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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Energy Committee - 05/07/2015 South Burlington Energy Committee 575 Dorset Street South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 846-4106 www.sburl.com facebook.com/SouthBurlington Thursday, May 7, 2015 Approved Meeting Minutes Committee members present: Don Cummings, Fred Kosnitsky, Karen McKenny, Keith Epstein (Chair), Marcy Murray, Patty Tashiro, Sam Swanson Committee member absent: Linda McGinnis Community members present: Catie Michael, Elizabeth Palchak, Emil Tsao, Steven Roy City staff present: None Initial Business The meeting convened at approximately 6:30 p.m. with a quorum. (We are authorized to have 10 committee members, so at least 6 of our current 8 members must be present to achieve a quorum). Marcy volunteered to scribe, Keith’s computer became timekeeper, and the agenda was approved as originally drafted. Members discussed the need to tighten control over how solar installers use the SBEP logo in their promotional materials. The logo should not be separated from the tagline stating that we support the installer’s efforts, and the SBEP logo should not be nearly as large as the installer’s logo. The logo’s usage must not imply that we have created the document. Members approved the meeting minutes for February and March with mention that the final draft of the municipality/school solar replication publication was not forwarded to Marcy as originally requested for proofreading prior to distribution. Public Invited to Speak Catie Michael, a first-year student at South Burlington High School with a background in renewable energy, has volunteered to help with the school program!!! Don will contact her with an invitation to next week’s Friday meeting. Presentation and Discussion on Behavioral Approaches to Energy Efficiency Adoption—UVM Rubenstein School graduate students Elizabeth Palchak (Ph.D. student with a focus on energy transitions and how people use energy) and Emil Tsao (Masters student and social scientist) gave a brief overview of their work. They will go into greater depth during the Friday, May 15th, meeting at the Police Station (5 to 6+ p.m.). They explained their “energy cultures framework” and spoke of the importance of leveraging neighborhoods to address energy efficiency adoption. The following three things will inform the recommendations they’ll share during the May 15th meeting: How people think about using energy, what products/material people have available in their homes, and what actions they ultimately take. Elizabeth and Emil’s research has confirmed that it is very difficult for people to change their behavior even when they believe that changing would be beneficial. However, the following can be helpful in changing behavior: making a public commitment to change, being exposed to relevant prompts delivered in a compelling way (for example, students sharing the information in person can be much more effective South Burlington Energy Committee 575 Dorset Street South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 846-4106 www.sburl.com facebook.com/SouthBurlington than posting or mailing flyers), and hearing/seeing clearly communicated information regarding what they could gain by changing their behavior. South Burlington Energy Prize Updates  Treasurer’s report—Marcy reported that we’ve spent $6,359.79 to date, have $21,614.74 on hand, and need to spend $783.98 from the City of South Burlington General Fund by June 30th.  Members scrolled through the written project updates to identify where help was needed. Motions MOTION: Keith moved and Sam seconded that we reimburse Marcy for $11.97 for printing costs related to the electricity meter instructions. Approved unanimously. MOTION: Don moved and Keith seconded that we authorize another $2,500 for ad design and media placement (to be tracked separately). Approved unanimously. MOTION: Don moved and Patty seconded that we authorize $500 for social media ad placement (to be tracked separately). Approved unanimously. MOTION: Keith moved and Fred seconded that we reimburse Don for $167.23 for the summer brochure. Approved unanimously. MOTION: Don moved and Patty seconded that he ask the City of South Burlington to allocate the $783.98 remainder of our current fiscal year City of South Burlington General Fund money for neighborhood outreach events. Approved unanimously. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m.