Showing posts sorted by relevance for query energy, $ense. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query energy, $ense. Sort by date Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
FM #16 - 5 Things you should know
#16 in the series of podcasts on what matters in Franklin, MA. This one focuses on the 5 things you should know about Franklin this week: (1) the late bus decision, (2) zoning bylaw rescheduled yet again, (3) Financial Planning Committee, (4) Energy $ense Series at the Library begins and (5) Question 1 on the ballot in November.
Time: 20 minutes, 59 seconds
MP3 File
Session notes:
Music intro
FM #16
This podcast for Franklin Matters will focus on the 5 things you need to know about what happened this week.
First, the Town Council approved funding for the Late bus. Yes, this is the Late bus that due to the override was out of service. In late July, it seemed like the bus could be provided. By the end of August, the bus was back out. As noted in the School Committee meeting of 9/23/08, the Holmes bus company had reduced the cost of the late bus for this year from 40,000 to 10,000. The middle school PCC’s got together and pledged to pay for it. The School Committee worked with the Town Council and Town Administrator and it became know that the Town Council would consider it at their meeting 10/1/08.
In this clip from the Town Council meeting on 10//1/08, we hear the full discussion and vote
- insert clip on Late bus -
I think the Late bus is a good thing but I don’t like how it is being paid for. Money was “found” in an account that could be used for public transportation. This does nothing to restore confidence in Town government. The townies who are keeping track just put another notch in their belt, ha more found money, they did it again.
Second, the bylaw to rezone some parcels along RT 140 near the Knights of Columbus and Dunkin Donuts ended up being rescheduled for yet another meeting as it was evident that the matter was not going to gain enough votes. Two councilors were absent (Bartlett, McGann) with a two thirds majority required to pass. Due to the reschedule we don’t not know of the outstanding information was provided.
Third, the working sessions for the Finance Planning Committee (FPC) continued earnest this week. The Dept of Public Works (Brutus Cantoreggio) and Facilities (Mike D’Angelo) came in to review their departmental operations, their forecast for the next several years, cost drivers for their areas and answer a number of clarifying questions from the committee. There will not be any presentations at the next FPC meeting as they begin to digest what they have learned from the first four departments. The School budget is scheduled for review at a meeting in November.
You should recall that the FPC is charted with developing a long term plan for the Town, assuming there is an override next year (very likely) what is the long term outlook, how many will there need to be, or is something like the Arlington plan going to work in Franklin. This is important work. I encourage you to keep track of what is going on here. There is a whole lot of great data and information being presented. I am doing my best to report it live but if you have a chance to attend, please do so. It will be worth your while.
Fourth,
Fifth, I still believe Question One is the most imminent danger that Franklin faces. Question One is on the ballot in November.
You can find objective information at this link:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_State_Income_Tax_Repeal_%282008%29
You can find the Yes position here:
http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/
You can find the No position here:
http://votenoquestion1.com/?adtrack=education&gclid=CO2I-trz65UCFQpwGgodmkJeew
Where would you cut $11 million from the Town Budget?
Public safety is about 9 M, Central Gov’t Services is about 9 M. Public Works is about 6 M. If 2.8 million cost the town 44 teachers, what would loosing $11 million dollars cost the town?
The idea of the commonwealth is for all of us together to work and pay for the community services we need. If you think taking $11 million dollars out of the Franklin budget would bring you the community you want, I’d like to know what it would look like.
These are the five things that matter to Franklin this week:
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Time: 20 minutes, 59 seconds
MP3 File
Session notes:
Music intro
FM #16
This podcast for Franklin Matters will focus on the 5 things you need to know about what happened this week.
First, the Town Council approved funding for the Late bus. Yes, this is the Late bus that due to the override was out of service. In late July, it seemed like the bus could be provided. By the end of August, the bus was back out. As noted in the School Committee meeting of 9/23/08, the Holmes bus company had reduced the cost of the late bus for this year from 40,000 to 10,000. The middle school PCC’s got together and pledged to pay for it. The School Committee worked with the Town Council and Town Administrator and it became know that the Town Council would consider it at their meeting 10/1/08.
In this clip from the Town Council meeting on 10//1/08, we hear the full discussion and vote
- insert clip on Late bus -
I think the Late bus is a good thing but I don’t like how it is being paid for. Money was “found” in an account that could be used for public transportation. This does nothing to restore confidence in Town government. The townies who are keeping track just put another notch in their belt, ha more found money, they did it again.
Second, the bylaw to rezone some parcels along RT 140 near the Knights of Columbus and Dunkin Donuts ended up being rescheduled for yet another meeting as it was evident that the matter was not going to gain enough votes. Two councilors were absent (Bartlett, McGann) with a two thirds majority required to pass. Due to the reschedule we don’t not know of the outstanding information was provided.
Third, the working sessions for the Finance Planning Committee (FPC) continued earnest this week. The Dept of Public Works (Brutus Cantoreggio) and Facilities (Mike D’Angelo) came in to review their departmental operations, their forecast for the next several years, cost drivers for their areas and answer a number of clarifying questions from the committee. There will not be any presentations at the next FPC meeting as they begin to digest what they have learned from the first four departments. The School budget is scheduled for review at a meeting in November.
You should recall that the FPC is charted with developing a long term plan for the Town, assuming there is an override next year (very likely) what is the long term outlook, how many will there need to be, or is something like the Arlington plan going to work in Franklin. This is important work. I encourage you to keep track of what is going on here. There is a whole lot of great data and information being presented. I am doing my best to report it live but if you have a chance to attend, please do so. It will be worth your while.
Fourth,
The Friends of the Franklin Public Library are pleased to sponsor The Franklin Area Climate Team’s “Energy $ense” Series for residents starting on October 6, at 7:00 p.m. The Franklin Area Climate Team has developed a four part speaker series titled “Energy $ense for Franklin Residents” that will feature energy professionals from around the state who will provide practical solutions on how to reduce your energy costs and improve the environment at the same time.The schedule is available on the Town website, as well as on Franklin Matters.
Fifth, I still believe Question One is the most imminent danger that Franklin faces. Question One is on the ballot in November.
The State Income Tax Repeal is also known as Massachusetts
Question 1. It is an initiated state statute that will appear on the November 4,
2008 ballot in Massachusetts.[1] If the measure passes, it will end the state's
current 5.3% income tax on wages, interest, dividends and capital gains.
You can find objective information at this link:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Massachusetts_State_Income_Tax_Repeal_%282008%29
You can find the Yes position here:
http://www.smallgovernmentact.org/
You can find the No position here:
http://votenoquestion1.com/?adtrack=education&gclid=CO2I-trz65UCFQpwGgodmkJeew
Where would you cut $11 million from the Town Budget?
Public safety is about 9 M, Central Gov’t Services is about 9 M. Public Works is about 6 M. If 2.8 million cost the town 44 teachers, what would loosing $11 million dollars cost the town?
The idea of the commonwealth is for all of us together to work and pay for the community services we need. If you think taking $11 million dollars out of the Franklin budget would bring you the community you want, I’d like to know what it would look like.
These are the five things that matter to Franklin this week:
- Late bus back in
- zoning postponed again
- FPC meeting
- energy $ense for Franklin residents
- the imminent danger of Question 1
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow Franklin citizens and voters by Steve Sherlock
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Live reporting - Energy $ense
At the Franklin Library for the Energy $ense series presentation on Solar and Wind Installations. What grants and incentives are available?
Introduction by Ted McIntyre and Fred Schlicher
The audio version of this can be found here
Tyler's presentation:
Tyler Leeds
Project Manager, Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust
Plug for energy efficiency
http://www.masssave.com/
Background
Commonwealth Solar
Micro Wind
Larger Wind
Q&A
Over 1000 active projects generating renewable energy in MA
Solar PV - photovoltaic
Map showing 50 communities within MA that are not eligible for grants
Key goals of Commonwealth Solar
- coordinate efforts with MA DOER
- target of 250 megawatts (NW) installed
- provide a streamlined rolling rebate process
- maintain a quality control function
Rebates for residential up to 5 kilowatt systems (average home uses 4 kilowatts)
They would rebate 20 to 40 % of the installation
refer to website for details on the step by step process to install and apply
Q - where do farms fall?
A - farms are non-residential
Initial installations of micro wind have not been yielding as much as had been expected.
Still a learning process, where does it make sense, where doesn't it?
The opportunity maybe in the neighborhood net metering process. A neighborhood would get together to install a larger turbine for the 8-10 neighbors to utilize instead of a single installation.
Some municipalities do have special permitting processes for turbines
Big Apple Farm is looking to install the same size turbine as the one announced for the Mount St Mary's Abbey.
Location is key for wind, solar actually provides a better ROI than wind.
Q - is there a website that would provide information on wind strength
A - yes, one of the first things they did was to develop wind maps. (link to be provided later).
Multiple questions, good discussion, hopefully the recording will catch these.
Data acquisition system can tie to a website to provide real time updates on energy generated.
(update later)
All the steps to the process of determining eligibility for a solar rebate through to the installation and successful operation can be found on the masstech.org/solar site here.
The second part of the evening covered a local installer whose service includes navigating the permitting and approval process for the home owner or commercial owner.
Monday, October 6, 2008
“ENERGY" SERIES KICK OFF
The Friends of the Franklin Public Library are pleased to sponsor The Franklin Area Climate Team’s “Energy $ense” Series for residents starting on October 6, at 7:00 p.m. The Franklin Area Climate Team has developed a four part speaker series titled “Energy $ense for Franklin Residents” that will feature energy professionals from around the state who will provide practical solutions on how to reduce your energy costs and improve the environment at the same time. The four program series schedule is:
Monday, October 6
“How to Cut Home Energy Bills: a home energy efficiency workshop”
Fred Schlicher, Program Manager, Massachusetts Climate Action Network
Heating your home this winter is going to cost you far more than it did last year. This program will show you a variety of things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your house and lower your energy costs. Most of the things covered will cost little or nothing and you can go home with a helpful resource handout and how-to guidance.
Thursday, November 13
“How Businesses Get Help Going Green”
Jen Boudrie, Sustainable Business Leader Program Director
The Sustainable Business Leader Program offers assistance to small to medium sized businesses in Franklin to improve their current practices in energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, transportation efficiency and sustainability management. The program provides: guidance in assessing your company’s current sustainability condition, help in developing an Action Plan to improve it and on-going assistance and monitoring.
Wednesday, December 10
“Incentives for Residential and Commercial Solar and Wind Instillations”
Tyler Leeds, Project Manager, Green Building & Infrastructure of the Mass. Technology Collaborative
If you’ve ever thought about installing a wind turbine or solar array at your home or business to cut energy costs this speaker will answer your questions and help you better understand the basic investment economics involved. The State of Massachusetts has recently developed a variety of incentives to spur the development of renewable energy in the state such as: Commonwealth Solar Rebates, Small Renewables Initiative and Business Expansion Incentives. Find out all of the details.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Showing of the Award Winning film “Kilowatt Ours” by Jeff Barrie
Ted McIntyre, Ph.D., Board Member, Massachusetts Climate Action Network - moderator
This film traces the path of the electricity you use in your home from the light switch, through the wires to its source. Along the way you’ll meet power companies, schools, businesses and everyday Americans finding ways to meet our energy needs using conservation and green power. “Kilowatt Ours” will teach you how to dramatically reduce your electric bill and improve the environment at the same time.
This informative energy series is free and open to the public. All presentations will be in the community room, lower level of the Franklin Public Library located at 118 Main Street at 7 p.m.
Monday, October 6
“How to Cut Home Energy Bills: a home energy efficiency workshop”
Fred Schlicher, Program Manager, Massachusetts Climate Action Network
Heating your home this winter is going to cost you far more than it did last year. This program will show you a variety of things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your house and lower your energy costs. Most of the things covered will cost little or nothing and you can go home with a helpful resource handout and how-to guidance.
Thursday, November 13
“How Businesses Get Help Going Green”
Jen Boudrie, Sustainable Business Leader Program Director
The Sustainable Business Leader Program offers assistance to small to medium sized businesses in Franklin to improve their current practices in energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, transportation efficiency and sustainability management. The program provides: guidance in assessing your company’s current sustainability condition, help in developing an Action Plan to improve it and on-going assistance and monitoring.
Wednesday, December 10
“Incentives for Residential and Commercial Solar and Wind Instillations”
Tyler Leeds, Project Manager, Green Building & Infrastructure of the Mass. Technology Collaborative
If you’ve ever thought about installing a wind turbine or solar array at your home or business to cut energy costs this speaker will answer your questions and help you better understand the basic investment economics involved. The State of Massachusetts has recently developed a variety of incentives to spur the development of renewable energy in the state such as: Commonwealth Solar Rebates, Small Renewables Initiative and Business Expansion Incentives. Find out all of the details.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Showing of the Award Winning film “Kilowatt Ours” by Jeff Barrie
Ted McIntyre, Ph.D., Board Member, Massachusetts Climate Action Network - moderator
This film traces the path of the electricity you use in your home from the light switch, through the wires to its source. Along the way you’ll meet power companies, schools, businesses and everyday Americans finding ways to meet our energy needs using conservation and green power. “Kilowatt Ours” will teach you how to dramatically reduce your electric bill and improve the environment at the same time.
This informative energy series is free and open to the public. All presentations will be in the community room, lower level of the Franklin Public Library located at 118 Main Street at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Energy $ense - presentation
With many thanks to Fred Schlicher for sharing the PowerPoint presentation he used Monday night (10/6/08) at the Library for his talk on Energy $ense.
Thank you Fred!
Many thanks to the Friends of Franklin Library and the Franklin Area Climate Team for sponsoring this event!
You can review my notes taken during the presentation here
Thank you Fred!
Many thanks to the Friends of Franklin Library and the Franklin Area Climate Team for sponsoring this event!
You can review my notes taken during the presentation here
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
“Energy $ense” Series - 11/13/08
“Energy $ense” Series in November at the Franklin Public Library
The Friends of the Franklin Public Library are pleased to sponsor the 2nd installment of The Franklin Area Climate Team’s “Energy $ense” Series for residents on Thursday, November 13th. The title of the seminar is “How Businesses Get Help Going Green” with speaker Jen Boudrie, Sustainable Business Leader Program Director.
The Sustainable Business Leader Program offers assistance to small to medium sized businesses in Franklin and the surrounding towns to improve their current practices in energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, transportation efficiency and sustainability management. The program provides: guidance in assessing your company’s current sustainability condition, help in developing an Action Plan to improve it and on-going assistance and monitoring.
The program starts at 7:00 pm in the community room, lower level of The Franklin Public Library. The library is located at 118 Main Street. For more information, please email Ted McIntyre at emcintyre1@comcast.net or call 508-528-7765
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
FM #26 - Solar Energy - Part 1
This podcast for Franklin Matters captures the information session on solar and renewable energy sponsored by The Franklin Area Climate Team and held at the Franklin Public Library on Wednesday evening, Dec 10, 2008. This evening at the library is one of the Energy $ense series put together by FACT, with the help of Fred Schlicher, Program Manager from the Mass Climate Action Network, and by the Friends of the Library.
Part 1 of 2
Time: 48 minutes, 59 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This podcast for Franklin Matters captures the information session on solar and renewable energy sponsored by The Franklin Area Climate Team and held at the Franklin Public Library on Wednesday evening, Dec 10, 2008.
This evening at the library is one of the Energy $ense series put together by FACT, with the help of Fred Schlicher, Program Manager from the Mass Climate Action Network, and by the Friends of the Library. One more evening in January is scheduled. Details on that session can be found on Franklin Matters or the town website.
The recording of the talk this evening will be split into two parts. In the first part, we will listen as Ted McIntyre introduces Fred who in turn introduces Tyler Leeds, Project Manager from the Mass Renewable Energy Trust.
The segment we are about to begin runs about 45 minutes. This is longer than I would normally make available but there is not a natural break until Tyler finishes. You can of course, listen to as much as you can, mark your spot and return. As you listen, you’ll recognize that the presentation by Tyler is well done, the questions are generally distinctly heard and the overall conversation is very informative.
Listen, learn and enjoy!
- insert clip -
In the second part, we will listen to Matt Arner, President of SolarFlair Energy based in Hopkinton. Matt will get into more details about the analysis and process of obtaining permits, applying for the rebates and actually getting an installation of solar electricity or solar heating for your residence or business. There is a great opportunity to tap into solar.
----- -----
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Part 1 of 2
Time: 48 minutes, 59 seconds
MP3 File
Session Notes:
This podcast for Franklin Matters captures the information session on solar and renewable energy sponsored by The Franklin Area Climate Team and held at the Franklin Public Library on Wednesday evening, Dec 10, 2008.
This evening at the library is one of the Energy $ense series put together by FACT, with the help of Fred Schlicher, Program Manager from the Mass Climate Action Network, and by the Friends of the Library. One more evening in January is scheduled. Details on that session can be found on Franklin Matters or the town website.
The recording of the talk this evening will be split into two parts. In the first part, we will listen as Ted McIntyre introduces Fred who in turn introduces Tyler Leeds, Project Manager from the Mass Renewable Energy Trust.
The segment we are about to begin runs about 45 minutes. This is longer than I would normally make available but there is not a natural break until Tyler finishes. You can of course, listen to as much as you can, mark your spot and return. As you listen, you’ll recognize that the presentation by Tyler is well done, the questions are generally distinctly heard and the overall conversation is very informative.
Listen, learn and enjoy!
- insert clip -
In the second part, we will listen to Matt Arner, President of SolarFlair Energy based in Hopkinton. Matt will get into more details about the analysis and process of obtaining permits, applying for the rebates and actually getting an installation of solar electricity or solar heating for your residence or business. There is a great opportunity to tap into solar.
----- -----
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Live reporting - Energy $ense - Part 2
Part 1 can be found here
The audio version of this section can be found here
brief interlude for the presentation switch
Fred introduces Matt
Matt Arner
SolarFlair Energy, Inc.
Hopkinton, MA
How much does it cost?
So you could effectively pay the same amount for green solar as you would for your normal electrical monthly bill.
expecting to see an 8% increase in electric rates
For commercial installations
solar hot water becomes a good alternative if you don't have the south facing roof
They make the process easy. The permitting process can take up to 3 months, the actual installation takes 2-3 days.
For more information on SolarFlair Energy, Inc. please click through to their web site. It has additional information on the solar water heating, solar electricity and several photos of residential and commercial installations.
If you want to examine the potential for solar for your home, you can follow the steps to start here.
For commercial installations, you can follow the steps to start here.
The audio version of this section can be found here
brief interlude for the presentation switch
Fred introduces Matt
Matt Arner
SolarFlair Energy, Inc.
Hopkinton, MA
- Solar electricity
- solar hot water (mostly for domestic hot water use)
- The solar grid feeds the inverter (the brains of the system)
- The inverter is tied to the breaker panel, just like another breaker with the exception that it provides power into the breaker panel (not drawing from like the normal breakers).
- If you are generating more power than you need to use, you send the extra back out through the meter to the power company. Effectively turning back the meter.
- Matt's home system is generating enough that it pays for 90% of the electricity they use.
- Bought and converted to energy efficiency appliances
- converted more appliances
- then installed hot water system
- then installed solar system
- almost 100% solar powered but over time, a five year plan
How much does it cost?
- Payback: approx 7-8 years
- System life: 25 years
So you could effectively pay the same amount for green solar as you would for your normal electrical monthly bill.
expecting to see an 8% increase in electric rates
For commercial installations
- Payback: 5 years
- Return on Investment: 14%
solar hot water becomes a good alternative if you don't have the south facing roof
They make the process easy. The permitting process can take up to 3 months, the actual installation takes 2-3 days.
For more information on SolarFlair Energy, Inc. please click through to their web site. It has additional information on the solar water heating, solar electricity and several photos of residential and commercial installations.
If you want to examine the potential for solar for your home, you can follow the steps to start here.
For commercial installations, you can follow the steps to start here.
| Renewable Energy Installers |
| Solar Energy Business Association of New England (SEBANE) North East Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Directory |
| Disclaimer: The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has not investigated, and expressly disclaims any duty to investigate, any company, product, service, process, procedure, design, or the like which may be presented on the aforementioned websites. The presentation of these website links does not constitute endorsement, warranty, or guaranty by MTC of any company, product, service, process, procedure, design, or the like. The entire risk of any information presented is assumed by the user. |
Friday, November 21, 2008
Energy $ense: Sustainable Business Leader Program
The Friends of the Franklin Public Library sponsored the 2nd installment of The Franklin Area Climate Team’s “Energy $ense” Series on Thursday, November 13th. The seminar: “How Businesses Get Help Going Green” with Alex Chamberlain, Director of the Sustainable Business Leader Program.
The Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP) offers assistance to small to medium sized businesses in Boston and the surrounding areas to improve their current practices in energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, transportation efficiency and sustainability management. The program provides: guidance in assessing your company’s current sustainability condition, help in developing an Action Plan to improve it and on-going assistance and monitoring.
A diverse group of businesses is participating currently in Boston; Boston Duck Tours through to Mom/Pop type shops. A listing of the 27 businesses in the program can be found on the SBLP website here. (http://www.sustainablebusinessleader.org/SBLP%20%20Participants.htm)
What is the Sustainable Process? The process starts with the sustainability assessment form (PDF). It is rather extensive and detailed with 94 questions. Completion of the form is followed by a site evaluation. The evaluation confirms answers to the survey questions and results in research that produces an assessment. The assessment provides recommendations for an action plan. The business creates the plan. SBLP personnel are available to work with the business to help develop the plan. Ultimately the SBLP reviews plan and approves.
How else can SBLP help your business? The SBLP held a gathering for restaurants and cafes to review sustainable practices. Sustainable practices are hard to do effectively as the business are small operations and are heavily driven by the immediate needs of their customers. The roundtable conversation was successful. The ripple effect of the discussion around locally sourced food was impressive and unexpected. Not only were the restaurants and cafes interested, but other companies were looking for local food for their cafeterias and break rooms.
They are exploring similar events for other groupings of companies to better meet their needs. SBLP has scheduled a “greentech” event for Dec 10th
How much of an opportunity is there? In 2006, it was estimated that there were 650,000 small businesses in Massachusetts alone. It is likely there are more today than then, therefore the work opportunity is great.
What does the program cost? The SBLP program costs $500. The individual company would pay $250 and the local chamber or other sponsor group would contribute $250.
What is the key to success? Whether the program starts at the top leadership of the company, or starts at the bottom, or anywhere in between, having a champion to keep the initiative going usually ensures a successful program.
Somerville has a similar program for the Davis Square area. The local businesses got together and determined to create a sustainable environment as a way of differentiating themselves from Harvard Square. For more information on the green effort you can visit their web site here. (http://groups.google.com/group/gogreendavis)
For more information on a sustainable process for your Franklin area business, please email Ted McIntyre of the Franklin Area Climate Team at emcintyre1@comcast.net or call 508-528-7765
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The Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP) offers assistance to small to medium sized businesses in Boston and the surrounding areas to improve their current practices in energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, waste reduction, transportation efficiency and sustainability management. The program provides: guidance in assessing your company’s current sustainability condition, help in developing an Action Plan to improve it and on-going assistance and monitoring.
A diverse group of businesses is participating currently in Boston; Boston Duck Tours through to Mom/Pop type shops. A listing of the 27 businesses in the program can be found on the SBLP website here. (http://www.sustainablebusinessleader.org/SBLP%20%20Participants.htm)
What is the Sustainable Process? The process starts with the sustainability assessment form (PDF). It is rather extensive and detailed with 94 questions. Completion of the form is followed by a site evaluation. The evaluation confirms answers to the survey questions and results in research that produces an assessment. The assessment provides recommendations for an action plan. The business creates the plan. SBLP personnel are available to work with the business to help develop the plan. Ultimately the SBLP reviews plan and approves.
How else can SBLP help your business? The SBLP held a gathering for restaurants and cafes to review sustainable practices. Sustainable practices are hard to do effectively as the business are small operations and are heavily driven by the immediate needs of their customers. The roundtable conversation was successful. The ripple effect of the discussion around locally sourced food was impressive and unexpected. Not only were the restaurants and cafes interested, but other companies were looking for local food for their cafeterias and break rooms.
They are exploring similar events for other groupings of companies to better meet their needs. SBLP has scheduled a “greentech” event for Dec 10th
How much of an opportunity is there? In 2006, it was estimated that there were 650,000 small businesses in Massachusetts alone. It is likely there are more today than then, therefore the work opportunity is great.
What does the program cost? The SBLP program costs $500. The individual company would pay $250 and the local chamber or other sponsor group would contribute $250.
What is the key to success? Whether the program starts at the top leadership of the company, or starts at the bottom, or anywhere in between, having a champion to keep the initiative going usually ensures a successful program.
Somerville has a similar program for the Davis Square area. The local businesses got together and determined to create a sustainable environment as a way of differentiating themselves from Harvard Square. For more information on the green effort you can visit their web site here. (http://groups.google.com/group/gogreendavis)
For more information on a sustainable process for your Franklin area business, please email Ted McIntyre of the Franklin Area Climate Team at emcintyre1@comcast.net or call 508-528-7765
Monday, October 6, 2008
Live reporting - Energy $ense - heating, cooling tips
Electric reductions
Appliance tips
Blower door Air Leakage analysis
helps to find big leaks, assess ventilation, requires training, measure leakage before and after work, can cost $4-600 for a single household
get the neighborhood together to have the contractor come in to do several at the same time and reduce the cost
Infra-red Camera
assess current level of insulation in walls and spot gaps
check results of contractor work
windows are very expensive to replace but the energy saving payback is hard to get; about 8-13% on savings
- phantom load reduction with power strips
- determine power eaters with "Kill a watt" meter and economize use
- energy appliance purchases
Appliance tips
- don't buy a plasma TV (uses 3-4 times as much than conventional)
- gas-fired clothes dryer
- front loading washing
- programmable thermostat (rebate available from local utility)
- new furnace or heat pump
- boiler, efficient, tuned and cleaned
- insulation, windows, don't let heat escape
- sealing of air leaks (attic, basements)
- insulation installation
- air comes into the basement through the windows, cracks in the walls
- warm air rises and will go out where it can
Blower door Air Leakage analysis
helps to find big leaks, assess ventilation, requires training, measure leakage before and after work, can cost $4-600 for a single household
get the neighborhood together to have the contractor come in to do several at the same time and reduce the cost
Infra-red Camera
assess current level of insulation in walls and spot gaps
check results of contractor work
windows are very expensive to replace but the energy saving payback is hard to get; about 8-13% on savings
Live reporting - Energy $ense - before meeting
Here at the Library tonight to report on the following presentation:
“How to Cut Home Energy Bills: a home energy efficiency workshop”
head count at the end of the presentation showed almost 50 people
“How to Cut Home Energy Bills: a home energy efficiency workshop”
Fred Schlicher, Program Manager, Massachusetts Climate Action NetworkThere will be a good number of folks here, more than are usually at a regular Town Council or School Committee meeting.
Heating your home this winter is going to cost you far more than it did last year. This program will show you a variety of things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your house and lower your energy costs. Most of the things covered will cost little or nothing and you can go home with a helpful resource handout and how-to guidance.
head count at the end of the presentation showed almost 50 people
Monday, January 19, 2009
FM #28 - This week in Franklin, MA
This is #28 in the Franklin Matters series of podcasts. This one focuses on what happened this week in Franklin with key points from the School Committee meeting, the Franklin Area Climate Team, the Financial Planning Committee, and the FINCOM meeting of January 6th.
Time: 11 minutes, 40 seconds
MP3 File
This podcast for Franklin Matters is number 28 in the series. In this edition, I’ll focus on what you should know about what is happening here in Franklin, MA as we begin 2009.
From the School Committee meeting 1/13/09, there was a very good presentation on the high school arts program and how it is bringing art into the community. Art teacher, Mike Caple was accompanied by two students, Rachel Nault and Madison Weber, to make the joint presentation.
You can view the presentation on web now. The School Committee meeting was streamed live over the internet. This was the third town meeting to be broadcast this year. You can go to the video archive and view the meeting in its entirety or specific sections according to the published agenda. The link is on the town web site and will be included in the blog post that accompanies this.
Continuing with the SchCom meeting, Peter Light. previously announced as the interim principal for Franklin High, was announced as the permanent replacement during the meeting Tuesday evening. You should recall that Pam Gould had tendered her notice to leave Franklin to take the Asst. Superintendent of HR position in Plymouth. I would have liked her to stay here, she was doing so well. Given the choice to move up and on or stay, I do agree with her choice. I wish her well.
Peter has done well in dozen years he has been here in Franklin. I expect he will make a great principal for the high school. He knows the community. He has the willingness to listen and the drive to do good things.
How did he move from interim to permanent so quickly? While not explicitly stated, it was acknowledged that Peter was a finalist for the principal position in Needham. Reading between the lines, I think it was better to make him permanent, to keep him here rather than run the risk of losing him.
Wednesday evening, along with about 25-30 others, I viewed the documentary “Kilowatt Ours” at the Franklin Library. This was the fourth and final of the Energy $ense series sponsored by the Franklin Area Climate Team. Information on the prior sessions is available on Franklin Matters. There is a special link on the right hand column under Important Links. Look for “FACT – Energy $ense Series”.
At the library, I picked up a flyer for “The Green Reel – 2009 Winter Film series”. There will be additional details on this series of 5 films to be published on Franklin Matters. The first film is “King Corn” to be shown at Agudas Achim in Attleboro on January 25th.
Thursday evening the Financial Planning Committee got together to review the status on the report they are pulling together. The various sections of the report were covered in detail in my “live reporting” notes already posted on Franklin Matters.
The draft report will be previewed with a focus group, followed by a town wide open forum. The date remains to be determined for this forum but I would encourage you to stay tuned. As soon as it is available, this is one forum we should all participate in. The budget details for the short term outlook for Franklin will be critical points to understand.
When someone like Rebecca Cameron says:
Rebecca sits on the Finance Committee and has insights into the details of the Franklin budget process that many of would like to have. She now is part of the group developing this long term plan for Franklin. I have said before that the work this group is doing is going to be critical to what Franklin does in the short term and longer term. The information they have gathered and are about to share should create a better understanding across the Franklin community of what the real issue are.
One key point on the operation of the Fire Department was captured during the Finance Committee meeting on January 6th. Chief McCarraher was answering questions from FINCOM members as he reviewed his capital budget plan. One question was why not outsource the ambulance services. The answer the Chief gave is important to understand how smartly the Fire Department has created its staffing plan and how efficiently they do utilize their resources. Let’s listen to this clip from the meeting:
... insert clip ...
The Fire Department staffs a minimum number to provide a first response and calls in off-duty resources when there is a fire. He had 10 folks regularly on, needs fifteen for a fire when it occurs. In the meantime, he uses the extra time of the fire staff to answer ambulance calls for which they are reimbursed. Very smartly done. Can’t be much more efficient than that. If you don’t follow this line of thought, please be sure to talk with the Chief, or send me an email or comment.
To quickly recap this segment, we talked about
----- -----
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Time: 11 minutes, 40 seconds
MP3 File
This podcast for Franklin Matters is number 28 in the series. In this edition, I’ll focus on what you should know about what is happening here in Franklin, MA as we begin 2009.
From the School Committee meeting 1/13/09, there was a very good presentation on the high school arts program and how it is bringing art into the community. Art teacher, Mike Caple was accompanied by two students, Rachel Nault and Madison Weber, to make the joint presentation.
You can view the presentation on web now. The School Committee meeting was streamed live over the internet. This was the third town meeting to be broadcast this year. You can go to the video archive and view the meeting in its entirety or specific sections according to the published agenda. The link is on the town web site and will be included in the blog post that accompanies this.
Continuing with the SchCom meeting, Peter Light. previously announced as the interim principal for Franklin High, was announced as the permanent replacement during the meeting Tuesday evening. You should recall that Pam Gould had tendered her notice to leave Franklin to take the Asst. Superintendent of HR position in Plymouth. I would have liked her to stay here, she was doing so well. Given the choice to move up and on or stay, I do agree with her choice. I wish her well.
Peter has done well in dozen years he has been here in Franklin. I expect he will make a great principal for the high school. He knows the community. He has the willingness to listen and the drive to do good things.
How did he move from interim to permanent so quickly? While not explicitly stated, it was acknowledged that Peter was a finalist for the principal position in Needham. Reading between the lines, I think it was better to make him permanent, to keep him here rather than run the risk of losing him.
Wednesday evening, along with about 25-30 others, I viewed the documentary “Kilowatt Ours” at the Franklin Library. This was the fourth and final of the Energy $ense series sponsored by the Franklin Area Climate Team. Information on the prior sessions is available on Franklin Matters. There is a special link on the right hand column under Important Links. Look for “FACT – Energy $ense Series”.
At the library, I picked up a flyer for “The Green Reel – 2009 Winter Film series”. There will be additional details on this series of 5 films to be published on Franklin Matters. The first film is “King Corn” to be shown at Agudas Achim in Attleboro on January 25th.
Thursday evening the Financial Planning Committee got together to review the status on the report they are pulling together. The various sections of the report were covered in detail in my “live reporting” notes already posted on Franklin Matters.
The draft report will be previewed with a focus group, followed by a town wide open forum. The date remains to be determined for this forum but I would encourage you to stay tuned. As soon as it is available, this is one forum we should all participate in. The budget details for the short term outlook for Franklin will be critical points to understand.
When someone like Rebecca Cameron says:
”It finally hit me how much we are dependent upon the state”I think this is a break through moment.
Rebecca sits on the Finance Committee and has insights into the details of the Franklin budget process that many of would like to have. She now is part of the group developing this long term plan for Franklin. I have said before that the work this group is doing is going to be critical to what Franklin does in the short term and longer term. The information they have gathered and are about to share should create a better understanding across the Franklin community of what the real issue are.
One key point on the operation of the Fire Department was captured during the Finance Committee meeting on January 6th. Chief McCarraher was answering questions from FINCOM members as he reviewed his capital budget plan. One question was why not outsource the ambulance services. The answer the Chief gave is important to understand how smartly the Fire Department has created its staffing plan and how efficiently they do utilize their resources. Let’s listen to this clip from the meeting:
... insert clip ...
The Fire Department staffs a minimum number to provide a first response and calls in off-duty resources when there is a fire. He had 10 folks regularly on, needs fifteen for a fire when it occurs. In the meantime, he uses the extra time of the fire staff to answer ambulance calls for which they are reimbursed. Very smartly done. Can’t be much more efficient than that. If you don’t follow this line of thought, please be sure to talk with the Chief, or send me an email or comment.
To quickly recap this segment, we talked about
- live streaming for town meetings
- the high school art in the community program
- Peter Light the new principal at the high school
- the efforts of the Franklin Area Climate Team
- finally the Financial Planning Committee
----- -----
This podcast has been a public service provided to my fellow citizens of Franklin, MA
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.blogspot.com/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The musical intro and closing is from the Podsafe Music Network
Jon Schmidt - Powerful Exhilarating Piano Music
Monday, October 6, 2008
Live reporting - Energy $ense - intro/overview
Franklin Area Climate Team sponsored this series. On October 19th, the Global Warming Cafe will be held from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the First Universalist Society, 262 Chestnut Street.
-----------
Fred Schlicher, Program Manager of the Mass Climate Action Network.
email address -> Fred. Schlicher @ MassClimateAction.net
representative of NationalGrid here as well
over 20% of the US energy use is from residential (vs. commercial, industrial or transportation).
60% of the individual residential BTU usage from from space heating.
Four basic approaches:
MassSave website, collaborative effort to provide information on energy efficiency
Behavior
Appliance
Weatherization
-----------
Fred Schlicher, Program Manager of the Mass Climate Action Network.
email address -> Fred. Schlicher @ MassClimateAction.net
representative of NationalGrid here as well
over 20% of the US energy use is from residential (vs. commercial, industrial or transportation).
60% of the individual residential BTU usage from from space heating.
Four basic approaches:
- behavioral (lie style changes you can make)
- appliances (items you can buy)
- weatherization investments (home improvements)
- education (reliable sources of information to help you become an educated consumer)
MassSave website, collaborative effort to provide information on energy efficiency
Behavior
Appliance
Weatherization
Live reporting - Energy $ense - NationalGrid
Windows
Gerry Hanna, from NationalGrid
Masssave, a collaboration funded with the conservation charge on each of our utility bills
You can call for an energy audit. The auditor will take about 2 hours to go through the house with you. The printout will prioritize the opportunities according to the energy savings projected by the audit.
Will do less audits but more implementation work. Will pay 75% up to $2000 if qualified for thermal work
"You need to want to do something but now is the time to do so."
"Audits are already scheduled through January, call now and they will honor the request after March 2009 when the offer expires."
The education is available on the Massave website. They'll need your zipcode and primary heating method (oil, gas).
- longer payback
- standard double-glaze only R-3
- triple glaze R-5
Gerry Hanna, from NationalGrid
Masssave, a collaboration funded with the conservation charge on each of our utility bills
You can call for an energy audit. The auditor will take about 2 hours to go through the house with you. The printout will prioritize the opportunities according to the energy savings projected by the audit.
Will do less audits but more implementation work. Will pay 75% up to $2000 if qualified for thermal work
"You need to want to do something but now is the time to do so."
"Audits are already scheduled through January, call now and they will honor the request after March 2009 when the offer expires."
The education is available on the Massave website. They'll need your zipcode and primary heating method (oil, gas).
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Energy $ense Series - Kilowatt Ours
When:
Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 7:00 pm
Where:
Franklin Public Library Community Room
118 Main Street, Lower Level
Moderator:
Ted McIntyre, Ph.D.
Board Member
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
Description:
This film traces the path of the electricity you use in your home from the light switch, through the wires to its source. Along the way you’ll meet power companies, schools, businesses and everyday Americans finding ways to meet our energy needs using conservation and green power. “Kilowatt Ours” will teach you how to dramatically reduce your electric bill and improve the environment at the same time.
Sponsored by:
Franklin Area Climate Team (FACT), Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Friends of the Franklin Library
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Energy $ense Series - Kilowatt Ours
When:
Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 7:00 pm
Where:
Franklin Public Library Community Room
118 Main Street, Lower Level
Moderator:
Ted McIntyre, Ph.D.
Board Member
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
Description:
This film traces the path of the electricity you use in your home from the light switch, through the wires to its source. Along the way you’ll meet power companies, schools, businesses and everyday Americans finding ways to meet our energy needs using conservation and green power. “Kilowatt Ours” will teach you how to dramatically reduce your electric bill and improve the environment at the same time.
Sponsored by:
Franklin Area Climate Team (FACT), Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Friends of the Franklin Library
Monday, October 6, 2008
Live reporting - Energy $ense - clean power
buy clean power
cleanernergychoice.org
Look for the post card in your next bill! Should be in the October bill.
- support renewable energy in MA
- sign up for NationalGrid's GreenUp Program
cleanernergychoice.org
Look for the post card in your next bill! Should be in the October bill.
Live reporting - Energy $ense - behavioral, hot water, etc.
Behavioral
Hot water use
Hot water tips
buy the most efficient, don't buy more capacity than you need
put a cut off switch on your shower head, and reduce flow when water is not needed
Heating & cooling
Air sealing
- hot water use
- heating & cooling
- lighting
- electric use reductions
Hot water use
- adjusting hot water heater (recommended setting the temp at no higher than 120 degrees F)
- insulate heater (if an older heater, consider a blanket wrap)
- shorter showers (try)
- hand dish washing (do a full load whenever using the dishwasher)
- wear clothes longer (a personal decision)
- washing with cold water
Hot water tips
buy the most efficient, don't buy more capacity than you need
put a cut off switch on your shower head, and reduce flow when water is not needed
Heating & cooling
- turn down the thermostat
- change the A/C filter frequently
- regular tune up of furnace or heat pump
- seal doors and windows
Air sealing
- rope caulk
- clear plastic on windows
- weather stripping along door edges
- plug holes in ceilings, floors, walls, etc.
- use CFL bulbs, last longer, uses less electricity
- turn off lights when not in room
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