Regional Energy Roundtables #4 Dedham

At a recent Energy Summit, produced by the Worcester Business Journal in cooperation with National Grid, Philip Giudice [commissioner of the state Department of Energy Resources] commented:

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... there are steps businesses, individuals and municipal governments can take to help the cause. He said those entities should collect all data on their own energy consumption, compare and "benchmark" that data against others, establish a specific action plan for driving down energy consumption and lowering energy spending and hold each other accountable "to very high standards."

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"All of us have been far too comfortable with the status quo," Giudice said. "We all need to move up to another level of commitment and action to make this happen."

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At the Regional Energy Roundtable, held in Plymouth, Virginia LeClair, Environmental Coordinator from the Town of Dedham presented the formula Dedham has followed with their Renewal Energy Committee, including educating residents by creating a brochure explaining how to increase the energy efficiency of residents' homes.

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Of Dedham's efforts, the following was reported:

Editorial: Going green a smart move

Dedham is wise for wanting to go green with the new senior center and the state is doing the right thing by giving the town some money to do so.

Included in the brochure published by the Dedham Renewable Energy Committee entitled Energy Efficient Tips For Homeowners, is the following:

Why should I care about increasing the energy efficiency of my home?

• Lower utility bills
• Less pollution related to electricity generation
• Economic stimulus
• Reduced national dependence on fossil fuels
• Lower greenhouse gas emission which are associated with global warming

By following these simple tips you can save energy and money at home. The typical U.S. family spends $1,300 a year on home energy bills. These low cost energy efficiency improvements can save you 20-30% on your household energy bill.

Reduce Your Electricity Use

• Appliances and home electronics are responsible for 20% of your home energy bill.
• Reduce your energy consumption by having a FREE energy audit conducted on your home. Contact NSTAR (www.nstar.com) or MassSave (www.masssave.com) or call (866) 527-7283) for ways to improve your energy efficiency.
• Beware of Phantom Power - electronics that remain plugged in consume power at all times. Save money and energy by plugging multiple electronics into a power strip with a shut off switch.

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs)

If every U.S. household purchased 1 CFL, the U.S. would prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars.

• A Compact Fluorescent bulb will save you $30 over the life of the bulb compared to an incandescent bulb.
• CFLs use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last ten times longer. A 4 pack can be purchased for $7.00.
• Look for an ENERGY STAR label when purchasing CFLs to assure that you are buying the most energy efficient bulb.
• CFLs contain a small amount of mercury and should be disposed of porperly. CFLs can be recycled at Dedham's Household Hazardous Collection Day in May or dropped of at IKEA in Stoughton, MA.

ENERGY STAR Appliances

Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing appliances.

• ENERGY STAR has over 50 qualified products and offers numerous rebates on appliances.
• A conventional refrigerator alone consumes 8% of your energy use. In contrast an ENERGY STAR refrigerator is highly efficient and will pay for itself in 2-4 years.

HEATING AND COOLING

As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating and cooling is critical to your wallet and the environment.

• Start by installing programmable thermostats. A programmable thermostat can save you $150 per year on your heating and cooling bills.
• Programmable thermostats allow you to program different settings for you when you are home or away, sleeping or awake.
• An ENERGY STAR qualified thermostat costs anywhere from $25-73, but for every degree you lower your thermostat you are saving 2% off your heating bill.
• NSTAR Gas is offering until April 2008 a $25 rebate. To order call 1-800-285-2778.

Water Heating/Conservation

Water heating is the third largest expense in your home, after heating and cooling. So make sure you have the most energy efficient water heater.

• If your tank feels warm to the touch then you would benefit from wrapping it with an insulating blanket to prevent heat loss.
• Set the temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees F.
• The average household uses 350 gallons of water per day. Low flow showerheads and faucet aerators can reduce your water consumption by half and will cost you approximately $6.00.
• Receive a $100 rebate from the Dedham Westwood Water District when you purchase any model of front loading washers or a $50 rebate when you purchase any model of high efficiency toilets (limit 2 per household). For more information contact 781-329-7090 or visit www.dwwd.org.

RECYCLING

Recycling saves energy too!

• Recycling two aluminum cans saves the equivalent amount of energy it takes to power a computer for one workday.
• Next time you go to Roche Bros. be sure to bring your canvas tote to receive a refund of $.05 per papr/plastic bag not used.

According to a Boston Globe article, Dedham was among -- Fourteen area communities - Brockton, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Easton, Hanson, Hull, Mansfield, Milton, Plymouth, Quincy, Raynham, Sharon, and Westwood - have signed on to the federal Environmental Protection Agency program called the Community Energy Challenge. The towns agree to compile data to benchmark their current energy use and commit to 10 percent reductions.

Their approach has been consistent with others: 1. Collect and evaluate the energy consumption by building 2. Tackle the 'low hanging fruit' first - CFLs, motion sensors, programmable thermostats, and so on. In one new school building that received a Green School Grant, a solar array sits on the roof, daylight controls have been installed and a 50,000 gallon tank collects rainwater for toilet flushing.

There have been ideas other communities have adopted that are striking, for instance - Hanson took advantage of information from the Community Energy Challenge program to change its street lights to LED lights, saving 68 percent of its annual street lighting cost, according to Selectman Jim Armstrong.

In these tough economic times, we need to save every energy dollar both in our homes and in our towns. If your town is not on the list, maybe you should ask why.

Since only silence has been heard from the Middleborough Gas & Electric and the Board of Selectmen, should we ask why? Since the Middleboro Board of Selectmen act as Water Commissioners, by Town Charter, should we question why they haven't promoted front loading washers and low flush toilets as Dedham has? Is Middleboro missing out on Grant Funding that was available because of its lack of vision?

Regional Energy Roundtables #3 Tragic, But Reality

One of the most striking things about attending the Regional Energy Roundtable was the amount of preparation and consideration other municipalities and utilities have given the surrounding issues.

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Several spoke of policies designed to forgive arrearages of utility bills to those who fail to quallify for LIHEAP, have exhausted benefits or emergency grant programs.

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And municipalities have laid a framework to provide for those who have exhausted funding and have no heat or to allow residents to turn down their home heat during the day, while staying warm elsewhere. Some solutions have included warm rooms during the day, shelters, use of municipal buildings and reduced rate arrangements with local motels. Consideration has been given to 'After Hours' contact information, publicizing the available assistance and cooperative agreements with neighboring towns that have additional building capacity that can be utilized.

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Escalating fossil fuel costs pose an alarming risk to the most vulnerable among us who often have to choose between food, medicine and heat. The clear vision and planning to avoid the tragic consequences and provide winter warmth defines local government.

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Notice the silence in Middleboro?

Energy Savings in Taunton Schools

The Taunton School Department energy savings have been previously addressed in this forum and I call your attention to the Taunton Gazette article below that bears watching.

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If you're in one of the few remaining communities failing to address municipal energy use, maybe you need to ask why.

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In my personal opinion, the Middleborough Gas & Electric should be leading the way instead of conducting poorly worded polls and wasting ratepayers' money doing so. Customers of the Middleborough G&E are no longer enjoying the best competitive rates, nor are they getting the best bang for the buck.

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Like other communities, the Middleborough G&E should be promoting the 'low hanging fruit' philosophy of other towns and assisting residents who want to reduce their energy consumption, as well as working with town governments of both Lakeville and Middleboro to achieve cost savings.

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Attorney General Martha Coakley reminded, at the Regional Energy Roundtable, of the Darwin quote that 'It's not the strongest who survive, but those who adapt.'

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And Mark Reed, Director of Public Affairs, NSTAR, said 'If you can't manage the cost of energy, you can manage the use.'

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The concept of PRE-PAYING for energy for 20 to 50 years through renewables was commented on and replaces the concept of 'pay back' when considering installation and investment.

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Simply put, you can begin with 1. conservation by tackling the simplest methods first, the low hanging fruit requiring little or no investment; 2. consideration of installation of appropriate renewables technology, or more appropriately for most, installation of photovoltaics and creating consortiums with other towns to construct wind turbines, tidal/wave turbines 3. investing in renewables in terms of 'pre-paying' for future energy use.

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City schools saving money on energy
Taunton —
The city’s school district has saved more than $1 million in energy costs since enrolling in an energy conservation program, according to Matthew Stellar, energy manager for Taunton schools.
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Since partnering with Energy Education Inc., a national energy conservation program, the school system has seen an 18 percent reduction in the amount of money it would have spent without the program in place, said Stellar, who is the son of superintendent Arthur W. Stellar. Without the program in place, the district would have spent an estimated $5.5 million on electricity, water, gas and other energy expenses. With the program in place, the school system spent about $4.5 million during that time frame.

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“We have been able to spend this million dollars of energy savings elsewhere in our budget to support education,” the superintendent said. “Consequently, we have been able to avoid the major staff layoffs and other significant financial problems of many other districts in Massachusetts.”

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In March 2006, the school committee approved a four-year contract with Energy Education.

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A representative of the company went to Thursday’s school committee meeting to present the district with an award recognizing the energy cost savings.

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As part of the program, the energy manager tracks energy consumption, compares it to a baseline period and calculates the amount of energy that would have been used had conservation and management practices not been implemented. By tracking consumption and analyzing energy use, he can identify areas that need attention.

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Energy programs in Taunton were also recognized this past May, when the state Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs presented “Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education Awards” to Martin and Friedman middle schools, which were among 23 in the state to receive the honor. Taunton Gazette

Regional Energy Roundtables

Plymouth Town Hall was the site this morning of the second of four Regional Energy Roundtables, to be held around the state with an impressive array of speakers, offering a wealth of ideas, options and resources.

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It seems particularly appropriate that Plymouth was chosen as the site for this forum since their Energy Committee has accomplished a great deal that was offered at the meeting, although not posted on the town's site. Plymouth's Board of Selectmen and Green Committee are working toward a "2020" Program with a goal of being 100% renewable by 2020.

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As time permits, I'll post the resources and information, but would like to comment that representatives of Plymouth, Dedham and Hull were in attendance to explain programs their communities have undertaken to reduce their consumption and address alternatives. They are not the only municipalities with current energy or green programs.

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Adoption of a "No Idling Policy" seems universal. And addressing the 'low hanging fruit,' those solutions that cost nothing or little, but reduce consumption, also seems universal. Those might include installation of CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), installation of motion sensors, programmable thermostats, and just shutting off lights and computers when leaving for the day.

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Former Town Manager, Jack Healey sat next to me so that we could exchange notes about Fuzzy Math and his passion which is the reading program. There were 2 other Middleboro residents present that I won't embarrass by including their names without their permission, but NOT ONE SINGLE MEMBER of the Middleboro G&E or any other Middleboro official was present. What a disappointment!

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The Middleboro G&E recently paid to conduct a telephone poll that asked rather disappointing questions regarding energy conservation. With all of these resources available, it would seem that the G&E might be interested in what other towns are accomplishing.

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Once again, Middleboro is being left behind other towns, missing out on grant money as other towns move forward and missing out on money saving ideas.