After Successful Vote, Energy Task Force Looks Ahead

It was an arduous process, but their efforts paid off. 

After  2-1/2 years of research, evaluation, and discussions with consulting engineers and others, the Energy Task Force recommended the town replace the existing oil heating system at the with a geothermal installation. In February, after a presentation to the public and approval by the Town Council, the recommendation went to referendum and the $3.6 million plan was passed by voters.

At the Task Force's April 6 meeting, Human Services Director Beverly Bellody reported that the detail work for the preliminary phase has begun with hopes to add a few more parking spaces when the geothermal wells are drilled and lot paving is completed. Expectations are that the project will go out to bid in another month or two, with a target to get the wells in before the winter freeze.

Bellody said the roof and skylight at the library will also be redone at the same time, so the library will experience some interruption.

So now that the largest energy user of town-owned buildings will be getting an overhaul, the Task Force is asking its next big question: Where else can we help?

For now, it appears energy audits on town buildings may be one of the best bets for identifying additional ways to save on energy costs.

Task Force Chair Mark Summers visited the Jail Museum about two weeks ago for a preliminary meeting with a representative from Lantern Energy, a North Haven-based firm that specializes in making recommendations to improve energy efficiency. The Task Force first considered an audit on the Jail Museum because of the high amount of energy usage in relation to the number of people who occupy the building. Additionally, because the Jail Museum was once a residence, it is the rare town building that qualifies for a low $75 home audit fee.

Summers said Lantern Energy, which will be doing the actual audit on April 7, latched onto several opportunities to make the building more efficient at the preliminary meeting.

"We can expect [Lantern Energy] will come up with recommendations that will go far beyond what the $75 covers," said Task Force member Sam Adlerstein.

Task Force member Josh Freeman said a good second target for an energy audit should be the Highway Garage building. Of the inventory of town buildings, Freeman said the garage is an enormous consumer of energy, second only to the Hicks Municipal Center, and not surprising because of the need to regularly open and close the large garage doors for the transport of equipment.

"Because of the energy savings, these  audits are one of the most powerful things [the Task Force] can support," said Summers. "As oil continues to rise, it's going to be more and more important," he said.

Energy Task Force members recognized there are myriad ways they can offer their assistance — whether it be providing educational articles and programs on ways for homeowners to lower their energy consumption and individual utility bills, influencing energy-saving methods of development along Route 195, or recommending the establishment of a building efficiency ordinance. In the coming month members will be brainstorming for cost-effective ideas, and they welcome the public to share their energy-saving success stories.