December 31, 2014 – Stretch Code covers more than 50% of MA Population – The Stretch Code has been adopted by cities and towns in MA comprising more than 50% of the citizens in MA. This rate of adoption, on top of the IECC 2012 with MA Amendments adoption as base code, provides a large market for Certified HERS Rating and testing services in all MA cities and towns.
December 31, 2014 – RESNET Requires RESCAZ Certification of all RESNET Raters – RESNET requires all Raters to be trained and certified in the new RESCAZ combustion zone appliance testing prototcols. ERM has provided two day training and testing led by QA Designee Wes Riley, in which all tested participants received their RESCAZ certification.
July 1, 2014 – IECC 2012 with MA Amendments Is In Effect – The new base code is in effect in all MA cities and towns which have not adopted Stretch Code. IECC 2012, among other things, requires a final blower door test of less than 3.0 ACH @ 50, and ventilation system testing. This provides a market for not only testing services but consulting services as HERS Raters can help builders adapt to the new code requirements.
April 25, 2013 – MA Residential New Construction HERS Rater Panel – ERM Founder and Board of Directory members Bruce Torrey and Mike Duclos remain on the 5 member Rater Panel charged with advising ICFI on the their proposed changes and improvements to the MA Residential New Construction Program. Bruce and Mike continue to be vocal advocates for Program participating Raters at the frequent meetings.
April 8, 2013 – MA Residential New Construction HERS Rater Panel – Forty four Raters who work in the Mass New Homes Program managed by ICFI elected 5 Raters to be members of the HERS Rater Panel. Among those elected were ERM President Michael Browne, ERM Treasurer Bruce Torrey and ERM Board member & Director of Education, Mike Duclos.
February 27, 2013 – EEAC Small Business Representative Run Off Election – The initial election results were inconclusive in that no individual received a large enough percentage of the vote. There will be a run off election March 4-8 between the remaining two candidates. Energy Raters of Mass. is enthusiastically endorsing Adin Maynard. The specifics of the election are here.
January 8, 2013 – ERM Webinar Series Starts – As an additional free educational benefit to ERM Members, Michael Browne will kick off the ERM Webinar series. This series of informational webinars is designed to present new, relevant information on topics of key interest to Raters, and provide a facilitated discussion and further information exchange among participants. This webinar series is designed to facilitate both the technical and business advancement of ERM member organizations. The first webinar will cover MA Stretch Code Ratings: Theory and Reality, as well as the MA Building Code.
December, 27, 2012 – Mass. Residential Energy Code – The Northeast Home Energy Rating System Alliance NEHERS announced that Michael Browne has been elected to the NEHERS Board of Directors as a Rating Provider representative.
January 11, 2012 – Mass. Residential Energy Code – ERM President Michael Browne gave this presentation on the various energy efficiency codes in place in Mass.
March 21, 2011 – Despite Recession in Housing Market, Number of Homes Rated in 2010 Remains Constant, and Market Share Increase – Builders and prospective homeowners are learning the market and investment protection aspects of a Home Energy Rating, the market share in a down market increases – a way to create a “better product.” Press release
November 23, 2011 – Energy Raters of Mass. was accredited as a RESNET Sampling Provider. This is of particular interest to higher volume builders in that it reduces the on-site effort necessary to certify buildings.
July 13 and 14, 2011 – ERM Founders Paul Panish and Mike Duclos receive official certification for the first and second (respectively) Certified Passive House in Massachusetts, by the Passive House Institute US. Passive House has been called ‘the most energy efficient building standard in the world.’
February 7, 2011 – RESNET has officially approved the Energy Raters of Massachusetts to be an accredited Rater Training Provider. ERM has plans to provide ‘leading edge’ training, such as on ENERGY STAR Version 3 in the near future
January 6, 2011 – Congratulations to Michael Browne, President of Energy Raters of Massachusetts, on his election to the NEHERS Board of Directors. This position will further facilitate Michael’s support for independent Rater companies throughout the Northeast.
January 1, 2011 – ERM Member Companies Post Massachusetts ENERGY STAR Annual Results – In 2010, ERM Member companies delivered incentives to builders illustrated in the table below.