Underhill Energy Committee Annual Report, CY 2013 [.pdf here]
The Underhill Energy Committee organized Underhill’s participation in the Vermont Home Energy Challenge (VHEC). Sponsored by Efficiency Vermont and the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) the VHEC is a program designed to increase the number of comprehensive home energy efficiency improvement projects in the state. Under the Challenge, town energy committees and other local partners compete with other towns to see which town can get the most homes weatherized within a one-year period.
To date, Underhill has 25 pledges to take steps to improve home energy efficiency, 9 home energy audits to identify opportunities to save energy and money, and 6 energy efficiency projects. We also have had 18 households sign up for home “energy walkthroughs”—not full energy audits conducted by a trained technician, but a visit by energy committee members to identify obvious energy saving opportunities and to help homeowners decide whether investing in an audit is worthwhile. Committee member Peter Bennett wrote an article in the November 7th Mountain Gazette (p. 2) about this program.
On February 2nd, the Committee passed the following motion in support of smart meters: “Recognizing the potential benefits of smart meters to monitor and manage electricity use, the Underhill Energy Committee endorses the use of smart meters for residential metering.”
Peter Bennett wrote an article discussing smart meters and why we chose to endorse them for the Mountain Gazette (2/21/2013, p 12).
The Committee recommended that we have an energy audit of the Town Garage. The Selectboard approved $600 for this purpose and an audit was conducted by Building Energy in late June. The Committee reviewed the audit report and will make recommendations for improvements that could save the town energy and money.
In conjunction with Jericho Energy Task Force the Committee had an informational booth at Harvest Market in September. Many area residents visited the booth over the course of the two days and learned about a variety of energy-saving options.
Representatives from Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC), a member-owned electric utility that provides electricity for some Underhill residents, attended the August meeting and shared information about projects they are working on. Key points from the discussion include:
The Underhill Energy Committee organized Underhill’s participation in the Vermont Home Energy Challenge (VHEC). Sponsored by Efficiency Vermont and the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) the VHEC is a program designed to increase the number of comprehensive home energy efficiency improvement projects in the state. Under the Challenge, town energy committees and other local partners compete with other towns to see which town can get the most homes weatherized within a one-year period.
To date, Underhill has 25 pledges to take steps to improve home energy efficiency, 9 home energy audits to identify opportunities to save energy and money, and 6 energy efficiency projects. We also have had 18 households sign up for home “energy walkthroughs”—not full energy audits conducted by a trained technician, but a visit by energy committee members to identify obvious energy saving opportunities and to help homeowners decide whether investing in an audit is worthwhile. Committee member Peter Bennett wrote an article in the November 7th Mountain Gazette (p. 2) about this program.
On February 2nd, the Committee passed the following motion in support of smart meters: “Recognizing the potential benefits of smart meters to monitor and manage electricity use, the Underhill Energy Committee endorses the use of smart meters for residential metering.”
Peter Bennett wrote an article discussing smart meters and why we chose to endorse them for the Mountain Gazette (2/21/2013, p 12).
The Committee recommended that we have an energy audit of the Town Garage. The Selectboard approved $600 for this purpose and an audit was conducted by Building Energy in late June. The Committee reviewed the audit report and will make recommendations for improvements that could save the town energy and money.
In conjunction with Jericho Energy Task Force the Committee had an informational booth at Harvest Market in September. Many area residents visited the booth over the course of the two days and learned about a variety of energy-saving options.
Representatives from Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC), a member-owned electric utility that provides electricity for some Underhill residents, attended the August meeting and shared information about projects they are working on. Key points from the discussion include:
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VEC would like to partner with Underhill Energy Committee on energy education.
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VEC has installed smart meters for their customers this meters record hourly data which
could help customers monitor and optimize their electricity usage.
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VEC is engaged in a two-year pilot study exploring variable peak pricing, a system in
which variable rates are used to encourage members to modify their electrical usage to save money and help VEC reduce its peak demand, which can result in significant savings. About 2,000 VEC members are taking part in the pilot.
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Electricity production from about 360 VEC customers’ net-metered systems reached 4%
of VEC’s peak electricity demand in July—the maximum amount allowed under current
law. Future net-metering projects are currently on hold. (Net-metered systems provide
power to buildings when they are generating electricity (e.g., solar systems on sunny
days) and consume power when the demand exceeds generation. Customers pay the
“net”—the amount of power they use minus what they produce.)
The PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program, a funding mechanism to help
homeowners finance energy improvements, is now operational. Underhill will monitor the experience of other towns and consider reviewing Underhill’s participation in PACE in the
future.
The Committee continued its energy improvement work on the Underhill Center Post Office. The Selectboard approved foaming the box sills in the basement and rebuilding/insulating the exterior basement door. This work will be done when the temperature rises. It is designed to reduce energy usage, save money, and increase the comfort level. (The building is owned by the Town and leased to the United States Postal Service.)
The Committee passed a motion encouraging Efficiency Vermont to promote LEDs instead of CFLs. Several local stores now sell LEDs at subsidized prices, including Jerihill Home Center, Walsh Electric, CED Twinstate, Home Depot, ACE Hardware, True Value Hardware, and Lowe’s. LEDs are more efficient and longer lasting than CFLs and they do not contain mercury.
The Committee meets in the kitchen upstairs in the Town Hall at 6:30 on the second Wednesday of most months.
Chair: Bob Murphy
Vice-Chair: Chuck Weger
Secretary: Steve Webster
Members: Jerry Adams, Peter Bennett, Peter Duval, Chris Miller, Tom Moore
Web site: tiny.cc/uenergy or https://sites.google.com/site/juvtenergy
Blog: http://underhillenergycommittee.blogspot.com
The Committee continued its energy improvement work on the Underhill Center Post Office. The Selectboard approved foaming the box sills in the basement and rebuilding/insulating the exterior basement door. This work will be done when the temperature rises. It is designed to reduce energy usage, save money, and increase the comfort level. (The building is owned by the Town and leased to the United States Postal Service.)
The Committee passed a motion encouraging Efficiency Vermont to promote LEDs instead of CFLs. Several local stores now sell LEDs at subsidized prices, including Jerihill Home Center, Walsh Electric, CED Twinstate, Home Depot, ACE Hardware, True Value Hardware, and Lowe’s. LEDs are more efficient and longer lasting than CFLs and they do not contain mercury.
The Committee meets in the kitchen upstairs in the Town Hall at 6:30 on the second Wednesday of most months.
Chair: Bob Murphy
Vice-Chair: Chuck Weger
Secretary: Steve Webster
Members: Jerry Adams, Peter Bennett, Peter Duval, Chris Miller, Tom Moore
Web site: tiny.cc/uenergy or https://sites.google.com/site/juvtenergy
Blog: http://underhillenergycommittee.blogspot.com
