Town Report for
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The main FY16 [July 2015 – June 2016] projects by the NEC included promoting energy efficiency and solar installations to town residents and installation of an electric-vehicle charging station.
Energy efficiency outreach started in fall 2015 with a town-wide mailing highlighting HEAT Squad audits at $100, funded by a grant from the New England Grassroots Environment Fund. Overall, HEAT Squad has worked with 78 Norwich households. Another major outreach effort was an LED bulb exchange, through which 414 high-efficiency bulbs were distributed. This was through swaps at the library and Marion Cross School and via door-to-door visits at Norwich Senior Housing. These led to 40+ sign-ups for "home energy visits" with an AmeriCorps member from the Windham-Windsor Housing Trust. A third weatherization project was funded by a $2,200 grant from the Norwich Women's Club, to support energy efficiency for low- and moderate-income residents: LED bulbs distributed through The Haven, the Good Buy Store, and Listen; smart electrical strips; and energy audits for several Starlake Village homes. The NEC promoted residential solar through a 5th Solarize campaign, again with Norwich Technologies and Solaflect. The calendar-year 2015 campaign finished (1st half of FY16) with 39 households going solar; the 2016 campaign (started in the 2nd half of FY16) has another 40 households, as of fall 2016. In June 2016, the NEC organized a workshop on "comprehensive home energy" w/ HEAT Squad, Efficiency Vermont, Green Mountain Power and the solar installers. In fall 2015, the NEC wrote a grant application for funding from the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development to install a charging station for electric vehicles. The grant was awarded for a Level 2, dual-port station, networked with ChargePoint, the biggest EV charging network in the US. The station and its two parking spaces are located along the south side of the Dan & Whit's parking lot. The electricity used by the station is offset by electricity from the solar awning installed on the south wall of the store through an in-kind contribution by Norwich Technologies. Solaflect Energy helped complete the Town match. The NEC proposed to the Fire District Prudential Committee that it host a solar project on their land near Route 5; the District would receive either free electricity or a lease payment plus discounted electricity. They are reviewing a proposal as of fall 2016. The NEC meets regularly on the fourth Tuesday of every month, at 7 pm at Tracy Hall. For more information, contact Linda Gray (649-2032, [email protected]). Chair: Linda Gray (term ends 3/2018) Vice-Chair: Norm Levy (3/2018) Suzanne Leiter (3/2019) Sarah Drew Reeves (3/2017) Rob Sydney (3/2017) |