Public Hearing/Town Board Meeting 5.18.2021

On Tuesday, May 18th, the Marbletown Town Board will hold a public hearing on the adoption of the NYStretch Energy Code-2020 at the beginning of the regular Board meeting at 6pm via Zoom.

Here is a note from Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA
Chair, Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission.

The new energy code would require that new buildings and substantial retrofits adhere to improved insulation, air sealing, and other energy standards compared to the current code. The state estimates that homes built to NYStretch will save about 19% in total annual energy costs, or about $29/month. This likely underestimates the savings, since Marbletown residents often heat with expensive fuel oil or propane rather than natural gas.

If financed with a 30 year mortgage at 3% to 3.5% interest, the monthly costs of the improvements would be between $6 and $11 a month. Higher property values would lead to slightly higher property taxes of $3 to $5 a month. The cost of improvements could be further offset by $8-9/month with a Federal tax credit for energy efficient new homes. The data for this analysis can be found on page 5 of the NYStretch FAQ. This and other information on NYStretch can be found by googling “NYStretch.”

NYStretch will improve building health by requiring active ventilation, and make it easier to go solar or install electric vehicle chargers by ensuring that new buildings are ready for these modern amenities and avoiding costly future retrofits.

A home built to NYStretch will be more economical, comfortable, healthy, energy efficient, resilient, and climate friendly. Such homes will also maintain their temperature for longer in the event of a power outage. Homeowners who want backup generators or batteries to carry them through our frequent outages will require smaller and cheaper ones.

Cost and savings estimates for substantial retrofits are harder to come by, but if there are structural or other reasons that a building cannot be brought up to the standards specified in NYStretch, the same exemptions that apply under the current energy code will still apply, and the code enforcement officer will maintain discretion as to how the energy code is enforced.

Adopting NYStretch code will painlessly increase the town’s tax base by increasing the value of homes built to the code. This will reduce the need to increase taxes on all property owners, even owners of existing homes who are not affected by the new code.

Adopting NYStretch will also get the town between $5,000 and $75,000 in no-match grants from the state.

Community support, and the support of local building professionals is key to persuading the board to adopt the enhanced energy code.

If you can't attend the meeting, but still want to support adoption, please send a brief email identifying yourself as a Marbletown resident or local building industry professional to Town Supervisor Rich Parete at [email protected] supporting the adoption of NYStretch.

Tom Konrad Ph.D., CFA
Chair, Marbletown Environmental Conservation Commission.

NYStretch Energy Code-2020 HERE: https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/.../NYStretch-Energy-Code-2020

Town of Marbletown is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Public Hearing/Town Board Meeting 5.18.2021
Time: May 18, 2021 6:00 PM
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