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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Energy Committee - 10/29/2018 South Burlington Energy Commiee 575 Dorset Street South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 846-4106 www.SouthBurlingtonVT.gov facebook.com/SouthBurlington Dra Meeng Minutes & Notes October 29, 2018 Committee members present: Andrew Chalnick, Don Cummings, Keith Epstein, Linda McGinnis, Marcy Murray, Patty Tashiro, Sam Swanson, Tim Perrin Committee members absent: Fred Kosnitsky, Karen McKenney Community members present: Dave Roberts for Drive Electric Vermont and Victona Zombelo City staff present: Paul Conner, Kevin Dorn City Council present: Helen Riehle Meeting called to order by Chair Keith Epstein at 6:30pm Sam Swanson moved that we accept July and September meeting minutes, Linda McGinnis seconded. Motion passed unanimously EV Public Charging/VW Settlement Fund: Effort to secure funding for 2 charging locations (initially) from the VW Settlement Fund was discussed by Linda McGinnis and Dave Roberts. The 2 leading candidates for locations for the first round of funding (due Nov 30) are the middle school / high school parking area and the existing city hall with considerable preparation on the grant applications having already been done on both. Previous discussions with Paul Conner identified the new City Center as higher priority if it passes on Nov. 6th. SBEC has identified TA funding from the Chittenden Regional Planning Commission to support the expertise of Dave Roberts from Drive Electric Vermont to help prepare the applications. It also obtained confirmation from GMP to double their EV Public Charging Station discount from 4 ports to 8 ports at the MS/HS site, given that the site will serve two schools (value = appx $3000). Action: It was decided that the new city center should be substituted for the current City Hall site if it passes on November 6th. It was noted that other sites may be considered in later grant making rounds. Action: Paul Conner agreed to draft a resolution for approval of the City’s application to the ACCD/VW Settlement Funds at the Nov. 19th City Council meeting for EV charging stations at the new City Center. It was noted that if the application is accepted, it would bring approximately $90,000 in investments to the City Center and would help meet key transportation criteria for its LEED Certification. Action: Dave and Linda will work with Paul Conner and Gary Marckres (SB School District Director of Operations and Finance) to finalize the two applications by Nov. 30. Button Up Vermont Patty Tashiro outlined plans for staffing tables at polling stations and asked for additional volunteers if anyone else could make it. Efficiency supplies from VGS and EVT will be handed out at the 3 polling stations. Additionally, residents who are playing Button Up Bingo will be entered to win one of three ECOBEE thermostats. Community Center Kevin Dorn gave a brief overview of the Community Center facility including a description of the building, the features of the building that will make it energy efficient including the solar roof, and funding sources for the building. Kevin disclosed that the $720,000 solar roof would be funded using the ongoing income from the landfill solar array. It was observed that doing so would prevent the landfill solar reserve fund from being used as originally intended, i.e, for money- saving, emissions-reducing energy efficiency projects for municipal buildings and facilities. Discussion ensued regarding potentially changing the wording of the City Council resolution that established the solar reserve fund. The committee offered several suggestions regarding potential funding alternatives for the proposed Community Center rooftop solar: 1. Because the site is a “Preferred” location (per the Public Utility Commission), the Solar Credit from GMP will be substantially higher than the rate the city would otherwise pay for electricity. Consequently, the resulting revenue could help pay the additional bond debt that was required, and could then free up some of the Landfill Solar income for efficiency projects for other city buildings or facilities. 2. Alternatively, the city could work with solar contractors to develop the project with a taxable entity. That would enable the project to take advantage of the 30% Federal Tax Credit, thus significantly reducing the project cost. This lower cost could perhaps then be factored into an income-producing opportunity for the city like the solar array on the landfill instead of a cost. 3. A concern came up as to whether this project would even be allowed under current Public Utility Commission rules since the city already exceeds the allowable Net Metering Cap of 500kW. This requires further investigation. 4. There may be other energy efficiencies and cost savings that the Energy Committee could come up with regarding this proposal. Perhaps a detailed review would be worthwhile. Engaging the expertise of Energy Committee members early in the development of future city development / rehab / redevelopment proposals could result in energy insights like those above (and more, when we have sufficient time to study the proposals in detail) and significant cost savings and reduced climate impact. Landfill Solar Reserve Fund / Revolving Fund We discussed working with the council to redefine the policy about how the Landfill Solar Reserve Fund can be used if the Community Center doesn’t pass or if there are funds that remain beyond those needed for the Community Center rooftop solar. Perhaps removing the word “upgrades” from the prior resolution so that it is clear that the funding is to be used solely for energy efficiency projects that save the city money and reduce our climate impact (perhaps based on a predefined prioritization system). We also discussed setting up a Revolving Fund like Montpelier where some portion of estimated savings, after debt repayment, for these energy efficiency projects is “deposited” for later use for other future energy efficiency projects. Kevin noted that the City has already approved $75,000 in this year’s budget (and a proposed $100,000 next year) under the Stewardship program, which includes efficiency projects. Energy Committee members expressed the importance of defining specific parameters for selecting energy efficiency projects to ensure that the funds are specifically devoted to energy investments that create additional energy and financial savings that can be reinvested in future savings. Action: Kevin agreed to explore the possibility of creating a Revolving Loan Fund with clear parameters for investment in energy efficiency projects. Linda will share all templates and documentation from the Montpelier Revolving Loan fund to City officials. City Energy Efficiency Plan and South Burlington Climate Action Plan The committee and administration members discussed the lack of progress on both the City Energy Efficiency Plan (2014 City Council Resolution) and the South Burlington Climate Action Plan (2017 City Council Resolution). Kevin Dorn recognized that these are his responsibility but he has been unable to fulfill them due to other commitments. His major issue has been finding staff time. We discussed that it is critical to find and assign an appropriate staff person, make that person responsible, and commit that person’s time to the task. The committee discussed our experiences with how difficult it has been to try to push forward projects with no one on the staff side responsible for seeing that they get done. The Energy Committee has recently submitted an outline of how the city and the Energy Committee can begin work on an Energy Efficiency Plan in an email to Paul Conner. That outline was included again with the agenda for this meeting, We stand ready to begin when the city is ready. An outline of how to approach the Vermont Climate Pledge was prepared in the Fall of 2017 and discussed with city staff in the Fall and early Winter 2017, but it will need further development with both committee and staff engagement. Action: Kevin agreed to look into designating an energy manager. A committee member suggested considering contacting VGS or EVT to see if they offer staffing or funding incentives to assist in this effort. Action: Kevin committed to developing a City Energy Efficiency Plan reflecting the 20% reduction in energy use target by 2020 contained in the 2014 Resolution (over 2008 baseline) and a Climate Action Plan within the next 6 months. Action: Kevin agreed to meet with the Energy Committee quarterly to discuss energy priorities and progress on City climate and energy goals. Next Meeting: November 15th, 6:30 pm, South Burlington Police Station’s 2nd floor conference room at 19 Gregory Drive (middle entrance). Adjournment The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:40 p.m.