HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Energy Committee - 12/01/2016
South Burlington Energy Committee
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
(802) 846-4106
www.sburl.com
facebook.com/SouthBurlington
Thursday, December 1, 2016
6:30 pm
Police station 2nd floor conference room, 19 Gregory Drive
AGENDA
6:30 PM Convene meeting
· Recruit scribe, timekeeper
· Review and approve meeting agenda
· Approve previous meeting minutes (November 3, 2016)
6:35 PM Invite public to speak
6:40 PM South Burlington Energy Prize updates – committee members
· Treasurer’s report
· Discuss, advise, help, and approve requests for projects
7:50 PM Discuss purchasing more energy conservation kits with Vermont Gas
8:00 PM Discussion about our work after SB Energy Prize
8:50 PM Elect chair and vice chair for the next 4 months
8:55 PM Other Business
9:00 PM Adjourn
South Burlington Energy Prize monthly update for December 1 2016
Outreach, by Karen McKenny
Accomplishments:
New Button Up Bingo designed and sent to Amelia Lutz at the middle school.
Pot Luck SB committee networking dinner
newsletter out Dec 1
facebook 854 followers
Help needed: None
Plans: Facebook and Newsletter
Button Up Day, by Keith Epstein and Linda McGinnis
Accomplishments:
Gave away 199 energy conservation kits and about 200 LED lights on election day. People were
very excited to receive the kits and light bulbs, and actively participated by filling out the
checklist and asking good questions. Many people came with the checklist clipped out of the
newspaper or printed out from Front Porch Forum/Web/Facebook/Email. It was a great
collaboration between SBEC, VGS, EVT, EAN, school volunteers, and the Other Paper.
Definitely a model to be replicated. We ran out of energy kits by about 9am (polls opened at
7:30), so we probably could have distributed 600-1000 kits if we had enough materials and
volunteers to be there all day. EAN registered over 300 people for the VT community energy
dashboard and will be following up with them to see if the kits were useful and if they want to do
more. VGS will check whether the people who submitted checklists qualify for a free home
energy audit and will contact them if they do. Thanks to everyone who helped!
Help needed:
We need to authorize spending for up to $330 for energy efficiency materials and tabling
supplies (LED bulbs, clipboards, pens, etc.)
Plans:
Keith will write up the final report for EVT when they ask for it, and will submit the reimbursement
forms to EVT to receive the $2,500 grant money that we have already spent.
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Sharing sunshine test with CVOEO, by Marcy Murray
Accomplishments: Received CVOEO approval of program instructions. Received GMP
input on instructions and spreadsheets including the helpful comment that the new net-metering
tariff that will be implemented 1/1/17 will include significant solar-credit-related and
GMP-billing-rate-related changes--GMP is still figuring out the details of the latter. (FYI, starting
1/1/17, siting and renewable energy credit adjustments will replace the solar incentive credit,
and PAST excess credits will not be allowed to be transferred to another GMP account holder
unless there is a transfer of ownership of the net-metering-system.) Updated CVOEO on
tariff-related delay.
Help needed: None at this time
Plans: Once GMP shares the details of how the tariff changes will affect customer bills,
determine whether to proceed with updating and posting the instructions and spreadsheets.
Treasurer-related work, by Marcy Murray
Accomplishments: Updated spreadsheets.
Help needed: None
Plans: As needed
Electricity meters for library lending, by Marcy Murray
Accomplishments: Contacted EVT to determine post-GUEP borrowing options.
Requested library's November lending numbers.
Help needed: None.
Plans: Follow up with EVT and library regarding 2017 options.
Library lending of infrared camera, by Marcy Murray
Accomplishments: None--waiting for significantly colder weather.
Help needed: Jeremy plans to re-assess the usefulness of the camera once consistently
cold weather arrives.
Plans: Receive Jeremy's recommendation and determine next steps.
Neighborhood Energy Mapping/Other Paper, by Keith Epstein
Accomplishments: November 17th 2-page feature on the SBEP was published in the
Other Paper. Energy dashboard article, Adam Bortz article about home energy upgrades, and
municipal/residential energy usage data. Working with Kristan at EVT on the December feature.
Don is writing a wrap-up/thank you article to be included, and there will be another
neighborhood energy map.
Help needed: Other ideas for the 2-page section in December.
Plans: Work with EVT and the other paper team to get the December feature published.
Anyone who wants to help is welcome.
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Utility Data Reporting, by Keith Epstein
Accomplishments: Q3 2016 data was due to GUEP on 11/15, and both VGS and EVT
submitted on time. I have not heard anything from GUEP about the dashboard or rankings
Help needed: None.
Plans: None.
Combining airport noise insulation with energy efficiency, by Keith Epstein
Accomplishments: I had a phone call with the consultant from the Jones Payne group
who is managing the project. They have done several noise mitigation projects around the
country, and they do like to include energy efficiency where they can. The FAA places severe
restrictions on how their money can be spent, so they have to work within those confines
because it is an FAA funded project. For example, I asked about cold climate heat pumps, and
she said they can’t install them because the FAA has a buy American provision, and there are
no good cold climate heat pumps made in the USA. They are open to partnering with other
organizations and using partner funding to expand the scope to include energy efficiency
measures that might not be able to be included with solely FAA funding. The consultant will be
conducting community outreach over the next 18th months to define the project scope, so I’ll
stay involved during this time. The main message I got was that they are open to including
energy efficiency because it will help make the project have more community benefits, but it is
an FAA project so must follow very strict rules that were not written with energy efficiency in
mind.
Help needed: Ideas for how to make this successful
Plans: Schedule a meeting with the consultant next time she is in Burlington (they are
based in Boston). Will invite people from VGS, EVT, and GMP to discuss how they can be
involved and create mutual benefits.
Marketing, by Marketing Team
Accomplishments:
· Revised 2 ads for November: “Shower with Power” and “Brrrr – it’s cold inside”
Plans:
· Ara is putting the December ad together.
EVT & GMP Targeted Marketing, by Don Cummings
Status: Have asked Paul Markowitz at EVT if they have seen any uptick in Heat Pump water
heater installations due to our joint promotion efforts earlier this year. No Reply – will ask again.
NO REPLY again!
City Solar, by Don Cummings
Status: CPG Approved!!!!!!! No appeal filed!.
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City Streetlights, by Don Cummings
Status:
· Initial inventory of non-LED streetlights complete. 104 own by GMP. Approx
320 by S.B. It’s a mix of traditional Cobra Heads streetlights and decorative (Town
and Country) lamps.
· Met with EVT and they have offered to pay part of cost for a lighting designer
to come up with upgrade plan. They will also pay $100 to $250 incentive per light
depending in wattage.
· Met with Justin and he will work with Tim Perrin to create a plan – perhaps this will be part
of Commons Energy project
· Have researched upgrade possibilities for simple and complex T&C (decorative)
streetlights
· Met with GMP
o Asked them to locate all of their remaining LED Streetlights
o They have done no work yet to identify LED replacements for their T&C. Perhaps they can
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