AVON CLEAN ENERGY COMMISSION
AVON ROOM BLDG. #1 TOWN HALL
MINUTES
FEBRUARY 6, 2013
I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM by Chairman Bernard Zahren in the Avon Room, Building 1 Town Hall. Members present: Chairman Bernard Zahren, Mitch Kennedy, Robert Bullis, Martin Kaplan, Brian Glenn and Lisa Levin. Member absent: Richard Kretz. Advisory members present: Jonathan Craig. Also in attendance was staff Town Manager Brandon Robertson.
II. APPROVAL OF THE PRECEDING MEETING MINUTES – Oct. 3, 2012
VOTE: Dr. Kennedy motioned, Ms. Levin seconded and all agreed to accept the October 3, 2012 minutes as presented. Mr. Glenn missed the vote and Mr. Bullis and Mr. Kaplan abstained as they were absent from the meeting.
III. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE
Resident Andy Wert said that he was attending the meeting in to see if he could assist with fundraising efforts.
IV. OLD BUSINESS: a. Distribute Final Copy of the Energy Plan, b. Next steps of the Committee – Post Energy Plan
Mr. Zahren thanked the members for their hard work in producing the energy plan and looked to Mr. Robertson for direction for the next step. Members introduced themselves to Mr. Robertson as it was the first time he’d attended a meeting. Mr. Zahren noted that the team has been enhanced over the several years the Commission has existed with extensive experience and talent in the present membership. He added that given the expertise the members had where did the Town want to go with this.
Mr. Roberston introduced himself and reminded that he’d stayed very in tuned with the Commission’s efforts thus far. He commended the Commission on the energy plan viewing it as probably the best he’s seen calling it a very useful tool for Town staff. He said the plan provides an inventory and a road map for the staff for implementation. Mr. Robertson noted that the report will be continually referred to by the staff when doing long term planning, capital planning and when operational adjustments are made. Mr. Robertson also noted that tenets of the plan were already incorporated into the Town’s approach to energy and our resources before it was completed. The janitorial service the Town subcontracts uses all green products. He added that most of the vehicles are maintained in house and use
synthetic oil to increase life incurring less waste. Mr. Robertson offered that departments are mindful of turning off lights and that motion lights have been installed. The town is also looking at anti-idling technology for the vehicles and substituting nitrogen to fill the tires in order to prolong the life of them. He said the next benchmark would be the 15% by 2015 goal and ultimately looking to reducing the carbon footprint 20% by 2020. He’d prefer to genuinely achieve reduction in consumption rather than use the RECs to offset energy usage. Mr. Robertson added that department heads are aware of how serious his commitment is. He said the committee had to look to taking advantage of the low hanging fruit and jump at others that came along such as the recent $40,000 grant to change lighting to LED. The micro grid presents as a fantastic idea but cautioned that it is a new technology with great up front costs and long term operational issues.
Mr. Zahren asked for more time to discuss the micro grid. Ms. Levin lamented that there seems to be a lot of money out there for these projects but was frustrated to find them lost opportunities. She’d like to see a process or governance framework created whereby the Commission or the Town can take advantage of the funding opportunities that are out there given that sometimes they are only there for a few short weeks. She questioned if there is some money somewhere to hire a consultant perhaps even on a retainer basis.
Mr. Robertson responded that he’d like to hold off on the micro grid and described the process of signing off on a grant application – he needs to know what we’re getting into, are there long term operational considerations or capital costs associated with the applications. He continued that most governments cannot turn a thing around that quickly, that there is the Town Council or Counsel to consult. The best way going forward would be to funnel these opportunities through a central source. Mr. Robertson suggested sending the information to his assistant Steve Bartha for exploration and discussion. Ms. Levin suggested retaining someone like Dr. Kennedy who’d be excellent at evaluating an opportunity. Mr. Robertson said that he cannot come up with monies quickly to get a consultant. Mr. Kaplan
offered that quite a few towns had full or part time energy managers able to pursue these kinds of grants. Mr. Robertson countered that the town had a very sophisticated software program in place called Facility Dude used by the Public Works Department which monitors all of the energy systems used throughout the town. He said it allows the town to track electricity or oil usage but unfortunately not in the schools that have their own. Mr. Robertson continued that there are too many priorities in overseeing the town with needs for staffing all over and would look to the members to look at these things that are being offered to see if they’re worthwhile pursuing.
Mr. Zahren questioned if it was possible to share an energy manager with other towns and followed up that a micro grid was really not that new or complicated at all. Mr. Robertson responded that it’s set up like a lease purchase arrangement which is really financing. He said there are criteria that have to be met in order to enter into these kinds of obligations such as staff time to investigate and produce an RFP, approvals from Town Council and the Board of Finance or a referendum. Mr. Zahren described the power purchase agreement whereby a company installs a system and sells the power to the town with the option to purchase the system at a later date but has no obligation to do so. There was considerable discussion regarding the financial and legal implications of funding energy projects through a power purchase
agreement. Ms. Levin questioned if it’d be worth going to town counsel for their opinion of this type of agreement. Mr. Robertson said that he had not asked for an opinion but felt he knew which way it would go and that it’s important to look at it for the future. Mr. Craig described it as a rental agreement.
Mr. Zahren discussed the new dynamic coming out on this called PACE. Persons who wish to improve their energy usage can contact a third party provider for an installation and the town can increase their property tax to pay for it. He continued that Hanover RE is now issuing policies to insure that people are getting the energy savings promised. PACE he said would improve the businesses’ energy efficiency in town. Mr. Zahren continued that the whole model had changed to a guaranteed insured performance criteria and the long term financing for it. He added that one thing that bothered him was the inability of the schools to get solar panels for the middle school given that the new roof was designed to accommodate an array. Mr. Zahren was told that it was the Town that issued the RFP and where were they with that. Mr.
Robertson offered to speak to Mr. Spang at the schools about it. Ms. Levin concluded that the only way to meet the 20% goal would be to take advantage of these power purchase agreements to put solar panels on some buildings and that it’d be worth it to explore. Ms. Levin also volunteered to spearhead sign ups for the energy audits once the agreement with “Bright Ideas Grant” has been signed. Mr. Robertson concluded that the town’s obligations would be to enable businesses to access the program.
Mr. Zahren continued that we really want to think big, not just to save only $500 a year. Mr. Bullis commented that we have a lot of green ideas on the one hand and a lot of skepticism on the other. He said a start would be for Mr. Robertson to go to his staff and ask for a wish list. Mr. Robertson described the town’s operations as rather bare bones with truly little room for major structural changes. A switch to cars run with natural gas would entail a huge capital investment whereby most changes take place incrementally for example through a need to replace a single, inefficient 20 year old dump truck. He added that he looks to the future for technology that would improve gas mileage or energy efficiency in other areas. Mr. Bullis offered to show Mr. Robertson information regarding what’s being done with
passenger cars and buses in the market today. Mr. Kaplan offered that another method to establish a wish list would be through the use of charettes.
Mr. Robertson pondered if the town would be able to squeeze out the efficiencies in order to reach the 20% by 2020 goal. He said maybe the technologies would come along that would support this. Ms. Levin suggested the solar panels would help. Mr. Zahren was confident that we were in good shape to achieve the first goal of 15% by 2015 but the more difficult one would be to reduce our carbon emissions enough to meet the 20% by 2020 goal. Mr. Glenn commented that Glastonbury must have gotten a consensus of many in order to achieve what they have in getting solar panels on the school buildings. Mr. Bullis reminded that these places must have done their return on investment analysis before they would have agreed to embrace these new technologies such as natural gas powered vehicles. Mr. Robertson relayed his own trepidation
towards purchasing new technology to public purchase – he really wasn’t sure how it was going to work or last or what kind of maintenance or long term costs would be entailed lacking a long term track record to see.
Mr. Zahren summarized that we have some actions items such as solar panels on the schools and reminded that the next meeting will be held in April. Mr. Robertson requested to report items that the town would consider when they come up. Mr. Bullis asked Mr. Robertson to provide the wish list.
V. NEW BUSINESS: a. Collect Standard of Conduct Disclosures from members
VI. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE COMMISSION
None.
VII. DO ANY BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THIS MEETING
VIII. ADJOURN
VOTE: Ms. Levin motioned, Dr. Kennedy seconded and all agreed to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 PM. None opposed.
Respectfully submitted:
Chairman Bernard Zahren
Attest: Susan Gatcomb, Clerk
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