There have been several forums and workshops that have occurred as of late on PACE (the forum at the Vermont Law School in October as well as the workshop that took place recently at the annual ‘Vermont Energy and Climate Action Conference.’) This email is a follow up to those events, as well as simply ensuring that those of you who have expressed an interest in PACE or who are actively moving the program forward are aware of some important resources available to support your efforts. This email summarizes some of those resources as well as notes some potential follow-up items for your consideration, including:

2012 Town Meeting:  If your town has not approved establishing a PACE district, we encourage you to organize now to get an item on the 2012 Town Warning.  We have developed some sample language for you to include on your Town Warning, which can be found on the WIKI site at http://pacevermont.wikispaces.com/. We have also developed a guidance document to help you understand the steps in approving a PACE district for your town. That document is attached, though it can also be found on the WIKI site. This has to happen quickly though! January 26th is the last day to get an article on the Town Meeting Day warning…

The WIKI Site:  VEIC has established a PACE “WIKI” site that contains a number of important guidance documents and information about implementing PACE in Vermont.  [A “WIKI” site is merely a webpage that is designed to provide easy access to information for a targeted audience.]  On this site, you will find:

•       On-line forum: Do you have a question about PACE?  Check out the WIKI site to get your questions answered or see what other questions have been raised and addressed.

•      Guidance documents:  We have a number of guidance documents posted on the WIKI site, including a step-by-step guide on “How to Implement PACE in Your Community.

•      Sample ballot language: If your town has not already approved the establishment of a PACE district, we have posted two versions of sample language for your consideration to place on your Town Warning for the 2012 Town Meeting Day.

A Letter of Support for the Program from Vermont Treasurer Beth Pearce: The State Treasurer has been a great supporter of the PACE program. At the October forum Treasurer Pearce outlined the economic and environmental benefits she believes the PACE program can bring to Vermont. To offer her perspective both on the benefits she believes the program will bring as well as the safety mechanisms in place to protect Vermont communities, Treasurer Pearce has also put together a general letter of support of the program. Find that letter on the WIKI site as well and please share it with local officials and other community members to offer that important perspective.

NOTE: All communities that have signed up for the Quick Start Program are granted access to the WIKI site and should have received guidance on how to gain access. To gain access to the WIKI site, click on http://pacevermont.wikispaces.com and enter your ID and password. If you haven’t already set up an account, you will first need to go to http://pacevermont.wikispaces.com/space/join and set one up. You will then receive an e-mail authorizing you. Please contact Peter Adamczyk at VEIC (802-540-7631 or padamczyk@veic.org) if you have any questions about gaining access to the WIKI site.

New PACE law:  As many of you are aware, the Vermont Legislature made changes in 2011 to the PACE program and strengthened the law.  In light of this new legislation, it is unclear whether towns that had previously approved the establishment of a PACE district need to re-submit new language again at their 2012 Town Meeting. In light of this new legislation, towns that had previously approved the establishment of a PACE district may wish to consider whether to re-submit new language again at their 2012 Town Meeting. If so, please use the language we have provided on the WIKI site.

Moving Ahead with PACE implementation: If your town has already approved establishing a PACE district, you are ready to move ahead with implementation. There are series of questions that you will need to answer and then have approved by your selectboard.  These are all spelled out on the “PACE Program Description and Guidelines.” This can be found on the WIKI site in the “Sample Documents” section.

Again, we hope the “Guide to Implementing PACE Districts in Vermont Communities” serves as a useful step-by-step resource for helping those interested in moving a PACE program forward. If you have any questions, please go to the WIKI forum as the first step in getting those questions answered or feel free to contact me at 802-223-2328 ext. 112 or jmiller@vnrc.org or reach Peter Adamczyk at VEIC at 802-540-7631 or padamczyk@veic.org.

Vermont leads the nation in school wood heating with more than 30% of Vermont’s K-12 public school students attending a biomass-heated school.  This use displaces more than a million gallons of heating oil each year.  One reason for this success is the Vermont Woodchip and Pellet Heating Conference, where people who have systems or are considering installing one can learn, peer-to-peer, from other users and suppliers.  The conference offers updates on trends in the industry as well as the release of the annual Vermont school wood-use survey.  The day’s activities will culminate in a guided tour of the recently installed state-of-the-art biomass heating system at National Life.

Who:

• Opening remarks by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, BERC Executive Director Brenda Quiroz Maday, and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation Wood Utilization Forester Paul Frederick
• Keynote address on Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan by Christopher Recchia, Deputy Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
• Legislative initiatives/update by Vermont State Senator Ginny Lyons
• Workshops on varying aspects of community-scale biomass use conducted by experts in the biomass industry
• Organized by BERC, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, and the Vermont Superintendents Association School Energy Management Program

Where:

National Life Group Headquarters, 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, Vermont  05604

When:

Monday, January 16, 2012, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

For more information on the conference, please go to: http://www.biomasscenter.org/component/content/article/25/268-chip-conference.html

Despite the recent cold snap, this has been one of the warmest fall/winters on record.  I hope you will join SERG in resolving to increase your commitment to saving energy and moving toward renewables in this New Year.

Here are a few resources to help you:

• Winter Energy Saving Tips for Homeowners
• LED Discounts for Vermont Businesses

Bob Walker, SERG

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Sunday, January 22: “Gasland”. This film by Josh Fox was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar in 2011 and won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance. Learn more about the spreading technology to drill for natural gas: hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The film’s website bills it as “part verite travelogue, part expose, part mystery, part bluegrass banjo meltdown, part showdown.”

Sunday, February 12: “A Sea Change”.  It’s a frightening premise, and it’s happening right now. A Sea Change follows the journey of retired history teacher Sven Huseby on his quest to discover how excess carbon dioxide dissolving in our world’s oceans is changing sea water chemistry and life within.

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Winter Energy Saving Tips for Homeowners

Air leakage is the greatest source of heat loss in most homes.  The greater the temperature differential between inside and outside your house, the faster air leakage takes place and the easier it is to find.  So these cold days can help you in your detective work.

Warm air pushes up and out holes high in your home, but is hard to feel.  So take something that smokes, like incense, and hold it near typical leakage areas to the attic or outside and watch for smoke being pulled out – attic hatch or stairwell, chimney penetrations, through and around recessed lights, ceiling fans, or other plumbing and electrical penetrations.

Cold air is pulled in lower areas of the home, especially in basements and crawl spaces.  There you can usually feel the cold air blowing in on you hand where the sill meets the foundation, around bulkhead doors, basement windows and other penetrations to the outside. Seal all these high and low openings with caulk, spray foam or weatherstipping.  You can view a video that SERG helped produce on how to complete these and other Do-It-Yourself energy-saving measures at http://www.cctv.org/node/82725

Save a lot of energy by turning your thermostat down when you are away during the day or asleep at night.  The general rule of thumb is that for every degree you set your thermostat back for 8 hours every day, you will cut your fuel use by 1%.  So setting your thermostat back 10 degrees 8 hours a day while you are at work and another 8 hours a day while you are asleep, could save you 20% off your fuel bill. A programmable thermostat will help you do this automatically and let you bring the temps back up to a comfortable level by the time you get up or get home. Check out Energy Federation Inc. for programmable thermostats and other weatherization supplies You can also turn the heat off in areas of your home that you do not use during the winter.  Be careful that water pipes do not freeze and condensation does not take place in those rooms.

You can check out other Energy-Saving Tips on their website.  For professional help on Buttoning Up your home check out SERG’s Home Assessment Services.

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LED Discounts for Vermont Businesses!

Efficiency Vermont is offering businesses instant rebates on the purchase of ENERGY STAR rated, energy-efficient LED bulbs.  LEDs use much less energy than conventional bulbs, last much longer, contain no mercury and are all dimmable.

More info about this program at:  http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/for_my_business/ways-to-save-and-rebates/commercial_lighting/commercial_led/general_info/overview.aspx

A list of specific rebates, a list of participating LED vendors, and a downloadable rebate form at:  http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/for_my_business/ways-to-save-and-rebates/commercial_lighting/commercial_led/rebates.aspx

Vendors also have forms and can help you fill them out. Participating Electric Supply distributors in the Upper Valley include, CED Twin State in Wilder, Green Mountain Electric Supply in W. Lebanon and Yankee in Lebanon.

Sustainable Energy Resource Group – SERG  802-785-4126
SERG@Valley.net  www.SERG-info.org  www.UVHEAT.org  www.VECAN.net

If you want to learn how you can save energy, save money and increase your home comfort,come to the free Home Energy Expo:

Saturday, Nov. 5th from 9am to 2pm at the Thetford Academy gym

Doors open at 9am with main presentations starting at 10

The first 50 at the door win energy-saving door prizes!

• Meet and talk with weatherization contractors, solar and wood dealers and financing representatives.
• Attend workshops and watch demonstrations of various weatherization measures being installed.
• Walk through the Home Energy Makeover trailer to learn how air-sealing and insulation can increase your home’s energy efficiency.
• Pedal bikes that generate lights and blend smoothies.
• And learn from the Parish Players why “Weatherization IS Sexy!”
• The first 50 at the door win door prizes and there will be a drawing for Thetford residents who fill out a home energy survey, including their energy use and size of home, to win a free home energy assessment, worth $450 (see survey link posted at top of www.SERG-info.org).
• The Thetford Academy Environment Club will sell refreshments to raise funds for an energy project at the Academy.

The Home Energy Expo is free and open to all.  For more information contact www.SERG-info.org, SERG@valley.net or 802-785-4126.

Watch for it at a newsstand, supermarket, and local stores and establishments near you – throughout 85% of Vermont & 45% of New Hampshire! Be sure to pick up copies when they first come out or they may be gone when you come back.

If you can’t find it near you – let us know so that we see if we can make it happen… you can also subscribe right from this website on the Advertising/Subscriptions Tab (above).

Enjoy, learn and most of all we hope you find something to help move us forward on our path to energy independence and reducing our carbon emission levels.  Share your stories with us!  We love to hear from you!

The Thetford Energy Committee’s “Warmth in the Winter” film series returns!

Fuel is an amazing, personal journey of oil use and abuse as it examines wide-ranging energy solutions other than oil, the faltering US auto and petroleum industries, and the latest stirrings of the American mindset toward alternative energy. Fuel challenges the audience to make a change and seek accountability, reinforcing the idea that the power of every individual can and will make a difference.

This event is free and open to all. Refreshments provided.

When: Sunday, December 5th, from 1-4PM
Where: Tunbridge, VT Town Hall.

This informative, hands-on energy-saving workshop will enlist community volunteers to fabricate 20+ simple shrink-wrap interior “storms” that will be installed in Tunbridge’s Library, the Town Hall and the Town Offices. In addition to potentially saving the town hundreds of $ in fuel savings this winter, it is hoped that this project will encourage other community members to consider similar energy efficiency measures in their own homes and businesses.

If you need more info contact: folkbloke@hotmail.com.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about how you can save money on everything from energy to food, support local farms, and more, this is THE event of the season!

Local Energy Alternatives Festival Flyer

For more information and a schedule, see the LEAF website at:
http://www.LEAFVT.org

To Gordon Clements and his team, energy independence can only be achieved by cutting consumption. “All the oil that has been spilling in the gulf over the past three months is equivalent to the amount of oil used by the US in five hours – consumption is the issue.” says Clements, and he has a unique perspective on one way to reduce energy waste – focus on heat transfer through the present window stock in the uS.

The fact is, residential homes consume 21% of the nation’s energy and 42% of that energy is spent on heating and cooling, and 50% of that is literally wasted out of windows. An incredible 50% of all that wasted energy, the equivalent of 450 million barrels of oil, could be saved every year in the US if all we did is simply install effective insulating window shades.

For many, the inclination has been to install high-tech windows to control this waste. However because of the cost, labor and inconvenience, upgrading every underperforming window in every home in the US is unrealistic. On the other hand, getting everyone in the US to install insulating window shades is no more of a hurdle than getting folks to use energy efficient light bulbs. The shades are affordable, available across the country, and relatively easy to install.

“I’m a huge believer in using nature whenever possible to heat and cool a home. Venting your space to cool during the night in summer or allowing passive solar to heat in winter is critical to maximizing efficiency.” Says Clements, “in fact, older window stock may turn from a weakness to an advantage in exploiting passive solar. So you harvest all that great heat during the day and then lower the shades which will keep that heat from hitting the cold glass, and also cut off the convection current – the draft which carries the cold from the glass across the floor, chilling the room.”

EcoSmart shades use a double cell “honeycomb” fabric that is made out of bonded polyester which provides the highest insulating value. The bonded double honeycomb creates a barrier between the room and the window which means your heater and air conditioners don’t have to work as hard. The fabric is available in a variety of colors and there are many operating methods to fit any need – including motorization for hard to reach windows or for the handicapped.

“Saving energy is important, but it is impractical to expect a homeowner to forfeit style to do so,” says Kelly Conklin, manager of the EcoSmart product line. “Of course I am biased but I just think it is so awesome that we have a product that saves energy every single day and looks absolutely fabulous at the same time!”

DOE requests proposals for Weatherization Formula Grants to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons, reduce their total residential expenditures, and improve their health and safety.

WAP assists persons who are particularly vulnerable, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, families with children, high residential energy users, and households with high energy burdens. Prime applicant eligibility is restricted to agencies responsible for administering the annual WAP formula allocation. Fifty-eight awards are anticipated.

The response due date depends on the fiscal year end of the prime applicant, with range of 2/15/10 – 8/1/10.