This from the Medfield Energy Committee –
Summary: Green Communities Act for Medfield
To encourage energy conservation and to increase the supply of renewable energy, the State of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) enacted the Green Communities Act (GCA) in 2008. Since then, the State has qualified 123 towns as Green Communities. These communities have shared over $22 million in grants. Qualifying for GCA would provide $148,000 to Medfield to fund clean energy projects. To become a Green Community, Medfield would need to agree to five criteria:
Criteria #1 . Provide as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable/alternative energy generation, research & development, or manufacturing facilities.
Criteria #2. Adopt an expedited application and permit process (one year maximum) for as-of-right energy facilities.
Criteria #3. Establish an energy use baseline and develop a plan to reduce energy use by twenty percent (20%) within five (5) years.
Criteria #4. Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles.
Criteria #5. Set requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction; one way to meet these requirements is to adopt the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Energy Stretch Code.
The Medfield Energy Committee (MEC) and Town departments have been working for several years to reduce Town energy use. MEC worked on applying for Green Community status in 2011, but the necessary By-Law changes were not presented at the 2011 Town Meeting so the effort was put on hold.
The MEC now recommends that the Town of Medfield apply to the State of Massachusetts DOER for Green Community Status in 2014. To prepare the application to the DOER, the Town will be taking the following actions:
Criteria #1. Adopt a By-Law for an overlay district for as-of-right siting for large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic energy generation (minimum 250 KW or about one acre). MEC and the Select Board are co-sponsors of this article on the Warrant for Town Meeting. The overlay district is the IE district on the zoning map. Such a by-law will require 2/3 vote at the April 28, 2014 Town Meeting.
Criteria #2. Expedited permitting requirements are met by the current Medfield Zoning By-Laws. Town Counsel must provide a letter attesting to the sufficiency of the current By-Law.
Criteria #3. The energy use baseline for Medfield has been developed and tracked since 2008, but a plan to reduce energy 20% from 2012 would need to be developed and agreed to by the School Board and the Board of Selectmen. Achieving a 20% reduction of energy over 5 years from 2012 will be a challenge. From 2007, the Medfield schools have already achieved a 46% reduction in gas usage and 25% reduction in electricity usage. MEC is working with the Town departments to prepare an energy reduction plan.
Criteria #4. An energy efficient vehicle policy would need to be approved by the School Board and Board of Selectmen. A vehicle inventory and a policy for purchasing only energy efficient vehicles was partially developed in 2011. The inventory will be updated and the policy completed.
Criteria #5. An article to adopt the 2009 stretch energy building code Is on the Warrant for the April 28 Town Meeting. Effective July 2014, the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) will adopt this code as the State energy code. The DOER is currently considering what will replace the stretch energy code for GCA communities. By adopting the 2009 code, Medfield would also be adopting the new stretch code when it is finalized. The aim of a new stretch code would be to continue improving life-cycle costs of new construction. As before, it will include known, proven methods of construction and systems of measurement to reduce energy usage. The investment in improved energy conservation methods during construction will be recovered by the reduced energy bills during the life of the structure. It is likely that the newer stretch code would eventually become the State code within 5 years as was the case with the 2009 stretch energy code.
The MEC believes that Medfield is already a “Green Community” and should reap the benefits by becoming a designated Green Community to qualify for the available grants. MEC has just recently secured a small grant for initial assessment of three sites for municipal Solar energy generation. Green Community incentives could possibly be of great benefit to help fund the development of such capacity. The MEC stands ready to work with any Town Department to prepare the necessary information and develop the application to DOER for Green Community status.
Medfield Energy Committee
February 20, 2014
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Summary: Green Communities Act for Medfield
To encourage energy conservation and to increase the supply of renewable energy, the State of Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) enacted the Green Communities Act (GCA) in 2008. Since then, the State has qualified 123 towns as Green Communities. These communities have shared over $22 million in grants. Qualifying for GCA would provide $148,000 to Medfield to fund clean energy projects. To become a Green Community, Medfield would need to agree to five criteria:
Criteria #1 . Provide as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable/alternative energy generation, research & development, or manufacturing facilities.
Criteria #2. Adopt an expedited application and permit process (one year maximum) for as-of-right energy facilities.
Criteria #3. Establish an energy use baseline and develop a plan to reduce energy use by twenty percent (20%) within five (5) years.
Criteria #4. Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles.
Criteria #5. Set requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction; one way to meet these requirements is to adopt the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Energy Stretch Code.
The Medfield Energy Committee (MEC) and Town departments have been working for several years to reduce Town energy use. MEC worked on applying for Green Community status in 2011, but the necessary By-Law changes were not presented at the 2011 Town Meeting so the effort was put on hold.
The MEC now recommends that the Town of Medfield apply to the State of Massachusetts DOER for Green Community Status in 2014. To prepare the application to the DOER, the Town will be taking the following actions:
Criteria #1. Adopt a By-Law for an overlay district for as-of-right siting for large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic energy generation (minimum 250 KW or about one acre). MEC and the Select Board are co-sponsors of this article on the Warrant for Town Meeting. The overlay district is the IE district on the zoning map. Such a by-law will require 2/3 vote at the April 28, 2014 Town Meeting.
Criteria #2. Expedited permitting requirements are met by the current Medfield Zoning By-Laws. Town Counsel must provide a letter attesting to the sufficiency of the current By-Law.
Criteria #3. The energy use baseline for Medfield has been developed and tracked since 2008, but a plan to reduce energy 20% from 2012 would need to be developed and agreed to by the School Board and the Board of Selectmen. Achieving a 20% reduction of energy over 5 years from 2012 will be a challenge. From 2007, the Medfield schools have already achieved a 46% reduction in gas usage and 25% reduction in electricity usage. MEC is working with the Town departments to prepare an energy reduction plan.
Criteria #4. An energy efficient vehicle policy would need to be approved by the School Board and Board of Selectmen. A vehicle inventory and a policy for purchasing only energy efficient vehicles was partially developed in 2011. The inventory will be updated and the policy completed.
Criteria #5. An article to adopt the 2009 stretch energy building code Is on the Warrant for the April 28 Town Meeting. Effective July 2014, the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) will adopt this code as the State energy code. The DOER is currently considering what will replace the stretch energy code for GCA communities. By adopting the 2009 code, Medfield would also be adopting the new stretch code when it is finalized. The aim of a new stretch code would be to continue improving life-cycle costs of new construction. As before, it will include known, proven methods of construction and systems of measurement to reduce energy usage. The investment in improved energy conservation methods during construction will be recovered by the reduced energy bills during the life of the structure. It is likely that the newer stretch code would eventually become the State code within 5 years as was the case with the 2009 stretch energy code.
The MEC believes that Medfield is already a “Green Community” and should reap the benefits by becoming a designated Green Community to qualify for the available grants. MEC has just recently secured a small grant for initial assessment of three sites for municipal Solar energy generation. Green Community incentives could possibly be of great benefit to help fund the development of such capacity. The MEC stands ready to work with any Town Department to prepare the necessary information and develop the application to DOER for Green Community status.
Medfield Energy Committee
February 20, 2013
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Cressman had heard favorable reports about LEDs from neighboring Fairhaven as it began phasing them in along their roadways. So when Dartmouth’s maintenance contractor faced changing out many of the bulbs in the old high-pressure-sodium (HPS) fixtures, Cressman knew the time was right to make the change. He was able to complete all the steps to convert to LED technology in less than a year with the aid of recent regulatory and technological developments.
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