COMPREHENSIVE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes
July 11, 2012
Final
Pursuant to a notice duly filed with the Town Clerk, a regular meeting of the Comprehensive
Sustainable Energy Committee was held on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, at 7:30pm in the 2nd
floor conference room at 141 Keyes Road. Present were Board members Gordon Brockway
(Chair), Jill Appel, Anthony Butler, Mark Myles and Charles Parker; Selectman Elise Woodward;
and Concord citizen Brian Foulds.
Call to Order
Chairman Brockway called the meeting to order at 7:30pm.
Future Meetings
The August CSEC meeting has been cancelled. Regular meetings for the next two months are
scheduled as follows:
 September 5, 2012 at 7:30pm
 October 3, 2012, at 7:30pm
Documents Distributed and/or Discussed at the Meeting
 Agenda
 Draft minutes for June 27, 2012
 Potential Project Descriptions:
o Heat Pumps, Green Power, Electric Vehicles (G. Brockway)
o Solar Power (PV and Thermal), Tiered Rates, CARES fund (J. Appel)
o Energy Efficiency, Composting (M. Myles)
o ETS Heating (Space Heating), Hot Water Heating, Leveraging Gains in Municipal
Segment…, Green Communities, Town Goals for Conservation and Related
Funding Model, Light Plant Goals and Charter (C. Parker)
Minutes
It was moved, seconded and voted:
To approve the minutes of the CSEC meeting of June 27, 2012.
Conflict of Interest, Open Meeting Materials
Ms. Appel and Mr. Myles handed in their forms for receipt of Conflict of Interest and Open
Meeting Law materials. Committee members were reminded to give these signed forms to the
Town Clerk and to take the Conflict of Interest Online Training Program and submit printed proof
from the State Ethics Commission to the Town Clerk.
News from Chair Breakfast
Mr. Brockway reported that the Chair of the Board of Selectmen, Carmin Reiss, has asked the
Board Chairs to address the Board of Selectmen this Fall, referencing their committee charge
and how the committee has performed. Mr. Parker has put together some ideas for revising the
CSEC committee charge. Committee members also are not clear on a role for associate CSEC
members. A discussion on CSEC’s charge will be scheduled for the next meeting.
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July 11, 2012
Potential Project Discussion
Committee members reviewed the potential projects one-by-one. Following are overall
comments and project-specific comments.
Overall Comments
 More communication with the Town Manager and the Board of Selectmen is needed going
forward to set and achieve Town carbon emission reduction goals.
 Communication with other Town Boards, Committees and Departments is also needed and
there is an opportunity for collaborative efforts to achieve goals.
 Communications should include the progress made in the municipal segment and CSEC’s
plan to move its focus to the residential and commercial segments.
 A revised CSEC charge and requests for additional committee members should be
considered.
 “What’s the auspicious goal and what do we need to do to achieve it?” (Ms. Woodward)
 We should be conceptual at this point and specifics will follow.
 Given the Light Plant’s extensive involvement in energy conservation and renewable
energy, it may make sense to focus on the Light Plant’s goals and programs.
 The organizational placement of the Energy Conservation Coordinator position should be
reviewed.
 The vision for the future includes distributed generation.
 Communications steps are part of every project discussed. Communications to the broader
community should include information about CSEC in general (e.g., results to date,
committee charge, goals) as well as specifics about CSEC-sponsored projects. A positive
image of CSEC in the community needs development.
ETS Heating
 This project should be more broadly entitled Space Heating.
 There is an opportunity to focus CSEC efforts on reducing the use of oil in town.
 Should the town be promoting air-source heat pumps rather than ETS?
 Mr. Parker’s previous white paper on space heating needs to be updated. CSEC should
consider making formal policy recommendations.
Resistance Electric Hot Water Heaters and Heat Pump or Solar Thermal Alternatives
 This project should be entitled Hot Water Heating.
 This is a good project. A white paper is needed, including policy recommendations.
 There is an opportunity to focus on converting oil-based hot water heating to heat pump or
solar thermal alternatives.
Leveraging Gains in the Municipal Segment to Leverage Town-Wide Change
 The first step for this project is to summarize the results achieved in the municipal segment.
Mr. Parker will prepare the summary for committee discussion and next steps.
Green Communities
 The potential for Concord to be eligible for Green Community (GC) designation was
discussed with the Light Plant 2 years ago and rejected because of the requirement to pay
into the Renewable Energy Trust (RET).
 The Municipal Electric Association of Massachusetts (MEAM) has written to DOER
(Department of Energy Resources) requesting MLP (municipal light plant) eligibility for
Green Communities funding without the RET contribution because the GC program is being
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funded by RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) monies, which are partly paid by
MLPs.
There is proposed legislation to treat MLPs more like IOUs (investor-owned utilities) (e.g.,
make MLPs subject to renewable energy portfolio standards) which is being opposed by the
MLPs.
It would be good to understand GC opportunities and requirements and reconsider
Concord’s eligibility if beneficial.
Town Goals for Conservation and Related Funding Model/Light Plant Goals and Charter
 These two projects are related and should be combined.
 Specific action steps and deliverables are needed.
 Setting goals provides the basis for selecting projects and moving forward.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation
 This project as defined is largely a communications project.
 The committee believes that programs should be in place to support specific objectives and
provide a resource to citizens when success stories are reported to the community.
 Steps 1 and 2 should be done (conversations with Jan Aceti on CARES program results,
and Joanne Bissetta on successful programs in MA) with a report back to the committee.
Then next steps can be determined.
Tiered Rates (residential electricity consumption)
 This project is very specific and short-term. Light Board discussion will take place in
September and October, with a rate hearing scheduled for mid-November.
 CSEC input on tiered rates needs to follow a broader statement on sustainability and Town
goals for CO2 emission reduction.
 Ms. Appel will monitor Light Board conversations on tiered rates and will update CSEC in
September. Some kind of CSEC statement to the Light Board may be appropriate.
 Mr. Brockway will contact the Light Board Chair to arrange for a Light Board liaison.
Solar PV and Thermal
 This is an important effort. CSEC should continue to leverage the results of the Solar Fair to
increase solar penetration in town.
 Solar thermal is really part of the Hot Water Heating project.
Heat Pumps
 This project can be incorporated into the Space Heating project.
 A separate project for an “Energy Fair” can be developed, to include a number of the other
project items as exhibits (e.g. space heating options, solar PV, hot water heating options,
electric cars).
Electric Vehicles
 This project can be incorporated into the Energy Fair project.
 Some committee members believe that electric vehicles are not a current opportunity due to
lack of charging infrastructure, reports of battery fires and the cost of the vehicles.
Green Power
 Green power is already part of the Light Plant’s Renewable Energy Strategy and a separate
surcharge for environmentally-motivated customers is not needed. This project can be
removed.
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Composting
 This is a good idea. Food waste is a significant part of the waste stream.
 Portsmouth NH has a Composting Quick-Start Guide and Newburyport has a successful
composting program.
 Both commercial composting and residential composting opportunities should be
considered.
 Public Works is currently researching a potential composting program for restaurants.
 There is a sense that people in town need to know more about what they can recycle and
that a focus on educating the community on this would keep more material out of the waste
stream.
 Collaboration with the REUSIT group is possible.
Follow-Ups (due one week prior to September meeting)
 Outline an “Energy Fair” project – G. Brockway
 Arrange for Light Board Liaison to CSEC – G. Brockway
 Update White Paper on Space Heating – C. Parker
 Prepare White Paper on Hot Water Heating, if possible – C. Parker
 Update assigned projects to format and content used for others – C. Parker
 Summarize energy savings results to date from the municipal sector – C. Parker
 Draft Promote Transportation Alternatives potential project description – G. Chatlosh
 Draft Conservation, Establish Repository of Baseline Data, and Benchmarking vs. Other
Towns potential project descriptions – N. Pappas
 Draft matrix of suggested CSEC communications items through February 2013 – A. Butler
The meeting adjourned at 10pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jill E. Appel, CSEC Clerk
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