Live reporting - Energy $ense - NationalGrid

Windows

• longer payback
• standard double-glaze only R-3
• triple glaze R-5

consider using window quilts


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).

Live reporting - Energy $ense - heating, cooling tips

Electric reductions

• phantom load reduction with power strips
• determine power eaters with "Kill a watt" meter and economize use
• energy appliance purchases

buy Energy Star appliances (www.energystar.gov)

Appliance tips

• don't buy a plasma TV (uses 3-4 times as much than conventional)
• gas-fired clothes dryer
• front loading washing

heating & cooling purchases

• programmable thermostat (rebate available from local utility)
  
• new furnace or heat pump

heating & cooling tips

• boiler, efficient, tuned and cleaned
• insulation, windows, don't let heat escape

Weatherization

• sealing of air leaks (attic, basements)
• insulation installation

air leakage paths

• air comes into the basement through the windows, cracks in the walls
• warm air rises and will go out where it can

homeowners who have insulated and did not see an improvement in energy usage, usually had air leaks that were not properly addressed

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 - behavioral, hot water, etc.

Behavioral

• hot water use
• heating & cooling
• lighting
• electric use reductions

kilowatt meter, approx $30 to measure usage by device within the home

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
  

Fred followed a low carbon diet and was able to reduce his carbon footprint by 22% by following some of these tips

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

decide for yourself what temperature you can live with, Fred used to use 74 as the standard setting during the day, he has now dropped it to 68,

Air sealing

• rope caulk
• clear plastic on windows
• weather stripping along door edges
• plug holes in ceilings, floors, walls, etc.

lighting

• use CFL bulbs, last longer, uses less electricity
• turn off lights when not in room

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:

• 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

• massclimateaction.net
• empowermentinstitute.net

Appliance

• energystar.gov
• masssave.com
• consumerreports.org

Weatherization

• energyratings.org
• masssave.com

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”

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.

There will be a good number of folks here, more than are usually at a regular Town Council or School Committee meeting.


head count at the end of the presentation showed almost 50 people

Ed Cafasso - Letter October 5th

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed the weekend. Here’s a brief update on recent school issues in Franklin…

The Late Bus is back! Late bus service for middle and high school students resumes this week after the Town Council approved a $10,000 appropriation. The money came from funds set aside for the town many years ago by a local developer. The four buses carried hundreds of riders each week during the 2007-08 academic year, helping students who stayed after school for extra help, detention, clubs or extra-curricular activities. Kudos to the Town Council for a decision that means a great deal to students and working parents throughout the community!

The School Building Committee held its inaugural meeting last week. This volunteer group includes town and school officials as well as private citizens who are experts in architecture, finance, design and engineering. Chaired by Tom Mercer, the committee’s mission is to oversee either the replacement or renovation of Franklin High School; decide the fate of the numerous modular classrooms that have surpassed their life expectancy; and, to map out renovations needed at the Davis Thayer, Parmenter and Kennedy schools, our oldest elementary facilities.

Several Franklin programs have earned accreditation from the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The latest to win this recognition for educational quality are the ECDC and the Kennedy School kindergarten. The kindergarten at Oak Street earned NAEYC accreditation last year. The kindergartens at Davis Thayer and Parmenter earned the distinction in 2005 and are currently working towards re-accreditation, which occurs every five years. Jefferson and Keller are hoping to become accredited in 2011.

Franklin High School Principal Pamela Gould has notified the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., of the impact of recent budget decisions. The Association is the accrediting body for high schools in this region. The loss of 16 high school positions, including an instructional technology slot, forced the elimination of Woodshop, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) I and II, Public Speaking, Journalism, French V, and French AP courses. Meanwhile average class sizes increased to two to nine students, depending on the subject.

The notification to the NASC came just a few weeks after Franklin High fared relatively well in a study commissioned by Boston Magazine. Based on a complex and somewhat controversial analysis conducted by Elaine Allen, research director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College, FHS ranked right in the middle of the pack in terms of cost efficiency (72nd out of 143 schools) and in the top half of the group in academic performance (62nd). You can view the rankings online at http://www.bostonmagazine.com/best_high_school_chart/index.html. The feature articles can be found at http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/the_best_schools_2008/.


Many parents have begun a letter-writing and e-mail campaign in an effort to have a school schedule adopted that allows classes to begin after Labor Day. Proponents of the change cite school calendars in other districts, such as Medway, in which several professional development days are scheduled in late August so that students do not start the academic year until after the holiday. Parents’ views on this topic are welcome. The School Committee typically discusses and votes on the school calendar in the spring. Stay tuned.

And finally, the School Committee hopes to name a new superintendent this month. It is likely we will discuss internal candidates for the post at our upcoming meeting on October 14. If all goes well, a final discussion and vote could occur as soon as the Committee meeting on October 28.

These e-mails are provided as a constituent service. I try to distribute at least one e-mail update each month during the school year, as issues warrant. As always, I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. If you are receiving duplicate e-mails or if you no longer wish to receive these e-mails, please let me know and I will remove you from the distribution list. If you know of someone you would like to add to the list, please send along their e-mail address.

Thanks!


Ed Cafasso, Member

Franklin School Committee

edcafasso@comcast.net

“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.