The buildings in the town of Warwick are not getting any younger (this has been going on for some time!), so the select board has asked for volunteers to take a look at the buildings with an eye towards needed repairs. It seemed like a natural step to consider energy consumption at the same time, as any needed repairs or improvements should have energy conservation in mind as well. So in May 2007 the Warwick Building and Energy Committee was born.
At present our group consists of 4 'common folk' and one selectman, with effort being made to gather more. We have voted to become an official committee, rather than an ad hoc group, thinking this might give more credence to our findings. Other towns might wish to do it more informally. Our mission statement is as follows: "The purpose of the Warwick Building and Energy Committee is to assess town buildings and needs, and research options for the select board and Warwick citizens to encourage efficient energy consumption and optimal maintenance of town properties."
So what are we actually doing? We've asked National Grid to send us (and we received!) three years of data for all of the town accounts, including street lights. Our fuel suppliers have also supplied this information going back 1 year. We are using the free Energy Star on-line benchmarking program called Portfolio Manager to plot this data, and to see if we can make improvements in consumption in the future.
Already it's very easy to see that in March of each year our town hall used an extraordinary amount of electricity, so we can look carefully at a likely culprit - the sump pump! Starting with the town hall, and with an eye towards historic preservation, we are assessing windows, lights, office equipment, insulation, heating systems, occupancy patterns, etc., and with the help of the janitor and other knowledgeable town folk, we can put forth a plan of attack. We are calling for a free energy audit through National Grid, who will look at elec. loads and offer rebates (80%!) for qualifying improvements, e.g., changing over to LED exit signs. Our library needs a new furnace - the librarian is gathering bids with an emphasis on an efficient replacement unit. We recognize the need for a champion or at least a liaison in each town building - highway dept, fire, police, transfer station, historical society, even the cemetery (that should be easy!), and last but by no means least, the elementary school. No one knows the buildings as well as the people that live or work in them!
And for fun (unofficially), the Metcalf chapel has a 'green corner' tip in the town's monthly newsletter, re-enforced by a signboard on the street out front. Last month's message was "Use a solar clothes dryer - a clothes line!" This month it's "Get the petroleum out of your food - buy locally grown." In the future, someone might want to start a ride-share program - a real challenge in this rural area, or community gardens, or look into renewable energy sources, but for the moment our focus is our buildings and their needs. In the end, we can all take what we learn home with us, or offer it up to other towns as an example. Whether it's to 'save' the environment, or just plug the holes when the wind blows, a little effort makes a big difference (as it says on the sign).