Under the Massachusetts Stretch Energy Code, the thermal envelope certificate is often misunderstood. It’s often treated as an administrative requirement to be addressed at the end of a project—something to be obtained after design and construction decisions have already been made. In reality, the certificate is intended to document compliance with the Stretch Code’s envelope performance requirements, not to create that compliance.
Importantly, the thermal envelope certificate cannot make a non-compliant wall assembly compliant. If the building envelope does not meet the required performance thresholds, no amount of documentation at the end of the project will resolve that gap.
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