APPROVED CHAPTER
MAY 3, 2022 718
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-TWO
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H.P. 1227 - L.D. 1656
An Act To Promote Energy-efficient Affordable Housing
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §4722, sub-§1, ¶Z-1 is enacted to read:
Z-1. Condition approval of funding of a housing project upon an applicant's
compliance with standards and requirements under section 4726;
Sec. 2. 30-A MRSA §4726 is enacted to read:
§4726. Housing design standards and sustainability requirements
1. Housing design standards. The Maine State Housing Authority shall require that
construction projects funded by the Maine State Housing Authority meet the standards of
at least one of the following:
A. A set of design principles used to attain a quantifiable and rigorous level of energy
efficiency within a specific quantifiable comfort level, as determined by a national
passive house institute or an international passive house association;
B. A 3rd-party green building certification program that is a globally recognized
standard for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green
buildings and neighborhoods, as established by a national green building council;
C. A living building program with site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and
beauty standards as established by an international institute; or
D. A 3rd-party-recognized certification or state program that is substantially similar
to a certification system under paragraph A, B or C and that is approved by the Maine
State Housing Authority.
2. Sustainability requirements. The Maine State Housing Authority shall require
that construction projects funded by the Maine State Housing Authority:
A. Use all-electric equipment and systems or other non-fossil fuel systems for heating,
domestic hot water, cooking and cooling needs. Backup and secondary systems may
use other fuels, including fossil fuels;
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 B. Provide infrastructure for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations for
resident parking facilities or provide for electric vehicle charging; or
C. Provide infrastructure for the installation of solar photovoltaic systems and energy
storage where appropriate, including providing for sufficient interior space to allow for
solar photovoltaic inverters and energy storage.
The Maine State Housing Authority may provide for a limited waiver to the requirements
of this subsection for specific and extenuating circumstances where local conditions limit
the ability of the construction project to comply with the requirements of this subsection.
3. Rulemaking. The Maine State Housing Authority shall adopt rules to implement
this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 3. Rules. No later than January 1, 2024, the Maine State Housing Authority
shall adopt rules to implement the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 30-A, section 4726.
Sec. 4. Collaboration. The Maine State Housing Authority shall collaborate with
the Efficiency Maine Trust on program incentives to support the affordable implementation
of the housing design standards and requirements under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title
30-A, section 4726, as appropriate, within available existing resources.
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