The state of Massachusetts is chipping away at local emissions, urging homeowners, renters, landlords, building owners, developers, and more to keep emission-reduction in mind. Recently, a large multi-family building made international history in Boston, helping to make our state greener.
Located near Faneuil Hall, the Winthrop Center is the largest office building in the world to earn Passive House certification, coming in at about 812,000 square feet. Its 52-story design includes office spaces and luxury residences.
As the first internationally certified Passive House office building in the City of Boston, it’s getting a lot of attention after its six-year concept and construction phase. This record-breaking building was engineered to keep the weather outside and the inside comfortable, all while using little energy – up to 80% less energy than similar buildings. It will also bring in 30-50% more fresh air than a standard building of this type.
Buildings like the Winthrop Center are responsible for about a quarter of global emissions, making energy reduction efforts in the multi-family sector crucial to reaching the state’s net zero goals.
You’re probably wondering about the cost of high-efficiency projects like these. Projects like the Winthrop Center typically cost 3-5% more than conventional buildings, and in the case of the $1.3 billion Winthrop Center, the space cost 2-3% more than construction would typically.
The Passive House approach is growing more popular as a way to deal with building emissions, and the government is making efforts to encourage or require these types of energy-efficient decisions. Last year, the city of Boston adopted the Massachusetts opt-in building code, which says that new large multi-family buildings must meet Passive House requirements to help the state reach its energy reduction goals.
The state also has huge energy efficiency incentives to encourage locals to build or update their buildings to reduce emissions.
At HomeWorks Energy, we help homeowners, renters, landlords, and more reduce their emissions by understanding energy efficiency and making achievable upgrades. The Sponsors of Mass Save® have plenty of incentives available such as 75-100% off insulation, up to $10,000 in heat pump rebates, 0% financing up to $50,000 for upgrades, no-cost sealing of air leaks in your home, and more.
All you have to do is sign up for a no-cost, no-obligation Home Energy Assessment. As a longtime Mass Save partner, we can help! Call (781) 305-3319 or click here to schedule.
Together, we can make Massachusetts a greener place.
