HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - AEC - 04/10/2017 Meeting Minutes Alternative Energy Committee
Town Hall Selectmen's Meeting Room, 7:30 p.m., 4/10/2017
AEC Attendees
Mary Jo Larson, Chair
Steve Girardi, Vice Chair
Josiah Stevenson, Secretary
Marie Caristi
Steve Wenner
Eric Seuss
Patricia Gooding
Other Attendees
Tim D'Souza — Direct Energy Solar
Jeanne Astino
Meeting Minutes
Meeting Minutes for March 2017 were approved.
Green Communities Activities
1 . Green Community Year 1 Grant Implementations: Completed
With an initial grant of $141, 460, estimated savings for the work below is 2.5% of
Town's annual energy consumption
■ Exterior lighting upgrade at Cohasset Middle/High School
■ Exterior lighting upgrade at Osgood Elementary School
■ Exterior lighting upgrade at Deer Hill Elementary School
■ Exterior lighting upgrade at Cohasset DPW Facility
10/17/2016: Brain Joyce submitted invoices. Year 1 requirements for grant are
complete.
11/14/2016: Town is in position for second grant application
12/14/2016: $141,000 Grant primarily at schools
2. Green Community Year 2 Grant Application (Brian Joyce +2 from AEC)
10/17/2016: Year 2 due in February. National Grid conducted energy audit on the
ECM's identified as part of energy reduction plan. Brian Joyce awaiting results.
11/14/2016: Estimates from National Grid expected in mid-December, no update
12/14/2016: Year 2 application due February 10. Eric Seuss has reviewed the
application process and will represent AEC providing assistance to Brian Joyce. Goal
of reducing 20% in 5 years as a green community — 2.5% last year and with street
light retrofit an additional 2% is likely.
1/9/2017: Expecting response Wednesday, January 11. This is late in the process. Mary
Jo Larson and Steve Girardi to review.
2/13/2017: Grant application is due March 3. MJL working with Brian Joyce to
determine National Grid information. Jeanne Astino requested solar powered sign.
This grant doesn't provide new items. Suggested get in touch with Ron Menard.
3/20/2017: $1.3 M worth of projects for energy reduction —Town eligible for grant up
to $250,000 per year. Year 2 grant application submitted March 3, 2017 requests:
HVAC controls (4 projects) for Middle/High School = $148,200
HVAC controls at Deer Hill Elementary school = $41,600
Police-Fire Station (#) _ $37,960
Total: $257,600.
3. MassEnergylnsight (MEI) Log-in Rights Completed:
With guidance from Patricia Gooding, Town intern Angela Dahlstrom has
completed input of data uploads to MEI database system. Log-in rights (view only)
include School Department, Fire Chief Silvia, AP/AR/Finance employees and other
Department Heads. Mary Snow now has "read/write" access to upload MEI data.
10/17/2016: Intern is assisting with data input, through December 23rd
11/14/2016: On target, updates in progress
12/14/2016: Need a new intern for input data. Angela to give presentation to
committee.
3/20/2017: Goal is to get more than 2-3 people to know how system works, but town is
comfortable entering numbers. PG agrees to be key person for oversight. One goal
is for town departments to see savings impact.
4. Municipal Energy Technical Assistance Grant (Patricia Gooding, Marie Caristi):
Cohasset will apply for the 2017 grant, which provides up to $12,500/yr for a
technical assistant to assist the Town with:
MassEnergylnsight data system uploads
Green Community Grant Applications
Energy Conservation Measure implementations
Commodity Contract Negotiation and Review
2/13/2017: Discussion of sharing grant with Hingham. Technical assistant is a part
time job, came out in April last year. Need to follow up with Hingham.
4/10/2017:Waiting to see if we can apply for 2017 META Grant, it may come out
soon. This is an opportunity to go through MAPC to expand to other towns.
5. Warrant Article: Emergency Services for Buildings with Solar Energy Systems (Mary
Jo Larson, Bob Silvia): Warrant article approved at 2016 Fall Town meeting. The
proposed ByLaw establishes safety standards for commercial and residential solar
energy systems based upon latest NEC and NFPA code.
6. Electric Vehicle and Charging Station Initiative (Brian Joyce, Mary Jo Larson) The
MA Electric Vehicle Incentive Program has awarded the Town of Cohasset $33,000
to lease three (3) electric vehicles and install Level 2 dual head charging stations.
Vehicles will be assigned to Public Safety(Fire and Police Department), Elder Affairs
and the School/Other Municipal employees. Lease payments of$60-100/month offset
by gas reimbursements and maintenance costs for existing vehicles. Charging stations
to be located at the Fire and Police Department, Main Library (or elder affairs) and
behind Town Hall. (2-headed)
10/17/2016: Final Pricing is imminent and we are cautiously optimistic. There were 3
bids, 2 of them the same price. TM and AEC met with the Capital Budget Committee
and received unanimous approval for this initiative.
12/14/2016: Town signed contract for 3 EV to have possession next week. Getting
final costs for dual head charging station, around $10,500 + additional $2,000 for
installation. Town could put in less expensive charging stations at other sites.
1/9/2017: Charging stations have been installed, town has vehicles. Plug in station
behind fire station.
2/13/2017: Foundation for dual headed charging stations delayed due to weather.
DPW completed work, waiting on electrician. By the end of the week, charging
stations should be working.
3/20/2017: Great reviews from users. Elderly Affairs more happy in electric cars than
vans. Currently running all cars through Town Hall charging station.
7. Virtual Net Metering Credit Option —with Soltage LLC (Chris Senior, Steve Girardi)
1. Soltage is seeking "off-takers" for a VNMC agreement, similar to what Town was
originally planning with Solar City, for a new PV Array. Mark Miller stated
following terms:
• 20% net savings; No escalation
• 20 year term; 2 5 year options for renewal
• Fully loaded- includes both transmission and supply
10/17/2016: Town Manager reviewed contract sent by Soltage; not a very good price.
8. Status of Old Landfill PV Array Development (Brian Joyce & Chris Senior):
The three-parcel merger into one Lot has been filed with the Registry of Deeds, and
the closure Permit application has been accepted.
National Grid has fully executed the Interconnect Service Agreement.
AEC met with Planning Board twice in fall. DPW now requesting above ground
electrical lines due to operations along the landfills access road. One issue settles
will submit the Post-Closure Use application for DEP.
10/17/2016: Work must be substantially complete by May 8, 2017. Town never
received closure permit for landfill. November 2 Planning Board hopefully will
hear from DEP. If approvals come by the end of November, then system design
can begin and construction can start in January. This is a very tight schedule.
11/14/2016: Town engineer to make recommendations. Positive meeting, some
concerns regarding grounding, cap slope etc.
12/1/2016 Planning Board's final approval of the project filed Dec 1, 2016.
12/14/2016: Awaiting DEP closure and post-closure permits. Expecting January start.
1/9/2017: Closure/post closure permits have been issued by the DEP. Waiting for
contractors, installation to take 2-3 weeks.
2/13/2017: Needs to be completed by May 8. National Grid needs to connect and
that may take over the summer. Security cameras, cost of monitoring in question.
3/20/2017:Approved for construction. Panels to be shipped and arrive within 2
weeks.
9. Streetlight Procurement and Conversion (Brian Joyce, Chris Senior, Steve Girardi)
National Grid's Purchase and Sale Agreement includes $13,000+ for all 500+
streetlights and grants the Town a credit for the eighty eight inoperative streetlights.
Chris Senior to contact National Grid to clarify (1) credit for the off-line streetlights
and (2) when the inoperative streetlight repairs will be complete.
11/14/2016: Grant to be announced December 2016
1/9/2017: Brian Joyce in negotiation of contract, waiting to hear from Patrick Roach
at MAPC to see if there is a grant and assessment from National Grid. Steve Girardi
recommends looking at the different light color installations in Bare Cove.
2/13/2017: Cohasset owns street lights as of February 7t". 511 lights. Contract with
organization to install and maintain lights.
3/20/2017: Brian Joyce disappointed by amount of MAPC funding. $32,000 is
available. Relamping estimated at $300/ light- $150-$170,000 total.
10. DOER Grant for Municipal Streetlights, due in Sept 2016
DOER has a LOI indicating Town's interest in grant for LED retrofit and controls
installation
10/17/2016: LED retrofit grant run through MAPC—color & intensity of lights to be
determined.
11. Town Energy use Documentation:
1/9/2017: Angela Dahlstrom presented her internship work documenting town energy
usage and costs. Documentation was straightforward and town can bring on more
interns to continue this work or handle it themselves.
OTHER Energy Conservation Initiatives
Energy Audit of Water Distribution and Treatment Plant, Pumping Stations. (Brian
Joyce): National Grid (Michael Skinner) has hired J.K Muir to conduct the energy audit
(no cost to Town). Report due from Michael Skinner.
10/17/2016: Report due from Michael Skinner.
11/14/2016: Nothing new to report
Demand Response Enrollment (Brian Joyce, Chris Senior, Steve Girardi 2.) Steve to
contact Tanya Bodell for an estimate of potential value to Town (AEC presentation?)
Microgrid Feasibility Study (Stephen Girardi): MA Clean Energy Center has pre-qualified
engineering firms for the feasibility study. One firm has already responded back with
proposed scope of work. Now waiting for official release of RFP. (September?)
10/17/2016: Town must pass by law so towns can aggregate. Warrant article is possible for
spring meeting, needs to be in warrant in March.
11/14/2016: Nothing new to report
CCSCR Partnership: National Grid project in two phases: (1) Initial site visit, audit and
ECM's implementation proposal from Rise Engineering. (2) The second phase will be for
renewable energy projects. AEC may use Green Community Grant Funds for the
implementation of the ECM's or other projects. Report Due from Michael Skinner
11/14/2016: The auditor thought town would not qualify for a green communities
incentive. Limited savings with the Coastal Research Center
• OTHER BUSINESS
Shawn Selha's Declaration: 12/14/2016: Working with Town Manager and BOS to
develop a proclamation recognizing Shawn Selha's contributions to Town of Cohasset at
2017 annual town meeting May 1, 2017.
3/20/2017: AEC members voted unanimously in support of Shaun Selha Proclamation to be
announce at the Annual Town Meeitng
Other Town Committees: 2/13/2017: Eric Seuss to take on role of town Master Plan
member, Josiah Stevenson moving over to town hall planning committee.
3/20/2017:
2/13/2017: Direct Energies can provide bulk rate pricing—two towns 1 lower rate. They
will be invited to the next meeting.
Community Solar Programs
4/10/2017: Tim DiSousa from Direct Energy Solar presented a community solar program
that is underway in Hingham. Mary Jo reminded the committee that we cannot endorse a
specific vendor, we are here to understand the program potential.
A new system costs $20-30K, federal tax incentives cover up to 30% of that cost.
Purchasing solar is complex, but with a number of installations effort and cost encourages
more households joining the program.
Mass incentive will likely change in early 2018, so now is a good time to participate.
Piggy backing on to Solar Hingham is a possibility. Benefits include discounted pricing,
training of volunteers and extensive marketing support.
Next AEC meeting: May 14, 2017
PHASE 2: POTENTIAL GREEN COMMUNITY GRANT INITIATIVES
(Grant application due Feb 10, 2017)
We would like a National Grid TA to conduct a more detailed energy audit on the ECM's below
that we identified as part of our energy reduction plan. The original TA report did not really
address much on the HVAC or thermal side of the equation in terms of natural gas savings. We
plan to refine these cost and savings numbers for our 2017 Green Communities Grant
application.
Middle-High School HVAC Controls Upgrade
• Unoccupied Boiler Hot Water Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Unoccupied Space Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Boiler Combustion Controls System Tuning
• Demand Controlled Ventilation System Implementation
• • Middle-High School Lighting Controls Upgrade
• Occupancy Sensor Installation
• Photocell ("Daylight") Controllers
• Middle-High School Building Shell/Envelope Improvements
• Installation of Door/Window/Hatch/Skylight Weatherstripping
• Installation of Sealant Around Door/Window Frame Gaps
• Installation of Sealant Around Duct/Pipe Penetrations
• • Osgood Elementary School HVAC Controls Upgrade
• Unoccupied Boiler Hot Water Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Unoccupied Space Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Boiler Combustion Controls System Tuning
• Demand Controlled Ventilation System Implementation
• • Osgood Elementary School Lighting Controls Upgrade
• Occupancy Sensor Installation
• Photocell ("Daylight") Controllers
• Osgood Elementary School Building Shell/Envelope Improvements
• Installation of Door/Window/Hatch/Skylight Weatherstripping
• Installation of Sealant Around Door/Window Frame Gaps
• Installation of Sealant Around Duct/Pipe Penetrations
• • Deer Hill Elementary School HVAC Controls Upgrade
• Unoccupied Boiler Hot Water Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Unoccupied Space Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Boiler Combustion Controls System Tuning
• Demand Controlled Ventilation System Implementation
• • Deer Hill Elementary School Lighting Controls Upgrade
• Occupancy Sensor Installation
• Photocell ("Daylight") Controllers
• Deer Hill Elementary School Building Shell/Envelope Improvements
• Installation of Door/Window/Hatch/Skylight Weatherstripping
• Installation of Sealant Around Door/Window Frame Gaps
• Installation of Sealant Around Duct/Pipe Penetrations
• • Teen Center Interior/Exterior Lighting Retrofit
• Conversion to LED wall-packs and cobrahead fixtures.
• • Police-Fire Station HVAC Controls Upgrade
• Unoccupied Boiler Hot Water Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Unoccupied Space Temperature Setpoint Reset Implementation
• Boiler Combustion Controls System Tuning
• Demand Controlled Ventilation System Implementation
• • Police-Fire Station Building Shell/Envelope Improvements
• Installation of Door/Window/Hatch/Skylight Weatherstripping
• Installation of Sealant Around Door/Window Frame Gaps
• Installation of Sealant Around Duct/Pipe Penetrations
• Police-Fire Station Variable Frequency Drive Installation
• Police-Fire Station Premium Efficiency Motor Installation