Sent Dec 30, 2011

Dear Energy People of NW CT:

This event NEXT WEEK promises to put into the same room those who buy energy (like town government representatives) in the same room with the those who sell energy, equipment and energy services.  Also in the room will be those who provide funding to promote efficiency and clean energy.
 
Tony Mitchell, Energy Program Coordinator
Northwest Conservation District

 

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

How Electricity Consumers Can Take Advantage of Clean Energy Incentives  A joint matchmaking event with the Renewable Energy & Efficiency Business Association the Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority and the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund  (REEBA, CEFIA and CEEF)  Click Here to Register   (Registration Deadline is January 2)           Admission: $20 End-Use Customers  $45 REEBA Members     $100 Project Developers      Vendor Booths: (includes 2 event tickets) $150 REEBA Members  $300 Non-Members         Event Sponsor: Date & Time: Thursday, January 5, 2012 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Registration begins at 4:00 p.m.    Location: Hartford Marriott Rocky Hill 100 Capitol Boulevard Rocky Hill, Connecticut  06067    Event Description: This event will provide an opportunity for companies, colleges and universities, municipalities, institutions and landowners to learn how to implement clean energy projects at their facilities.  After brief introductions providing an overview of how best to identify clean energy opportunities, attendees will have the opportunity to network with leading clean energy providers.  These companies can help facility owners to maximize usage of Connecticut's new energy incentives to save money and achieve environmental goals.            Please Note:  The REEBA Annual Meeting will precede the event from 3:30 to 4:30.          To download a printable version of this invitation, please click here.     Who Should Attend: End-Use Customers Clean Energy Providers  Commercial Companies Industrial Companies Municipalities Educational Institutions Land Owners State Agencies  Clean Energy Project Developers (Solar, Wind, Fuel Cell, Hydro and Biomass, etc.) Consultants and Engineers Energy Efficiency Companies Equipment Suppliers  Energy Services Companies Utilities Financing Agents  State Funding Agencies  Vendor Booths:   Vendor booths are available to showcase your company or organization to potential end-use customers.  The deadline for vendor registration is December 15, 2011.  Payment and company/firm summary to be included in event directory must be received by this date. Registration & Contact Information Registration deadline is January 2, 2012.   To register and pay by credit card, visit www.reeba.org To pay by check, send your contact information (including email address) with your check payable to: REEBA c/o Murtha Cullina LLP CityPlace I, 185 Asylum Street Hartford, CT  06103-3469  For more information or questions, please contact: Jackie Rowe at 860.240.6140 / jrowe@murthalaw.com   Paul Michaud, Esq. at 860.240.6131 / pmichaud@murthalaw.com  About Clean Energy Finance Investment Authority (CEFIA) CEFIA was created by Connecticut's General Assembly as a part of Public Act 11-80 An Act Concerning the Establishment of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Planning for Connecticut's Energy Future.  CEFIA's mission is to promote, develop and invest in clean energy and energy efficiency projects in order to strengthen Connecticut's economy, protect community health, improve the environment, and promote a secure energy supply for the state.  As the nation's first full-scale clean energy finance authority, CEFIA will leverage public and private funds to drive investment and scale-up clean energy deployment in Connecticut. Visit them at www.ctcleanenergy.com. About Renewable Energy and Efficiency Business Association (REEBA) REEBA promotes the sustainable deployment of renewable energy, demand-side management and energy efficiency in the region, and provides its members with a unified voice for advocating for the removal of regulatory barriers and the establishment of legislative-based opportunities.   Our goal is to be the region's premier resource for renewable energy, DSM and energy efficiency advocacy, collaboration, networking and information sharing.  Visit them at www.reeba.org. About Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund is a ratepayer fund administered by the Connecticut Light and Power Company and the United Illuminating Company.  The Energy Efficiency Fund provides award-winning energy efficiency and load management programs that advance the efficient use of energy, promote economic development and energy security, and reduce air pollution and the negative environmental impact of energy generation.  Learn more at www.CTEnergyInfo.com.

 
 

 Sent Nov 15, 2011 ----------------------------------

 Dear Energy People of Northwest Connecticut:
 
No, we do not have a natural gas fracking issue in our area, but YES, it should be a concern for us! Yes, natural gas burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, but NO it is not free of environmental impact. Yes, generating electricity with gas turbines or a fuel cell produces less greenhouse gas and other pollutants than generating the same amount of power with other fossil fuels, but NO, it is not a renewable, carbon neutral technology. Yes, cooking our food or drying clothes or heating our houses or water by burning a gas is far more efficient than doing those things with electrical resistance heating, but unless we are burning biogas, NO one should assume we do not contribute to the problems experienced by our neighbors living in areas where they extract natural gas. No, fracking is not the only serious issue in using natural gas.

Please join us in Kent Dec 1 to view this ground breaking film (yes, that pun was entirely intended). Please consider promoting biogas sources in your town such as landfill gas, (see http://www.epa.gov/lmop/),  cowpower (http://www.cvps.com/cowpower/), and wastewater treatment plant digesters (http://www.fuelcellenergy.com/wastewater-treatment.php). 
 
Tony Mitchell
Northwest Conservation District

 

 

Enabling Ordinary People
To Do
Extraordinary Things
 

www.kentEdrive.org
 
 

IT MATTERS! Film & Lecture Series
 

December 1st, Thursday 7:30
Kent School, Dickinson Auditorium
 

Admission is free
"Gaslands" - What the Frack!
 

Director Josh Fox delves into the history and future of natural gas mining.  The film begins when Fox researches a letter he receives in the mail at his rural Pennsylvania farmhouse, inviting him to sell his land for $100,000 and permission to mine natural gas. He comes to discover how the Delaware River watershed's imminently endangered status will threaten New York City's main water source. 
 

Fox charts his personal dilemma and how it quickly spirals outward, as first his neighbors tell him horror stories about water contamination due to this process. And as he tours Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas, where hydraulic fracturing has already contaminated myriad underground wells, Fox actually films many families' water faucets catching fire as people hold a match to their running tap water.
 

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/
BRING A FRIEND - SHARE THE AWARENESS!
 

---

The IT MATTERS! Series presents a monthly film or lecture on a wide variety of environmentally related topics.  The series is co sponsored by Housatonic Valley Association, Kent Land Trust, Kent Memorial Library and Northwest Connecticut Conservation District.
Admission is free.  For more information please visit kentEdrive.org or contact:
contactus@kentedrive.org
860.927.1464

---

 

Directions:

Kent School is located on the west side of the Rt 341 bridge crossing the Housatonic River.  Turn onto the campus through the main brick entrance.  Please park in the Admissions parking lot, or along River Rd.  The Auditorium is in the Dickinson Science building which is the large brick building directly behind the flag pole when you come onto campus.  The entrance to the building faces west (there will be signs).
Click for Interactive Map.

 Sent Oct 13, 2011 -----------------------------------

 Sent Sep 27, 2011 ------------------------

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED to our first ever LOCAL ENERGY EVENT FOCUSED on YOU, town energy champions and leaders in the transition to a new energy future. You have made a difference and we think YOU DESERVE SOME THANKS !!!
 

Northwest Conservation District plans to recognize and honor your energy commission, committee, task force or informal group for your amazing efforts in tackling THE environmental issue of our times.

 

Join us Tues Oct 18 from 5:30-8:00 at Wisdom House in Litchfield, 229 East Litchfield Road off Rt 118
Donations for refreshments will be gratefully accepted at the door
 

Bring (carpool of course) your whole committee.  Mark your Calendar and schedule the 18^th as your October Energy Meeting. We can also arrange space for you to hold a mini meeting either before or after the event. Just let us know.
 

****Special prizes to committees that bring 4 or more members.*****
 

Meet Daniel Esty, new Commissioner of DEEP who will speak on Bringing Together the 3E’s ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMY

 

     If you are just getting started or thinking of it, this will be a great chance to hear from other town committees.
     Bring your best idea(s) to share. You have encouraged your neighbors to sign up for Clean sources of Electricity, to have a home energy audit, to adopt more sustainable actions in their daily lives.
     You have held events, sponsored speakers, shown films, set up your table at grocery stores, soccer fields and at all kinds of places and tried to get up to speed on the fast changing state energy landscape. We hope you have laughed and learned and made new friends in the process. Here’s how you can help us pull this together:

·         Email up to 8 photos of your activities, events for a photo gallery slide show
 

·         Send  one photo of the members of your task force for a display board. Email to michaelmorin@conservect.org  
 

·         There will be display tables if you have other handouts,  poster, publicity or whatever you want to share.

 

 Sent Jul 9, 2011 ------------------------

 Dear Northwest CT Energy People:
 
I recently spent some time with Jesse Fillipi, an Energy Intern with the SOAR Program (http://www.commnet.edu/soar/allaboutsoar.asp) who is working with the Town of Litchfield. While writing my follow-up email, it occurred to me that our conversation was a good example of how the experiences of energy committees in various towns can be shared for the benefit of all.
 
I am forwarding that email (below) to all of you because it touches on many different issues of concern to energy groups in NW CT, and to ask for your help in documenting the "cross-pollination" of ideas promoted by the Northwest Conservation District.  Over the past year we have met with many energy groups during your meetings and programs, forwarded emails and newsletters, assisted with workshops and forums, provided posters, handouts and links to resources, made multimedia presentations, and even spoke to students as "Mr. Energy". We are now reporting back to our funding sources for the first year of the program and would like to include some quotes from you, the energy people of northwest CT.
 
Please take a moment and think back over the past year or so to any time that something from us at the Northwest Conservation District was beneficial to you. Maybe it was something you read in one of my emails that got you thinking that your town could do the same, or led you a good direction for more research. Did you go to a workshop or forum that assisted your work in your own town? Did I bring up a subject at a meeting or provide a response to a question that was useful? Did you use a poster or handout or other material from us?
 
If you have a moment, hit "reply" and scribble out a quick note what comes to mind about any way we helped your efforts. If you don't have time now but want to help, just write "remind me later" and send.

Thanks for your time on this, and as always, if you let me know what you are working on, I will share with you what I know about other towns' efforts in that direction. Please forward this to anyone who may find it useful and let me know of additions to my distribution list. Reply to message if you want to be removed from this list.
 
Tony (Mr. Energy) Mitchell
Northwest Conservation District Energy Program Coordinator
http://www.conservect.org/energy,
energy@conservect.org, tonymitchell@conservect.org, nwconnvert@conservect.org

Forwarded email follows

Jesse:
 
Thanks for taking the time to go over your work in Litchfield. Although our discussion was wide ranging, I think we both learned a lot! I'd like to try to summarize what I came away with both to document my understanding, to ask a few more questions, to provide you with the links I promised,  and to let other people know what we are doing. There are lots of links in the paragraphs that follow. If you have set your email to only display text and not html, let me know and I'll send the links spelled out.

1. Town building energy use. Although I've seen the Portfolio Manager from EPA Energy Star demonstrated before, I appreciate your time in showing me how you gathered the kilowatt-hours and costs for Litchfield's buildings.
 
Since we were looking at the electric bills however, I missed how the heating was entered, specifically if the buildings use oil or gas heat and the priced paid. We discussed the wide differences between the schools' energy efficiency, but are you planning on making any recommendations to improve the Intermediate Schools energy use?
 
I'd be happy to help you with that, specifically the possibility of using an Energy Service Company (ESCO). An ESCO would arrange financing, design energy improvements, install them and charge for them out of the energy savings so that the town will not have to pay for the improvements as a capitol expenditure but as an operating cost. The town's bottom line is that they would not have to pay any more per year than they would without the energy improvement until the work is paid off. Once the work is paid off, they keep the savings. I attended an excellent presentation on ESCOs and would be happy to make a presentation with you to a town group. The new energy bill that creates the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) includes specific language authorizing towns to do this (see http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0148.htm Section 74) although towns have been doing this for years already.

I am curious about the way the efficiency is calculated based on floor space. Did you use square footage totals from some other source or calculate them yourself from floor plans? Were the totals verified in any way? I ask this because I've found that often the quoted square footages from reports can be out of date as buildings get added on to later.
 
Did the calculations for the waste water treatment plant include heating costs or just electrical use? Does the plant have to heat the treatment system in the winter, and if so, is it fuel oil, electric, or does the plant generate and burn its own biogas?

You mentioned that the data in Portfolio Manager can be made public. I was not able to get to any information on the EPA site regarding Litchfield. I think it would be useful to publicize your efforts if people could see the numbers and analysis. If you do this please send me the link and I can post it on our Litchfield page.
 
2. Town vehicle energy and carbon calculations. I was interested to see how you were using a carbon calculator to assess car costs. I neglected to note however which one it was. Were you using the Campus Carbon Calculator from Clean Air/Cool Planet?  Could you please send me the spreadsheet you were using so I can show other Town groups how you used it?
 
We discussed the models of cars you were comparing and I was intrigued by the differences in the operating costs and how they affected the yearly and lifetime operating costs of the vehicles. I noted you used a $4.00 per gal gasoline cost, but if the Town gets a discount for its gasoline, what dos that do to the calculations? It also occurred to me that for the electrical costs, if the cars are charged from the solar panels they hope to get installed, what does that do to the cost calculations?
 
I mentioned the economics of buying a Hyundai Accent or Elantra, and you are including the Prius and other hybrids already, but is the town required by local or state or federal law to only purchase U.S. made products? That may limit them to considering only the Chevy Volt or other US made highly efficient cars.
 
Did your list of vehicles include small station wagons? Some of them are rated very well in fuel economy and carbon footprint and may be more useful for town employees than a tiny car.
 
I had mentioned looking up auto efficiencies on the EPA website. The link is http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/Index.do That site also includes diesel engines, which can be run on biofuel/biodiesel, reducing the carbon footprint even more than the carbon calculators will show. Some information on biodiesel can be found at: http://www.connecticutbiofuels.com/ and http://ctbiodiesel.org/
 
Another consideration that we did not discuss is that fuel economy can be improved no matter what vehicle is used.  Although the term hypermiling implies extreme changes to the way one drives, there are a variety of tips that anyone can use. More information can be found at: http://www.cleanmpg.com/ and http://www.epa.gov/smartway/consumer/tips.htm
 
We discussed your research into electric vehicle recharging stations in Litchfield, something that could increase the Town's appeal as a day trip or overnight visit destination if marketed to electric vehicle owners. Do you know if anyone has contacted the Litchfield Hills Visitors Bureau about this? It would put Litchfield "on the map" for electric vehicle owners, there is even an app for that.  I just discovered today that there was a CT Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council. Their Final Report may have more information for you.
 
3. Solar Panel Lease program. Thanks for sharing the proposed contract between the town and DCS Energy. We discussed how you are assisting the Town to provide the information DCS requires to install systems on various town buildings. Although you mentioned net meters, and I have been told that the town assumes net meters will be installed, I did not see any mention in the contract. Specifically, who is going to pay to install the net meters? Although every grid-connected solar installation I ever examined included the crediting of surplus solar power against the power purchased by the building, I am concerned that language is not in the contract. Even if the power company gets to keep the surplus solar energy for sale to other customers, the essentially free power when the panels are operating makes the deal cost effective for the town. However, if the town decides to go with the free standing panels at the water treatment plant and has to dig the trench and fence in the panels, they will clearly want the surplus power credited to their electric service.
 
I mentioned that the bill creating the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) includes virtual net metering, but only as a limited pilot project. If Litchfield wants in on funding for virtual net metering, they should probably contact DEEP as soon as possible.  See http://www.cga.ct.gov/2011/rpt/2011-R-0148.htm Section 83. Although the size of the systems being installed may not warrant grouping all the town electric meters together as one virtual net meter, if the town decides to add other distributed generating systems in the future, it could easily need to aggregate it power purchases because total yearly power production could easily exceed use at a site with an additional  future power source such as a fuel cell, additional solar panels, biogas generator, wind turbine or cogeneration device. 


4. Clean Energy Options. Although not part of your internship, I was pleased that you are willing to promote the purchase of Clean Energy Options (CEO) by towns, businesses and homeowners. The most recent map of CEO signups that I believe I showed you indicates the northwest CT towns that are purchasing clean energy in green shading. Those towns have also received grants from the CT Clean Energy Fund (CCEF) which is now called the CT Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA).  Perhaps after the Town of Litchfield begins to realize savings from its investments in energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy would be a good time to ask them to join the ranks of CT towns looking to the future by promoting the clean energy markets. The (draft) graphic I showed you that breaks down every $100 of a household electric bill is going to undergo revision to make it more useful as a poster and webpage based teaching tool.

5. Transition Towns. You mentioned a meeting about moving toward a Transition Town in July. Is the something that will be discussed at the next litchfield energy Task Force meeting on July 18? I cannot find any minutes or notes from their June meeting. I thought I was on their distribution list, but either I've lost their emails or something has changed. I had mentioned that NCD helped with Transition Town Training in New Haven, and though I offered to host the resources promised to the participants, I never heard back from the trainers about them. Please let me know when/where that meeting will happen. The webpage we created to help trainees find resources is password protected, if you send me a username and password, I'll add you. 
 
Thanks for your time in going over your work and in responding to my questions. If you have no objectives, I plan to forward this email to my distribution list because it ended up with so many useful examples of what towns can do.
 
Tony Mitchell
NCD Energy Program Coordinator
http://www.conservect.org/energy,
energy@conservect.org, tonymitchell@conservect.org, nwconnvert@conservect.org

 

Sent Jun 13, 2011 -----------

 Sent June 8, 2011 -----------------------------------

Sent May 13, 2011 -------------------------------

Sent May 13, 2011 ------------------

A report (http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/business-brains/all-states-not-created-equal-when-it-comes-to-energy-efficiency-but-they-can-be/9769 ) issued last September put CT as Number One! Lets hope we can keep it that way. 

Tony Mitchell
NW Conservation District

---- OriginalMessage ----
From: "Roger Smith" <rsmith@cleanwater.org>
To: 20by2010CleanEnergy@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thu, May 12, 2011, 09:36 PM
Subject: [CleanEnergy20by2010] Clean Energy Options program in national top 10

Thanks in large part to all of your effort, CT Clean Energy Options is one of the nation's strongest voluntary renewable energy programs.
Let's keep it up!
Roger

State clean energy program ranks in national top 10
http://www.ctmirror.org/node/12543

********************************************************
Roger Smith
New England Energy Program Director
Clean Water Action/ Clean Water Fund
www.cleanwateraction.org/ct/

645 Farmington Ave, Third Floor
Hartford, CT  06105
860-232-6232
860-232-6334 (fax)
rsmith@cleanwater.org  

Sent Apr 9, 2011------------------------------------------------

Dear Northwest CT Energy People:
 
Please send a representative from your town to this excellent forum next weekend. More information is available below and at http://www.berklitchfieldenviro.org/forums/windenergyforumthe/
 
Although wind power is a renewable source of energy, there is a lot of opposition to them from those who live on and near the best places to put them. Ideally neighbors, town  governments, people who will live in the viewshed and others should be involved from the very start anywhere a turbine is considered. Developers who keep their proposals secret trying to avoid opposition run the risk of alienating the very people who could be their strongest supporters. 
 
I visited the site of three large turbines in the small town of Freedom, Maine on several occasions. In my visits to the site in a variety of weather, my own impression of the noise from several locations near houses both up and downwind from the turbines was that it reminded me of the highway noise one hears from neighborhoods a half mile away from I-84 in West Hartford. The noise I heard was constant during my visits (20 to 60 min each visit), and maybe I could eventually get used to it, but we must realize that the people who live there moved there to get away from highway noise.
 
I have attached a Google Earth .kmz file to help you locate the Freedom, ME turbines. They were not yet built when the GoogleEarth photo was taken, but the fields they were built in are clearly visible.
 
The Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Maine is incomplete, I believe there are other large turbines not mentioned, and probably hundreds of small household units. The article refers to the Freedom project as Beaver Ridge in Waldo County.  A Yahoo! search (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=freedom+maine+wind+turbines) brings up links to websites mostly negative about the project. Freedom is a very small town, so I expect that the number of people who don't like the project, if they are really residents of the town, represent an important fraction of the population.   

 

---

From: CTEnvLeader@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CTEnvLeader@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of HEAL
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 1:09 PM
To: ctenvleader@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CTEnvL] Forum on Wind Turbines - April 16, 2011




 

 

 

April 7, 2011

For Immediate Release:

Forum on Wind Turbines

The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council (BLEC) will hold an informational forum on commercial-scale wind turbines, April 16, 2011, at the Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village , CT , from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Co-sponsors include the Housatonic Valley Association, Audubon/Sharon, Housatonic Environmental Action League, Housatonic Riverkeeper, Housatonic River Initiative, the Northwest Conservation District, and Green Berkshires.

Confirmed speakers are: keynote, Albert M. Manville, II, Ph.D. Senior Wildlife Biologist, Division of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to discuss bird and bat deaths near wind turbines and current federal recommendations for tower siting/mitigation; Madga Havas, Ph.D., professor of biology, Trent University, Canada, regarding unintended environmental couplings of electromagnetic fields from wind turbines and their implications for humans and wildlife; Helen Parker, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and former supervisory faculty member of the University of Virginia Medical School, to discuss wind turbine syndrome from low frequency environmental infrasound; David McGlinchey, Senior Program Leader on Energy and Environment at the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences in Massachusetts to discuss the larger role of wind in national energy needs; and Eleanor Tillinghast, Green Berkshires, to discuss general siting concerns.

Sample planning and zoning regulations will be available, with ample time for Q&A.

Also invited are: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on the balance between energy independence and environmental protection; CT Attorney General George
Jepsen on the need for wind turbine regulation; John Fonfara, CT Senate Co-chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee; and CT Senator Andrew
Roraback and CT House Representative Roberta Willis on legislative initiatives.

Some of the issues to be addressed include: Where is wind generation most appropriate? What is the real risk/benefit ratio of wind turbines? Does that ratio change in regions with less wind? What are the adverse effects to humans and other species from turbine spinning, increased ground current, low frequency sound, vibration, and light flicker to humans and other species, especially birds and bats? Are inland/wetland habitats more vulnerable with sentinel species like turtles, amphibians and fish? What about structural failure, fire, and ice throw? Are concerns primarily one of scale? Are some windmill designs better than others? What are reasonable ways to mitigate, legislate, and anticipate such problems? And what is happening at the federal, state, and local levels?

"Other areas are far ahead of us on this," said BLEC President, Starling W. Childs. " Connecticut is seeing applications for industrial-scale wind turbines for the first time. Everyone is for renewable energy but with fast moving structures that can top 500 feet, caution and intelligent siting become critical."

BLEC is a 501 (c ) (3) nonprofit. Admission is $5.00 at the door, tax deductible. For more information, contact B. Blake Levitt, blakelevit@cs.com, or Starling Childs, eecostar@aol.com or visit http://www.berklitchfieldenviro.org/

***

Press Contacts:

B. Blake Levitt
355 Lake Road
Warren , CT 06777
Email: blakelevit@cs.com
Phone: 860-868-7437

Speakers contact information available on request

[Submitted to ctenvleader by Judy Herkimer, Housatonic Environmental Action League and Tim Gray, Housatonic Riverkeeper MA/CT, Exec. Dir. Housatonic River  Initiative]

Sent Apr 5, 2011 ----------------------

Dear NW CT Energy People:
 
I am forwarding a reminder from one of our Board of Directors who also runs a solar company and so has his finger on the pulse of funding sources. Please feel free to forward this to anyone in your towns - government, home owners and businesses who may be seeking funding for alternative energy.
 
Tony Mitchell
Northwest Conservation District
Energy Program Coordinator


... I am concerned that once again the clock is ticking on great funding opportunities for energy conservation and renewables, yet I am getting few inquiries. Programs that people in our communities should be made aware of are:
 
BEEP (Litchfield Hills Business Energy Efficiency Program)
This is funded by a Bonus Pool Grant won in league with 11 participating towns. Great program for small businesses. Brochure attached.
 
CCEF OSDG (On-Site Direct Generation) Round 2
This is what we applied to get solar for the Wisdom House and the Housy STC Center. We’ll know on the 22nd whether we were successful. The next round will be coming up. Do we have any suitable candidates? (I have been contacted by CAMA, the CT Antique Machinery Association). These applications are a huge amount of work, so we would want to support worthy organizations getting done in by energy bills, especially places with great visibility. Timetable for Funding Round 2 attached.
 
This program requires an energy audit by a CL&P approved contractor, for which there is also funding support.
 
USDA
Attached is an info sheet. ... it is not the farmer/agribusiness owner who must be in financial need. I’m told by the USDA financial need exists if “the project proposed by the applicant cannot achieve the income and cash flows to sustain it financially over the long term without grant assistance.” There are lots of hoops as well, but this program can be combined with others, like the OSDG program. Isn’t there a dairy farm out there we can save?
 
CCEF Solar Thermal Rebate
The CCEF has sent out a letter that says if no one applies for these funds (from ARRA) they will be relinquished. Someone needs to apply for the Housy STC project.
 
...we should stress that there are list of eligible installers for both solar PV and thermal systems on the CCEF website, and CL&P has its own lists of approved contractors and auditors.
 
Best,
Ray Furse

Sent Mar 29, 2011 ----------------------

Dear NW CT Energy People:
 
I hope you got the word about this great program happening tomorrow, Wed Mar 30, Lakeville Branch of Salisbury Bank at 5 Bissell Street Lakeville, CT 5:30pm.  Please reserve your spot by Email: seminars@salisburybank.com  (type "Solar Energy" in the subject line) Or Call: 860-435-9801 x1003.
 
The flyer is attached and pertinent points are below.  Although I regret cannot make it, say hello to Ray for me.
 
Tony Mitchell
Northwest Conservation District
 
 

The Financial Benefits of Solar Electric Energy ~ Now and in the Future


Lakeville, CT- March 30, 2011
Fixing the cost of your energy needs is a smart investment when compared to the inevitable rise in energy costs. With local, state and federal programs to help defer installation costs, solar energy systems have never made more financial sense . Join Ray Furse from Litchfield Hills Solar, as he explains:


 
Why you should think conservation first.
How to choose an alternate energy supplier.
How to increase your savings with Solar Electric Energy.
How to use what you produce with on-site generation.
What grants and tax credits are available to you when you choose Solar Electric Energy.
How to sell back excess energy to the utility company.

Sent Mar 10, 2011 ----------------------------------

Dear NW CT Town Energy Groups:
 
The workshop described below sounds like an excellent opportunity for any town, no matter how active your committee, or even if your town does not have an energy committee. Please let me know if you plan to send someone, and I will try to arrange carpooling.
 
Tony Mitchell
NW Conservation District.
 

From: Stoddard, Lynn [mailto:Lynn.Stoddard@ct.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 9:36 AM
To: Stoddard, Lynn
Subject: March 23 workshop for CT towns on energy benchmarking, greenhouse gas inventories, and recycling
 

 

Dear municipal contact,
 

 
 

You are invited to send a staff representative to attend a free municipal workshop on Intro to Energy Benchmarking, GHG Inventories, and Recycling. The workshop will be held on March 23, 2011 and will provide free training for Connecticut towns on the topics listed below. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about these important foundations for local action to address climate change. 
 

 
 

·         Energy Star Benchmarking - Learn the basics of benchmarking your municipal buildings using EPA's Portfolio Manager tool. Portfolio Manager can help measure and track    energy and water use across an entire portfolio of buildings and identify weak links in energy performance. Buildings can earn an energy performance rating as compared to peer facilities across the country, and top performing buildings are eligible for national recognition. This training will be held in a computer lab and guide participants in  entering data into Portfolio Manager and generating reports.  Energy data sets will be provided by the trainer.
 

·         Greenhouse Gas Inventories – Learn what a Municipal GHG Inventory is, what information is needed, and what an inventory will tell you about your town’s carbon footprint.  We will also review two of the most common GHG inventory tools used by towns – the Clean Air Climate Protection Software (the “ICLEI tool”) and the Small Town Carbon Calculator.
 

·         Recycling – Learn about options for improving the effectiveness of your municipal recycling program and how increased recycling can lead to cost savings for your town.  We will also provide an overview of regulatory and statutory recycling requirements for municipalities.
 

 
 

There will be 2 identical 1/2-day workshop sessions in different locations.  Please select one session and register by March 18.  Space is limited; registrations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
 

 
 

Click on this link for more information and registration for the morning workshop at Gateway Community College in North Haven, March 23, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=j4b744dab&oeidk=a07e3443wf6e9caf1e1
 

 
 

Click on this link for more information and registration for the afternoon workshop at Manchester Community College in Manchester, March 23, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=j4b744dab&oeidk=a07e3ilzom0e5eb1eb1
 

 
 

Everyone who registers will receive an email with more specific information including the meeting room location and optional "homework" to prepare in advance of the workshop. 
 

 
 

In an ongoing effort to improve support for Connecticut town climate change and energy initiatives, we have developed a survey to determine your needs.  Please respond to the survey so we can most effectively target State and partner organization resources to support your municipal needs.  The online survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/ctclimate
 

 
 

Thank you for your interest.
 

 
 

Lynn
 

 
 

Lynn Stoddard
CT Department of Environmental Protection
Climate Change and Energy Team
79 Elm Street
Hartford, CT  06106
860-424-3236
fax: 860-424-4081
lynn.stoddard@ct.gov
www.ctclimatechange.com
 

Sent Mar 10, 2011 ----------------------------------

We have not sent sent this newsletter in a while because we were forwarding information from other valuable sources on topics such as the Kent E-Summit and new the administration in Hartford. Contributions to this energy newsletter are welcome, written for and about the dedicated volunteers of northwest Connecticut who assist their towns to mange our energy resources in a way that is sustainable and affordable. The ConnVERTat the Northwest Conservation District provides a mechanism for sharing the experience, knowledge and motivations of the energy committees of the 34 towns in the District so we can all benefit from each other's work. If any members of your energy committee did not get this newsletter, please let us know at energy@conservect.org. If you want to be removed from this mailing list, please let us know at the same address.
program

Join us Saturday March 26 and Sunday March 27 for an intensive two-day course developed by the Transition Network in England.  The course is an in-depth experiential introduction to Transition for those considering bringing Transition to their community. It is recommended for local communities  wishing to become an internationally-recognized Transition Initiative. (www.TransitionNetwork.org). Questions? Please contact   Sharon Vocke sharlynn23@yahoo.com or Terry Halwes  terry@dharmahaven.org  Register at www.conservect.org/northwest
 

Connecticut Transition Town Training

Tentative Schedule for Round 2 of the On-Site Renewable Distributed Generation Request for Proposals - get your commercial or municipal projects ready for the next Clean Energy Fund solicitation. PROPOSAL DUE DATE NOV 18. The schedule is subject to change, so please visit www.ctcleanenergy.com/OSDG for updates. The OSDG Program helps finance the installation of systems that generate electricity from the sun, wind, fuel cells, biomass, landfill gas and river flows. The program also supports the installation of waste heat recovery/power generation equipment. The amount of the grant depends on the economics of the installation. The Town of Bethel considered applying for the first round of this grant and invited presentations from several companies (see http://www.bethelct.org/documents/On-Line_Documents/energy_conservation/2011-01-20m%20sp%20mtg.pdf).

 

presented by Neil Zobler President Catalyst Financial Group, Inc. on Feb 23. The presentation touched on a variety of ways that towns can finance energy efficiency projects including the use of Energy Savings Performance Contracting that uses capital from a third party (NOT the town budget) to hire an Energy Service Company (aka an ESCO) and pays for itself out of operating costs (NOT a Capitol Expenditure). The point of it all is that towns can pay for the wasted energy forever or they can pay the SAME amount or less annually for a fixed amount of time. Once the financing is paid off, the town saves money. Tony Mitchell from NCD atttended the seminar and can come to your Energy Committee meeting to provide more information. The Town of Newtown is considering hiring an ESCO for this.
 

Members of energy committees from several nw CT towns attended Financing Energy Efficiency Projects

Legislative Update: The Energy and Technology Committee is considering HB 6544 An Act Concerning Energy Efficiency and SB 1141, An Act Concerning Net Metering. The energy efficiency bill includes a variety of components including

• Requiring the utilities to provide usage data for non-residential customers in EnergyStar Portfolio Manager Format (sec 3b)
• Validating projected energy savings from Efficiency Fund programs with actual bill data (sec 4 d)
• Creating a statewide performance contracting program for towns and state entities (sec 6)
• New streamlined loan program for renewable energy and energy efficiency (sec 7)

The second bill on virtual net metering allows anyone with a Class I renewable energy facility to count excess generated energy from that facility against energy consumed at up to five of their other accounts.  Any extra credits are to be rolled over for up to 12 mo. and then paid out at retail rates at year's end. To check the status of these bills: HB 6544,  SB 1141

Sent Sun Feb 27, 2011 ----------------------------------

Below are two important messages relating to the state's reorganization into a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. You are getting these forwarded to you by nwConnVERT, the energy program of the  Northwest Conservation District. Please copy and paste the email addresses in the messages to reply to those senders regarding their content. Reply to nwconnvert@conservect.org regarding getting these messages forwarded to you.
 
Tony Mitchell


 

---- OriginalMessage ----
From: "Martin Mador" <mador@sbcglobal.net>
To: "CT Energy" <CTEnergy@yahoogroups.com>, "2010" <20by2010CleanEnergy@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sat, Feb 26, 2011, 11:56 PM
Subject: [Fwd: Re: [CleanEnergy20by2010] Senate Bill 1 Update, Hearing]

The new Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection is created by HB 6386.
The bill, all 48 sections(by law, any bill pertaining to energy has to be excessively long and complex.), is found at
http://cga.ct.gov/2011/TOB/H/2011HB-06386-R00-HB.htm
Fortunately, most of it is just replacing the dept name in various sections of the statutes.
It will have a public hearing in Environment.
Commissioner Esty's confirmation hearing will be this Thursday.

Some highlights of HB6386
Sec. 34 There shall be a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection which shall have jurisdiction over all matters relating to the preservation and protection of the air, water and other natural resources of the state, the equitable distribution and conservation of energy, the regulation of public utilities and the development and administration of a state-wide energy policy.

Sec. 9-11 puts the DPUC inside DEEP
Sec. 12 puts the Siting Council inside DEEP
Sec 14 moves the CEAB inside DEEP for (admin. purposes only)
A number of energy issues are moved from OPM to DEEP, including
         Sec 23 moves green building codes standards(already finished) from OPM to DEEP
         Sec 24 moves lighting standards for state buildings from OPM to DEEP
         residential
      water efficiency

Sec. 35 adds enumerated energy tasks to DEEP:
(10) provide for the highest standards of public utility regulation and the protection of consumers; (11) provide for the equitable distribution and conservation of energy; (12) provide for the conservation of energy resources by avoiding unnecessary and wasteful consumption; (13) provide for the consumption of energy resources in the most efficient manner feasible; (14) provide for the development and use of renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind energy, to the maximum practicable extent; (15) diversify the state's energy supply; (16) whenever practicable, replace energy resources vulnerable to interruption due to circumstances beyond the state's control with energy sources that are less vulnerable to such interruption; (17) assist citizens and businesses in implementing measures to reduce energy consumption and energy costs; (18) ensure that low-income households can meet essential energy needs; (19) maintain planning and preparedness capabilities necessary to deal effectively with future energy supply interruptions; and (20) whenever available energy alternatives are equivalent, give preference to capacity additions for conservation and load management.

Sec. 36  destroys the Council on Env. Quality (CEQ)-we're working to get that fixed

Marty Mador
Sierra Club Legislative Chair
Hamden Energy Use Commission








Roger Smith wrote:

Good evening,
The big CT energy bill (Senate Bill 1) is moving closer to a public unveiling with a possible (not yet confirmed) public hearing on March 15th.

Key issues likely to be part of this debate include:

• Defending CT's existing commitments to renewable energy (the state renewable electricity portfolio standard
• Creating a sustainable in-state solar power industry
• Creating customer-friendly energy financing programs for renewables and energy efficiency
• Creating a streamlined statewide energy saving performance contracting program for municipalities
• Making changes to improve the administration of the Energy Efficiency Fund

Key issues not likely to be part of this bill include

• Raiding the Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Funds (so far so good- this falls under the budget vs the energy bill)
• Creating a state energy office (I believe part of a broader agency reorganization bill)..

---

Hearing Prep call on Solar Power- Wed. March 2
After coming close to passing a solar law two years in a row we are once again faced with the opportunity to expand and grow the solar industry in Connecticut as part of Senate Bill 1. 
Opposition from the DPUC and utilities is increasing so we need your support. 

To help prepare the non-profit Vote Solar Initiative is hosting a virtual "webinar" and call to help us prepare for the hearing. 
We are using the webinar format so it will be easy to follow along with material, and keep track of suggestions and input.

When: March 2nd 5:30 - 7 pm
Registration: Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/690208385
Try to download the gotomeeting software in advance if you haven't already- it can take a few minutes.

*IMPORTANT* DO NOT USE THE PHONE LINK IN WEBINAR

USE THIS # instead (and if you can't use webinar software you can always call in).

Dial-in Number: 1-218-936-4700  (Midwest)

Participant Access Code240048

Look forward to speaking with you all then -
Roger Smith and Greg Teschendorf (volunteer with Clean Water Action) & Shaun Chapman, Vote Solar Initiative


********************************************************
Roger Smith
New England Energy Program Director
Clean Water Action
www.cleanwateraction.org/ct/

645 Farmington Ave, Third Floor
Hartford, CT  06105
860-232-6232
860-232-6334 (fax)
rsmith@cleanwater.org

********************************************************
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Connecticut 20% by 2010 Clean Energy Communities" group.
To post to this group, send email to
20by2010cleanenergy@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
20by2010cleanenergy+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/20by2010cleanenergy?hl=en?hl=en

********************************************************
Roger Smith
New England Energy Program Director
Clean Water Action/ Clean Water Fund
www.cleanwateraction.org/ct/

645 Farmington Ave, Third Floor
Hartford, CT  06105
860-232-6232
860-232-6334 (fax)
rsmith@cleanwater.org

********************************************************
This message (including any attachments) is intended only for the use of the person(s) to whom it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you receive this communication in error, please notify me immediately by e-mail, telephone or fax and delete the original message from your records. Thank you. 

 Jan 10, 2011

Contributions to this energy newsletter are welcome, written for and about the dedicated volunteers of northwest Connecticut who assist their towns to mange our energy resources in a way that is sustainable and affordable. The ConnVERT program at the Northwest Conservation District provides a mechanism for sharing the experience, knowledge and motivations of the energy committees of the 34 towns in the District so we can all benefit from each other's work. If any members of your energy committee did not get this newsletter, please let us know at energy@conservect.org

News You Can Use

• Strategy Session: As the 2011 legislative session kicks off and a new governor begins to put together his plans on energy, municipal energy committees have an important role as to help shape that discussion!  This has the potential to be an exciting year for clean energy in Connecticut. Anyone interested in being part of that is invited to an upcoming state energy policy strategy meeting on Saturday January 15th from 10AM to noon in Wethersfield.  Special thanks to Matthew Forrest and Christopher Shepard of Wethersfield for hosting.  The goal of the meeting is to finalize a short-list of top priority policies and create a follow-up strategy. 
  To keep the discussion manageable, attendance is limited to no more than 2 representatives per town and you must RSVP to rsmith@cleanwater.org for details and directions.  If you can't make it but want to be involved, please email rsmith@cleanwater.org.
• The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is embracing the maximum reduction targets suggested by its own Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008, adopting a statewide target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels over the next 10 years. http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/business-brains/massachusetts-aims-to-slash-emissions-25-percent-by-2020/12661/

• EPA moving unilaterally to limit greenhouse gases. By MERRILL HARTSON, Associated Press Merrill Hartson, Associated Press – Fri Dec 24, 2010 from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101224/ap_on_re_us/us_epa_greenhouse_gases
  WASHINGTON – Stymied in Congress, the Obama administration is moving unilaterally to clamp down on power plant and oil refinery greenhouse emissions, announcing plans for developing new standards over the next year.
  Several state and local governments and environmental groups had sued EPA over the agency's failure to update or publish new standards for fossil fuel plants and petroleum refineries. The announcement Thursday came in connection with a settlement of the suit the states brought against the EPA.
  EPA will propose standards for power plants in July 2011 and refineries in December 2011 and will issue final standards in May and November 2012, respectively.
  In this time, the agency will schedule "listening sessions" with representatives of business and local governments, ahead of the formal rule-making process.
• Join the CT Farm Energy Program for a free workshop on January 19, 24 or 26, 2011.  Learn about technical assistance and financial incentives that are available to AG producers as it relates to energy.  Topics will include the CT Farm Energy Program, the new CT Farm Energy BMP Guide, NRCS EQIP program and grant and loan programs offered through USDA Rural Development REAP Grants (Renewable Energy for America Program) for renewable and energy efficiency projects.
   

(back to top)

 

Town Updates

• Kent: The Environmental Summit’s Film Series will begin on January 25, 2011.  This year the series will be hosted at Kent School in the Dickenson auditorium on Tuesday evenings at 7:30.  The Series segues into the Environmental Summit on Feb 26. For more information please click HERE.
• Brookfield: The Commission is scheduled to present its report to the Selectman Monday Jan 10. Their recommendations to the Town on how best to save energy should soon be available on the town website or on their NCD webpage. 
• Barkhamsted: This is Energy Awareness Month at Barkhamsted school! Students will be learning about energy sources, uses of energy and how can we save energy at school, home and in our community. The schedule of events for the month include: January 4 at a kickoff assembly for students in grades 3-6 Superintendent Jeff Linton and Northwest Conservation District consultant Tony Mitchell introduced the theme of Energy Awareness and set the stage for the month's activities with students. January 11 Wesson Energy Inc. will present the House of Pressure and thermal imaging exhibits to the students during grade level assemblies. January 18 during the week students will become Energy Detectives using energy scavenger hunts at school or at home.  January 25 ending assembly What Do We Now Know About Energy? Parents look for a packet that will be sent home with students that will have Energy tips as well as, information on the town of Barkhamsted's "free" home energy audit which is on the town web site.
• Woodbury: Energy improvements continue in the town buildings and they are beginning to benchmark energy usage with Energy Star's Portfolio Manager (http://www.woodburyct.org/meetings/energy/minutes%2011%2017%2010%20energy%20committee.pdf)
• Watertown:  The town council is considering school projects with funding provided through a rebate from C.L. & P. from the installation of energy efficient lighting as part of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund Program. (http://www.watertownct.org/filestorage/10290/4029/13443/AGENDA_12-6-2010.pdf)
• Newtown: At their Jan 4 meeting (see http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_EnergyMin/I02E07937) the Commission discussed the Fuels for School program.  This is a biomass heating program using a commercial pellet boiler system.  It uses local renewable products. Integrating solar pv with a new school roof is being actively pursued. March will be Energy Awareness Month in Newtown.

Dec 23, 2010

Contributions to this energy newsletter are welcome, written for and about the dedicated volunteers of northwest Connecticut who assist their towns to mange our energy resources in a way that is sustainable and affordable. The ConnVERT program at the Northwest Conservation District provides a mechanism for sharing the experience, knowledge and motivations of the energy committees of the 34 towns in the District so we can all benefit from each other's work. If any members of your energy committee did not get this newsletter, please let us know at energy@conservect.org

News You Can Use
 

• Municipal Climate Change (Energy) Projects
  Dear Connecticut municipal officials, staff, and climate/energy task force members: We are pleased to offer two important opportunities to help your town with municipal climate change projects: 1) an opportunity to apply for a free intern to help with a specific climate change project next semester, and 2) a survey to help us understand what you need to support municipal climate efforts. Please see the detailed information and reply with the brief Expression of Interest form by January 10, 2011 if you would like your town to be considered for the municipal climate intern program. This is an excellent opportunity to connect our emerging green technology work force with hands-on projects that will benefit your municipal climate change and sustainability programs. Whether you are interested in participating in the intern program or not, we ask you to please take a few minutes to fill out the survey so that we can target future resources and outreach to your needs. The on-line survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/ctclimate . Thank you. Best wishes for the holidays and the new year. Lynn Lynn Stoddard CT Department of Environmental Protection Climate Change and Energy Team 79 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106 860-424-3236 fax: 860-424-4081 lynn.stoddard@ct.gov www.ctclimatechange.com 
• Connecticut Solar Power: Small State, Large Dreams and Depleted Funds By Reginald Norris  RenewableEnergyWorld.com November 29, 2010
  (We) may the nation’s third smallest state, but Connecticut’s electric rates are among the highest in the country. In 2009, Connecticut’s average rate was more than 74% above the national average and up until the end of October, when New York officially surpassed them, Connecticut’s electric rates trailed only those of Hawaii’s. As a result, it was not surprising to see Connecticut make the necessary legislative changes to support cheaper renewable energy, particularly solar power. Specifically, back in 2004, Connecticut created the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund which was designed to support the statewide adoption of solar power and other renewable energy sources. Now, 6 years later, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund is depleted and we can only hope that the state will continue to support the adoption of solar power and other renewable energy sources throughout Connecticut.
• Does light ‘pollution’ contribute to metropolitan smog? By Heather Clancy  SmartPlanet.com Dec 21, 2010
  ...research, conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environment Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, found that outdoor lighting in cities interferes with a chemical reaction that works overnight to break down chemicals from vehicle exhaust and other non-natural sources.

  “[This effect] is more important up in the air than it is directly on the ground so if you manage to keep the light pointing downward and not reflected back up into the sky, into the higher parts of the air, then you would certainly have a much smaller effect of this.”

  This data might act as more impetus for communities that are mulling energy efficiency and outdoor lighting upgrades, providing another case for adaptive lighting technology that not only turns lights off when they are not needed but that directs light more specifically to the locations that require illumination.

Send your News suggestions of use to energy committees  to  energy@conservect.org

Town Updates

 

• The Barkhamsted school is designating January 2011 as Energy Awareness Month in a effort to educate our students and also our community about energy efficiency. The Barkhamsted School will participate in a month long program starting January 4.
• Kent (from http://kentedrive.org/Minutes.html) will be going ‘single stream’ at the transfer station, and is discussing signage at the transfer station for education. Their Town hall & Community house facilities are getting an energy retrofit. In their Carbon Challenge 150 homes & 80 audits have been done. They plan an Environmental Summit II for Feb 26, 2011, and are looking for ideas for speakers & films for thier energy Film Series and  Alternate Energy Car Show To use their Ct Clean Energy 2k- they are considering recycle bins for CFL’s & fluorescents at transfer station & town hall, and for thier EECBG grant a photovoltaic system for Kent Center School. Other Projects: (a) How to boost their recycling rate at the transfer station (b) Sewer plant energy assessment, (c) KCS energy assessment (d) EPA Green power Community Kent is considering collaboration with Cornwall Task Force and building a town alliance, tracking down a NWCT resource person, setting up a Ride Board, using Constant Contact. Next meeting is RESCHEDULED for JANUARY 18 in order to accommodate the Summit Film Series
• Sharon (from http://www.conservect.org/energy/YourTownLinks/Sharon/tabid/510/Default.aspx) Energy Task Force (SETF) has been hard at work throughout 2010 helping the Town and its businesses and residents conserve energy in order to save money and help the environment.  The SETF received an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) of $33,750 for the town to use for energy audits for municipal buildings and town residences, energy education projects, and an energy conservation project for the Sharon Center School. In addition, a portion of the grant was set aside to address issues raised through the energy audits of town buildings. The project for school entailed the purchase of a dedicated server to run power management software for over 170 computers. It is estimated that this system will save the school between $6,000 and $8,000 in energy costs per year and prevent several tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. SETF also worked with CL&P, the CT Energy Efficiency Fund, Greenstar Energy and Wesson Energy to conduct free Home Energy Assessments for over 240 Sharon households, exceeding our original goal of 80 households. These assessments provided to Sharon residents $800-$1,000 worth of services in addition to money-saving rebates. A conservative initial estimate of the cumulative savings as a result of the work conducted during the assessment is well over $20,000, and will be many times that if residents take advantage of the recommendations and rebates received from the technicians. SETF also conducted public programs on energy efficiency and renewable energy, attended numerous fairs and events, and networked with other energy task forces and energy professionals to become educated on best practices regarding energy issues. One of the main focuses of the SETF for 2011 will be to encourage residents to sign up for the Clean Energy Option on their CL&P electric bill.
• Winchester (from http://www.townofwinchester.org/government_page.asp?SubCategoryID=meetingsagendas&pageID=energy) Energy commission, at thier Dec 13 meeting, discussed a)Community Outreach opportunities(Nalette) b) Town Energy Profile c) Energy Fair d) CT conference of Municipalities Energy Review/(Nalette) e) Litchfield Hills Business Energy Efficiency Program f) CT Clean Energy Community PV Grants g) Discussion/possible action regarding review of bids for new blower @ water treatment facility h)Discussion/possible action regarding new lighting at the sports fields c) Discussion/possible action regarding conversion to bio-diesel
   

Send highlights of your Town's work to energy@conservect.org
 

(back to top)

Energy Saving Tips
 

(back to top)

• Newtown (from http://newtownbee.com/News/2010-12-16__14-03-20/Energy+Commission+Chairman+Readies+%241+Million+Budget+Request   )"We're already seeing the benefit of going for the low hanging fruit like upgrading all the municipal lighting at Fairfield Hills to LED [light emitting diode] technology," Dan Holmes, chairman of Newtown's Sustainable Energy Commission said. "In that case the taxpayers will begin seeing payback in as little as a year in terms of energy cost savings." Those new LED bulbs and ballasts will also provide substantial savings over the former 150 watt installations, drawing only 40 watts per bulb, and translating into 60 percent less power consumption and about a 20 to 25 percent overall savings, Mr Hurley said. In all, 103 fixtures are in the process of being converted to LED technology. And the cost for the hardware and labor is being covered as part of a federal economic stimulus grant to the community.
   
• Send your energy saving tips appropriate for town buildings and vehicles to energy@conservect.org
   

(back to top)

 

To be removed from this email newsletter list, just reply to this message and ask.


 

 

Dec 6, 2010 ConnVERT Conversations Energy efficiency, conservation and renewable resources are the steps to Connecticut's Viable Energy Resource Transition A Newsletter For Town Energy Groups of NW Connecticut From Your Conservation District. Contents: News You Can Use Energy Saving Tips Town Updates     This is NCD's first energy newsletter, written for and about the dedicated volunteers of northwest Connecticut who assist their towns to mange our energy resources in a way that is sustainable and affordable. The ConnVERT program at the Northwest Conservation District is based on providing a mechanism for sharing the experience, knowledge and motivations of the energy committees of the 34 towns in the District so we can all benefit from each other's work. If any members of your energy committee did not get this newsletter, please let me know at energy@conservect.org News You Can Use CLEAN ENERGY COMMUNITIES: The good news is that The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund has released the September town data on Clean Energy Option (CEO) signups, Clean Energy Community Program points, number of clean energy systems, etc. The bad news is that many towns saw a decrease in the number of signups to the Clean Energy Options! Why has this happened? Maybe its this economy, causing people to try to save every penny they can, even though this program is nationally recognized and is one of the most economical ways to cut your greenhouse gas emissions.   The spreadsheet that lists this data has a note at the bottom that reads: "These figures exclude 156 residential signups (32 at the 50% level and 124 at the 100% level) for which the service address is unknown". NCD will be asking the CCEF for help in determining if those unknowns are in any of our towns. Maybe households that were already signed up for the Clean Energy Option, then switched to a new electricity provider, were dropped from the program without their knowing it. Please ask everyone on your committee (who I assume are of course signed up for a CEO) who has switched energy providers to make sure their electric bill still has a line item with the CEO charge on it. If it's missing, go back and sign up again at the Clean Energy Option website, and write to the CCEF about the problem.  Another question that comes up when looking at the data is the number of clean energy systems that contribute three points to each town's total score. This score is used to determine when a town has earned a solar pv system for one of your buildings. If someone on your committee is willing to check with the Town Hall for clean energy building permits, they may find that CCEF owes you a pv system! (back to top)       Energy Saving Tips   (back to top) Town Updates   Newtown board to seek $1 million for energy-saving measures The Barkhamsted School is designating January 2011 as Exploring Energy Month in a effort to educate our students and also our community about energy efficiency. The Barkhamsted School will participate in a month long program starting January 4. Members of the new Sherman Energy Task Force attended Our Energy Future at Litchfield High School on Nov 6 Cornwall has a new energy website at http://cornwallctenergy.org/ to celebrate its designation as the first town in Connecticut to earn Green Power Community (GPC) from the EPA Send highlights of your Town's work to energy@conservect.org (back to top)   Tonight after you turn off the lights as you leave your office or other workplace, look back at all the little LED power indicator lights that are still on. Printers, monitors, network routers, cable modems, are often left on all night and weekends for no reason. If the equipment does not have to stay on, you can plug a lot of it into an outlet strip that is connected to a timer. Set the timer to turn off after the last person leaves and to go on before the first person arrives. If the timer is plugged into an uninterruptible power supply, you won't need to worry about power failures resetting the clock. An added bonus is that when the modem comes back on, it will probably reasign your office IP address, and that increases your security. Be sure to check with your IT person however. Defragging your computer's hardrive is one of the tasks we all know we should do but avoid because its boring and often takes so long it interferes with your work. Starting it at the end of the day and leaving the computer on all night wastes energy. Try Defraggler! a free utility from http://www.piriform.com/defraggler that has a setting to shut down the computer when its done. That way you can end every day by starting Defraggler, click on the setting to shut down, then just turn off your monitor. Your computer will be happier and so will your comptroller. Be careful when installing Defraggler however to uncheck the boxes when it asks if you want other software. Your Town Hall have a central vacuum system or other equipment that runs on DC power? Chances are there is a transformer somewhere that powers the system that is plugged in all the time.  Many plug in transformers use electricity even when the equipment is not running. Pull that tranformer out of the wall socket when the equipment is not needed or put it on a switched outlet strip. Be sure you tell the person who used the equipment about it. Send your energy saving tips appropriate for town buildings and vehicles to energy@conservect.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Town Updates

 

• The Barkhamsted school is designating January 2011 as Energy Awareness Month in a effort to educate our students and also our community about energy efficiency. The Barkhamsted School will participate in a month long program starting January 4.
• Kent (from http://kentedrive.org/Minutes.html) will be going ‘single stream’ at the transfer station, and is discussing signage at the transfer station for education. Their Town hall & Community house facilities are getting an energy retrofit. In their Carbon Challenge 150 homes & 80 audits have been done. They plan an Environmental Summit II for Feb 26, 2011, and are looking for ideas for speakers & films for thier energy Film Series and  Alternate Energy Car Show To use their Ct Clean Energy 2k- they are considering recycle bins for CFL’s & fluorescents at transfer station & town hall, and for thier EECBG grant a photovoltaic system for Kent Center School. Other Projects: (a) How to boost their recycling rate at the transfer station (b) Sewer plant energy assessment, (c) KCS energy assessment (d) EPA Green power Community Kent is considering collaboration with Cornwall Task Force and building a town alliance, tracking down a NWCT resource person, setting up a Ride Board, using Constant Contact. Next meeting is RESCHEDULED for JANUARY 18 in order to accommodate the Summit Film Series
• Sharon (from http://www.conservect.org/energy/YourTownLinks/Sharon/tabid/510/Default.aspx) Energy Task Force (SETF) has been hard at work throughout 2010 helping the Town and its businesses and residents conserve energy in order to save money and help the environment.  The SETF received an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) of $33,750 for the town to use for energy audits for municipal buildings and town residences, energy education projects, and an energy conservation project for the Sharon Center School. In addition, a portion of the grant was set aside to address issues raised through the energy audits of town buildings. The project for school entailed the purchase of a dedicated server to run power management software for over 170 computers. It is estimated that this system will save the school between $6,000 and $8,000 in energy costs per year and prevent several tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. SETF also worked with CL&P, the CT Energy Efficiency Fund, Greenstar Energy and Wesson Energy to conduct free Home Energy Assessments for over 240 Sharon households, exceeding our original goal of 80 households. These assessments provided to Sharon residents $800-$1,000 worth of services in addition to money-saving rebates. A conservative initial estimate of the cumulative savings as a result of the work conducted during the assessment is well over $20,000, and will be many times that if residents take advantage of the recommendations and rebates received from the technicians. SETF also conducted public programs on energy efficiency and renewable energy, attended numerous fairs and events, and networked with other energy task forces and energy professionals to become educated on best practices regarding energy issues. One of the main focuses of the SETF for 2011 will be to encourage residents to sign up for the Clean Energy Option on their CL&P electric bill.
• Winchester (from http://www.townofwinchester.org/government_page.asp?SubCategoryID=meetingsagendas&pageID=energy) Energy commission, at thier Dec 13 meeting, discussed a)Community Outreach opportunities(Nalette) b) Town Energy Profile c) Energy Fair d) CT conference of Municipalities Energy Review/(Nalette) e) Litchfield Hills Business Energy Efficiency Program f) CT Clean Energy Community PV Grants g) Discussion/possible action regarding review of bids for new blower @ water treatment facility h)Discussion/possible action regarding new lighting at the sports fields c) Discussion/possible action regarding conversion to bio-diesel
   

Send highlights of your Town's work to energy@conservect.org

(back to top)

 

Energy Saving Tips
 

(back to top)

• Newtown (from http://newtownbee.com/News/2010-12-16__14-03-20/Energy+Commission+Chairman+Readies+%241+Million+Budget+Request   )"We're already seeing the benefit of going for the low hanging fruit like upgrading all the municipal lighting at Fairfield Hills to LED [light emitting diode] technology," Dan Holmes, chairman of Newtown's Sustainable Energy Commission said. "In that case the taxpayers will begin seeing payback in as little as a year in terms of energy cost savings." Those new LED bulbs and ballasts will also provide substantial savings over the former 150 watt installations, drawing only 40 watts per bulb, and translating into 60 percent less power consumption and about a 20 to 25 percent overall savings, Mr Hurley said. In all, 103 fixtures are in the process of being converted to LED technology. And the cost for the hardware and labor is being covered as part of a federal economic stimulus grant to the community.
   
• Send your energy saving tips appropriate for town buildings and vehicles to energy@conservect.org