Energy Commission Chairman Readies $1 Million Budget Request

By John Voket

Dan Holmes, chairman of Newtown’s Sustainable Energy Commission, believes the community can begin to see a positive return on its energy conservation investments in as few as five years, provided his commission has funds available to match grants, and to authorize feasibility and engineering studies to identify where the town could do even better in its efforts to reduce energy use.

To that end Mr Holmes said this week that he is preparing, with the support of Public Works Director Fred Hurley, a budget request for $1 million in the coming year.

If that request survives a multistage process starting with approval of the Board of Selectmen, and passes muster with the Board of Finance, the Legislative Council, and eventually local taxpayers in next year’s budget referendum, the energy commission chairman plans to earmark $750,000 for “renewable or efficiency projects to save the town money, but require local funds for matching grants.”

Mr Holmes ventured that small and even substantial grants might be obtainable for projects such as outfitting local school and municipal buildings, including the local water treatment plant, with solar power-generating panels.

“If that money is already in place, we can be positioned to engage these kinds of grant programs quickly — as soon as they are announced,” he said. “Too often there is a narrow window of opportunity to qualify for energy conservation grants, and the competition for funds is typically overwhelming to the granting source.”

Mr Holmes suggested that communities positioned to validate available matching funds, while expediting their applications for such programs, are typically the ones that receive first consideration.

If the full $1 million Mr Holmes plans to request is provided, he expects to recommend sanctioning $250,000 to hold for any necessary feasibility or engineering studies the town may need pursuant to installations of energy saving equipment or practices.

“Typically, once a community commits to doing a project, a lot of that feasibility planning is provided by potential contractors upfront,” Mr Holmes said, adding that funding from an energy commission budget should only be committed when there is evidence that “every tax dollar invested will begin showing payback in five to 15 years.”

He said in the case of many conservation initiatives, the town’s potential to double or even triple its return on investment is “likely.”

“We’re already seeing the benefit of going for the low hanging fruit like upgrading all the municipal lighting at Fairfield Hills to LED [light emitting diode] technology,” Mr Holmes said. “In that case the taxpayers will begin seeing payback in as little as a year in terms of energy cost savings.”

Those new LED bulbs and ballasts will also provide substantial savings over the former 150 watt installations, drawing only 40 watts per bulb, and translating into 60 percent less power consumption and about a 20 to 25 percent overall savings, Mr Hurley said.

In all, 103 fixtures are in the process of being converted to LED technology. And the cost for the hardware and labor is being covered as part of a federal economic stimulus grant to the community.

When it comes to Mr Holmes’s proposed funding request to put matching funds in place, he said, “It’s hard for a community to be taken seriously [when applying for such grants] if our commission doesn’t come to the table prepared to offer matching funds.

“If we do it right, it’s money well spent,” Mr Holmes said.

Mr Hurley said that engineering studies might be initiated to look at wind power generation, or in consideration of the town taking over the ownership and maintenance of townwide street lighting, which is currently covered by the utility provider.

Mr Hurley ventured that, much like the town’s open space program, even if a nominal budget was provided to begin these types of energy saving initiates, “We have to start somewhere.”