HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Energy Committee - 10/12/2022South Burlington Energy Committee
October 12,2022
Meeting Minutes
Present:Tim Perrin,Ethan Goldman,Rob Meader,MJ Reale,Sam Swanson,Steve Crowley,
Carolyn McLaughlin,Frans Van Boden,Keith Epstein
Committee members absent:Ahmad Abdel-Fattah,Ken Pulido
City Council:Tim Barritt
City staff:Ilona Blanchard,Lou Bressee
Public:Marcy Murray
6:30 PM Convene meeting,select scribe (Steve C),review agenda
6:35 PM Comments and questions from the public not related to the agenda
Marcy:great to see carbon emissions discussed in Wheeler House renovations planning
6:40 PM Review and approve September 15,2022 meeting minutes
Keith:Re:button up,cost should be about $100 per event.(rather than $100 for 3 events)
K move to approve as amended.MJ second,all vote yes,
6:45 PM Energy Projects Revolving Fund Planning –Presentation &Discussion
See the documents Lou shared with the committee.
Lou has also been working with city’s new facilities manager,talking about revising the project
planning process for the city facilities projects to incorporate energy considerations from the
start in all project planning.
Discussion use of the revolving fund,Lou began by pointing out that electricity-focused changes
have little or less impact on GHG reductions than other opportunities
Ilona pointed out that in a few years (3 yrs?)the solar array on the landfill will be up for
purchase.That would be in the area of $1 million.Currently,the 1.2 MW facility supplies power
to the city and school district.It’s possible that in a few years the regulatory structure or
incentives could shift so we don’t know what those opportunities will be.Currently,since the
RECs are passed on to the system owner,and then sold to other utility buyers,the city and
school district can not claim carbon neutrality on that basis.We can track the output because
GMP’s bill reflects the power produced by the PV system.The opportunity to purchase the solar
array is a big one for the city.This is a good time to start exploring this,given its complexity.
We need a team to start looking into this,starting with a list of questions to answer,inc.
technology,regulatory,GMP rates,REC market,how this works with or without the Revolving
loan fund,timeline (adequate advance planning to meet city council budgetary planning
timeline).
Since this revolving fund has been established we have tracked the dollar savings.We could
begin to look at the value of GHG emission savings.
7:00 PM Wheeler House heating strategy –Discussion
Lou shared a plan from Dubois and King laying out many choices and recommendations.Some
questions remain,such as about going with a heat pump,what to do about the back-up system,
The weatherization portion should be completed before detailed planning on the heating
system.
Ethan suggested that it’s important for the city to reflect in this project its intent from the Climate
Action Plan to avoid running new gas lines to buildings.That would mean continuing to rely on
the oil furnace in the Wheeler House,as a backup system for the heat pumps,kicking on only
ten or so days each year.
Rob asked about considering a pellet boiler,which was not included in the D&K review.This
could be coupled with sourcing pellets locally.The D&K report says the city prefers to avoid
pellets.Lou will have D&K revisit.Sam described the high efficiency of advanced wood heat,
especially when tied to a plan for sustainable harvest.Steve added that how and where the
pellet wood is harvested is a major variable in evaluating how sustainable or carbon-friendly a
pellet system is.On balance,if the primary source of heating is to be a heat pump,the
investment in a completely new system is likely to be unjustified,at least until the old oil furnace
has reached the end of its usable lifetime.
7:30 PM Button Up campaign,Window Dressers,Weatherization outreach –
Discussion
MJ Reports:Button Up:3 events planned:10/15 and 10/22 at Ace Hardware,then 11/5 at
Lowes.We have printed materials as well as a number of giveaways,including 20 or 30
weatherization kits from VGS,weather stripping,shower heads.The events will be covered with
an article in OP,notice on our Facebook page,notice is out on FPF,and there will be material in
the library.
Other Paper column (also MJ).This new regular feature will be known as Clean and Green.
Keith and Steve will do some articles for us.Other city committees,individuals,etc.who will be
contributing columns periodically include:CCRPC,Paul Connor,affordable housing,SBLT,
Natural Resources,Bike/Ped committee,and some others have been invited.Keith suggests a
column on the energy revolving fund (he will follow this up).Steve will look into interviewing a
few local businesses (maybe through VBSR)about their experiences.Another article for
springtime could be about rebates etc.for electric-powered lawn equipment.
Window Dressers (Ethan).This is a specific item,a shrinkwrap-like addon for windows that can
be re-used each year.The model includes developing a trained team,soliciting interest,getting
measurements,a community build day,then installation.These are said to last 10 years.If we
are interested,someone could join with the Burlington team to see the process up close.Keith
has already signed up for a couple of days with the Burlington effort.
8:00 PM Developing a Climate Coalition –Discussion (mostly postponed til next
month).
The Climate Action Plan was adopted and is now online.Ethan reviewed the next steps,
including several implementation task forces,and noted that the equity element is still a missing
piece.Committee discussed what it would take to make that happen,hiring organizers,funding
participants,etc.A good example of incorporating equity in the planning process is the bike/ped
planning that Ilona is now involved in.
8:15 PM FY2023 Work Plan,Updates on Ongoing Activities,Announcements
CCRPC energy committees gathering is happening Monday,Tim will try to attend.
VECAN conference early December,virtual this year,possible larger in person event in the
springtime.
CCRPC is completing a study on climate resilience challenges facing Chittenden County
communities,the Draft 2022 Chittenden County Multi-Jurisdictional All-Hazards Mitigation
Plan.
We discussed establishing a mid-month up-date form/folder that will give us a chance to prepare
effectively for our meetings and keep projects running.
8:30 PM Adjourn meeting