History of the LES Work Group & NHenergy.org
Who's Behind NHenergy.org?
NHenergy.org is not the work of any one organization or program but rather a "stone soup"
approach to providing guidance, resources and coordination for New Hampshire's communities in
addressing energy and climate change challenges. This soup is prepared and contributed to by
the NH Local Energy Solutions Work Group and its partners with coordination and fiscal
sponsorship from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, through generous support
from the NH Charitable Foundation.
The Local Energy Solutions Work Group would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Clay Mitchell
and Mike Behrmann of Revolution Energy, LLC for their development and management of the
original nhenergy.org wiki-formatted site since 2007. Their vision was to provide NH communities
and their leaders with both the resources and connections to tackle complex local energy
challenges. They have now passed this vision on to the Local Energy Solutions Work Group for
"safe keeping".
LES Work Group Mission and Purpose
To provide collaborative guidance and technical support to Local Energy Committees/Commissions
(LEC’s), municipalities, schools, and other political subdivisions seeking to reduce energy use,
minimize energy costs, and/or reduce fossil-fuel consumption.
To accomplish this, the LES Work Group fosters collaboration among public, private and nonprofit entities to identify and support the development of the necessary resources and tools;
interconnect community leaders to establish a network of local energy planners; and provide a
clearinghouse to facilitate the communication of information and ideas.
LES Work Group History
Over 2010-2011, members of the Local Energy Committee Working Group as well as participants
from other energy related committees and organizations met monthly to assess the needs, barriers
and opportunities in NH's communities to address local level energy issues and solutions. It became
clear that, despite numerous energy-focused programs and funding streams to support such work,
there is significant need for greater coordination and support to solve these complex issues. And
some of our most creative solutions are coming from the ground up.
With this context in mind, the ad hoc Local Energy Working Group (LEWG) was formed in
September 2011, building off the work of and replacing the NH LEC Working Group. The focus of
the LEWG became a bit broader than that of the previous LECWG; seeking to support and include
the energy work of Local Energy Committees/Commissions, Municipalities and Schools.
In August 2015, the Local Energy Work Group re-branded as the Local Energy Solutions Work
Group to be consistent with many of the programs we offer such as the LES Conference and LES
Training Series.
The LES Work Group still seeks to resource local leaders on energy committees, in municipalities
and schools, counties and other nonprofits with resources and tools to address these local level
projects. Although this is our primary constituency we recognize that significant positive change
requires a multi-sector approach and that there is a need for such coordination. It is with this in
mind that we have expanded the offerings on NHenergy.org to help our colleagues working in other
sectors; such as in their places of work, homes and institutions to meet their respective challenges
and goals. The LES Work Group continues to address new barriers and promote local energy
solutions and welcomes new members willing to dig in on solving our energy issues collaboratively.
Intended Outcomes of the LES Work Group
Short Term Outcomes: 1-3 years
• The Local Energy Work Group will be the conduit for connecting energy committee members,
and municipal and school staff/elected officials to each other throughout the state through
peer to peer networking that is established and self sustaining.
• An effective NH portal will be established to act as a clearinghouse of information on best
practices, projects throughout the state, funding and technical assistance opportunities, and
resources and guides that are available for LEC’s, municipalities and schools to utilize.
• Teams with work plans that meet regularly and are well represented will be established to address
the barriers in the following areas: Education, Outreach and Technical Assistance; Policy;
and Financing.
• The Energy Work Group will annually identify the priority tools and resources needed by LEC’s
and municipalities to achieve significant reductions in energy use, cost or fossil fuel
consumption.
Medium Term Outcomes: 3-5 years
• 50% of NH communities will possess increased knowledge and skill through the provision of
ongoing outreach, education and technical assistance, which will enable them to take on
increasingly sophisticated planning and project management efforts
• 25% of Municipalities will integrate energy planning into all aspects of municipal facilities, vehicles
and operations.
• 25% of Schools will integrate energy planning into all aspects of municipal facilities, vehicles and
operations.
Long Term Outcomes: 5+ years
• Total community fossil-fuel-based energy consumption will be reduced 50% below 2005 levels by
2025
Members, Partners & Teams
Composition and Duties of Members
The composition of the LES Work Group include representation from political subdivisions*,
energy committees, relevant community stakeholders, energy professionals, and non-profits.
Representatives serve on an annual basis, and agree to attend and participate in regularly scheduled
meetings; form, adopt and contribute to the Team Work Plans; use promote and contribute content
in support of local energy conservation.
Current & Former Work Group Members
•
Sarah Simonds, Vital Communities - Co-Chair
•
Theresa Swanick, Chair, Effingham Energy Committee – Co-chair
•
Julia Dundorf, New England Grassroots Environment Fund
•
Scott Albert, GDS Associates, Inc.
•
Representative David Borden, NH State Representative & New Castle Energy Committee
•
Linda Darveau, US EPA Region 1
•
Kate Epsen, NH Sustainable Energy Association
•
Jim Fenn, Cardigan Mountain School
•
Ben Frost, NH Housing Finance Authority
•
Carolyn Sarno Goldthwaite, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships’ (NEEP)
•
Rhonda Harmych, TRC Energy Services
•
Jill Longval, Nashua Regional Planning Commission
•
Kevin O'Maley, City of Manchester
•
Chris Skoglund, NH Department of Environmental Services
•
Leigh Cameron, New England Grassroots Environment Fund
•
Barbara Bernstein, NH Public Utilities Commission (former)
Non-voting Partners
•
Karen Cramton, NH Public Utilities Commission
•
Rick Minard Jr., NH Office of Energy & Planning
Many other dedicated partners are involved with the Local Energy Work Group through its teams
and projects.
Former LES Work Group Teams
Capacity Building Team
Mission: To increase the knowledge and skill within communities, enabling them to take on
increasingly sophisticated planning and project management efforts by providing ongoing outreach,
education and technical assistance in order to address the barriers facing communities in terms of
reducing fossil fuel consumption and energy costs.
Goals:
 Communicate success stories from around the state, highlighting innovative practices and
diverse set of municipal, school system and community projects;
 Encourage the development and maintenance of effective local energy committees and
commissions;
 Maintain and expand on the Local Energy Solutions (LES) brand.
Technical Assistance and Finance Team
Team Mission: Provide collaborative guidance and technical support to Local Energy
Committees/Commissions (LECs), municipalities, schools, and other political subdivisions seeking
to reduce energy use, minimize energy costs, and/or reduce fossil-fuel consumption by providing
the development and use of financing tools and funding opportunities.
Goals:
1
Identify and raise awareness of existing financial tools;
2
Monitor the development of innovative funding opportunities and promoting the adoption
of appropriate mechanisms;
3
Develop opportunities to leverage existing funds into sustainable financing;
4
Development of a sustainable community assistance program model to provide ongoing
education, outreach & technical assistance to local governments post ARRA; and
5
Develop, in coordination with existing efforts and tools, a clearinghouse and tool kit to serve
municipalities, schools and community groups in EE/SE procurement.
Completed LES Work Group Projects
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Redesign and launch nhenergy.org
Energy Project Calendar
Compiled compendium of Town Energy Reports
Field Guide to New Hampshire’s Municipal Buildings & Energy Audit Guidelines (in support
of S.E.E.D.S and NH Sustainable Energy Association)
Annual Local Energy Solutions Conferences – (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 - as supporting
entity)
Capacity Building Team Projects
 Local Energy Solutions Conference – ongoing
 Expanded Local Energy Solutions Training Series
o Monthly LES Webinar Series - launched and ongoing
o Additional workshops and energy tracks – launched and ongonig
 Develop and disseminate case studies
Technical Assistance & Finance Team Projects
 Develop a self-funded technical assistance program – in process
 Work with human resource depts. To add “energy” to job descriptions – in process
 Provide municipal and school system finance personnel with the energy-related accounting
skills they need to make more informed decisions – in process
 Develop an energy-project financing roadmap or decision tree – in discussion