretch Code, along with the further requirements of the Specialized Code adopted by Cambridge and others.
Webinar 1: Commercial Focus - View the Recording
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Webinar 2: Residential Focus - View the Recording
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
There are three levels of building energy code in Massachusetts: the Base Code, the Stretch Code, and the Specialized Stretch Code. All apply to new construction and major renovations, for both commercial and residential buildings. Cambridge had adopted the original Stretch Code in December 2009, making it one of the first municipalities in the state to do so. The Stretch Code has since been adopted by 296 cities and towns in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) updated the Stretch Energy Code in 2022, increasing the energy performance required of new and renovated buildings. In addition, the Commonwealth’s Climate Act of 2021 directed DOER to develop a municipal opt-in specialized code that advanced net-zero building performance.
The City of Cambridge participated in the development of the codes, and they were finalized by DOER in December 2022. (More information about the development of the Specialized Code is available here). Cambridge City Council voted to adopt the Specialized Code on January 23, 2023.
Below is a brief overview of the Specialized Code requirements, including the differences from the Stretch Code.
Please contact the Inspectional Services Department at (617) 349-6100.
The oldest building in Cambridge is a house that was built in 1681 — nearly a century before the Declaration of Independence. Whether a building is 200 or 2 years old, it will need to be climate-ready. Cambridge is identifying ways residents, property owners, and developers can adapt today’s buildings. The City is setting rigorous standards, including new climate resilience zoning requirements to address the long-term impacts of increased flooding and heat from climate change. And, under Cambridge’s Green Roofs Requirement, most new buildings or structures over 25,000 square feet must have a green roof and/or solar energy system, helping improve energy efficiency and coolness. Buildings that are energy efficient and use renewable energy and storage can weather disruption from storms and increasing temperatures, while also helping reduce the pollution that causes climate change.
Cambridge is committed to leading by example. Municipal buildings are energy efficient and electrified, and they use as much renewable energy as possible. Cambridge's first municipal green building, the 344 Broadway City Hall Annex, preserved and renovated a historic public building using U.S. Green Building Council LEED standards, reducing energy consumption by nearly 50% compared to conventional construction. The City continues this work through the Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan (MFIP), which funds upgrades and deferred maintenance across public facilities — including HVAC and electrical system improvements — to help meet the energy and emissions targets set by the Net Zero Action Plan, BEUDO, and the Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration. Learn More
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