Easton Working Toward Energy Reduction

The Town of Easton is making steps towards reducing energy - and the initiative is succeeding, officials say.

Town Geographic Information Specialist Adrienne Edwards told Selectmen this week that the town is on its way to achieving its five-year goal of reducing energy by 20 percent.

"We’re going to get there," Edwards said. "We’re making very good progress."

The commitment to reduce energy was made in 2010 when the The designation earned Easton a grant in the amount of $168,300, which was used to upgrade lighting in the school and school parking lots - as well as a new boiler, which will be added to Town Offices.

Currently, the Shovel Town is one of 86 towns with the label.

In 2009, Easton's energy baseline was 74,544 Million British Thermal Units (MMbtu).

Edwards said that in FY2010, the town had reduced energy by 7 percent (69,321 MMbtu). In FY2011, energy had been reduced by 2 percent from the baseline (73,181). The setback, Edwards said, could be attributed to the extreme winter and summer weather that year, causing increased heating and cooling costs.

She said FY2012 should tell a "more complete story."

"We’ll start to see some of the results of the major lighting upgrades we’ve done at the high school and middle school parking lot," she said.

Edwards said that the town saved $126,055 in FY2010 and $35,867 in FY2011 due to energy reduction. If the town reaches its 20 percent goal, the town would save $360,000 per year compared to FY2009.

She said that in addition to energy-efficient projects like upgrades to lighting and boilers, basic behavioral changes have helped reduced energy.

Town Administrator David Colton said basic changes to day-to-day work in Town Offices have affected energy output.

"Just having a printer plugged in and not using it [uses energy]," he said. "We turn speakers off on computers. Those kinds of little things have added up and that’s what we’ve been doing."

Edwards said a new boiler, soon to be added to Town Offices, will make a major difference as well.

"Next winter you’ll see a very, very big difference in the gas bill in this building," she said.