Submitted by David Blatt and the Green Community Task Force

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Lunenburg Green Community Task Force (GCTF), who we are, and what the Board of Selectmen have asked us to do for the town of Lunenburg.

    The Task Force is a group of Lunenburg residents, along with select town officials, looking for ways to save the town money and reduce our “carbon footprint”. We are volunteers that are giving our time and knowledge back to the town. Over the past two years the group has worked hard to find ways of saving the town money with no town funding. We are here for you. The Board of Selectmen and the Task Force are looking towards the future of Lunenburg. We want to furnish the residents with the knowledge necessary to decide what your future will look like.

    The first projects concentrated on the utility bills for municipal buildings. We were able to secure grant money to help offset the cost for Solar Panels on the Middle School. That project will be saving the town over $10,000 per year, money that we can use to put back into our schools. The next project will be looking to utilize part of the old town landfill for a solar farm. We hope to generate enough electricity for most of our town buildings. The projects will lock in the cost of electricity for the next 20 years and give the Finance Committee solid numbers as they plan for the future.

    These projects will be completed with no additional financial burden to the taxpayers of Lunenburg. They will be saving the town money that can be used for other areas. The Task Force continues to look for new ways and funding to pay for more energy saving measures throughout the town. A key area for available funding that we feel will benefit the town of Lunenburg is to participate in the Green Communities Program.

A little history on the program
    On July 2, 2008 the state of Massachusetts established the Green Community Act as a way of giving incentives for towns to get control of their energy usage and bills. Governor Patrick signed legislation to reduce energy consumption and spur clean energy technology. This law places Massachusetts nationally at the forefront of climate change reform. A leader in energy policy for years, the state participates in a regional effort to reduce greenhouse gases from power plants and has set a goal of increasing solar power in the Commonwealth by 600 percent in 4 years.

    Among the major provisions is a requirement for utilities to invest in energy efficiency. At the present time, most utility companies purchase more power when demand increases. This results in the construction of additional polluting power plants. In the future, 25 percent of the electricity they provide will be from renewable sources. The law also encourages the creation of green communities. The Green Communities Division will expend $10 million annually to assist cities and towns in finding ways to become more energy efficient or to invest in renewable energy.

    Presently there are 86 cities and towns earning Green Community designation. As energy leaders in Massachusetts, they were able to seek state grants. Grant amount is based on the projects proposed and the population of the town. Towns around us of similar size have received, on average, $170,000 for their energy conservation projects. There are also no-interest loans available as another incentive. More than $15 million from those grants is already at work in 53 communities, with another $3.7 million worth of energy projects about to have an impact in the newest twenty-one communities.

    The Green Communities staff continues to work with scores of other local government entities on an array of energy activities: from reducing energy use in municipal and school buildings, to establishing power purchase agreements that enable financially attractive renewable energy generation, to adopting the latest building codes, and much more.

How do you become a Green Community?
    To be eligible for grant money, communities first must apply for and achieve official designation. The basic steps required include committing to five criteria. They are:

1. By-law providing "as-of-right" sighting for renewable energy (or alternative energy) generation, manufacturing, or research and development
2. Develop a system for expedited application and permitting processes for those facilities sited in "as-of-right" designated locations
3. Reduce energy use by 20 percent in 5 years
4. Adopt a policy and procure only fuel-efficient vehicles
5.Establish requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction

    The adoption of these criteria must be done by town vote. It is not up to one person or board, but all of the residents of Lunenburg to decide on their future. If a town votes to decide to pursue accreditation as a Green Community it still must go through a sequence of steps:

1. Apply to DOER’s Green Communities Division for designation
2. The Division reviews the application and determines whether a municipality meets the five criteria. The Division then informs the municipality of its decision. If designated a Green Community, the municipality will also be informed of the amount of its grant award.
3. The designated municipality applies for grant funding.
4. The Division evaluates the grant application and determines if the projects are eligible for funding and provide the best overall beneficial impact for the municipality.

    This is just the first in a series of articles. The first article is just to introduce the Task Force and the Green Communities Act. Over the next couple of months we will go into more detail on each of the criteria, where Lunenburg is today in respect to the criteria and the impact that it will have on the residents of Lunenburg. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Contact us through the Lunenburg Planning Board by mail or email mbenson@lunenburgonline.com.

    Our goal is not to direct, but to help provide the knowledge and background so that the residents of Lunenburg may make an informed decision as to the advantages and disadvantages of moving forward.

    The Task Force is more than just renewable energy. We continuously look for ways that will help our fellow residents save and conserve. Following each article we will provide a information of programs available for you. The first tip we would like to talk about is the Mass Save program.

    Mass Save is an initiative sponsored by Massachusetts’ gas and electric utilities including Unitil. The Sponsors of Mass Save work closely with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to provide a wide range of services, incentives, trainings, and information promoting energy efficiency that help residents and businesses manage energy use and related costs. MassSave has valuable incentives, services, and information. It all starts with a home energy assessment.

Home Energy Assessments
    No-cost Home Energy Assessments help residents identify cost-effective energy efficiency improvement or replacement opportunities. A typical single-family home takes about 2 hours and can provide years of energy savings. It starts with a home visit that helps identify opportunities for greater energy efficiency in your home. You may receive some products for instant energy savings opportunities during the assessment, but most of the incentives and rebates are available only after a assessment has been performed.

    Available rebates and incentives may include:
 · 75 percent, up to $2,000, toward the installation of approved insulation improvements
 · No-cost targeted air sealing
 · Rebates on qualifying energy-efficient heating and hot water heating equipment
 · The opportunity to apply for 0 percent financing for eligible measures

Get started today
    If you own your own home, schedule your Home Energy Assessment with a MassSave by calling 866-527-SAVE (7283). We encourage you to visit the Mass Save Web site at masssave.com. Look under the “For Your Home” tab for more programs available to Unitil customers.