Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

Organizing an Energy Committee in Your City or Town

Ginny Keesler

Intern for the Green Communities Division, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

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Winchester “now identifies itself as a town that saves energy,” according to Energy Conservation Coordinator Susan McPhee.

Organizing an energy committee is a key step for cities and towns seeking to implement more effective clean energy and energy efficiency improvements. The energy management committee for this town of about 21,000 is a case in point. McPhee said that her town established the committee in 2005 because the energy portion of the municipal budget was “getting out of control.”

Winchester’s energy management committee includes 11 people – four staff (including McPhee) and seven volunteers from the community. The committee’s many initiatives have resulted in annual savings to the town of $643,000. These initiatives include a unit air conditioning policy, idling reduction policy, computer use savings measures, and an energy efficient building policy.

When I interviewed her, McPhee emphasized the importance of communication to the success of
the Winchester energy management committee. The committee, McPhee told me, has kept the Winchester community informed of energy initiatives through an annual “touch-base” with the other committees in Winchester, and through local TV and newspaper coverage. Quantifying energy savings in dollars, and sometimes characterizing those dollars in terms of teachers’ salaries, has proven an effective means to win public support for the work of the committee, according to McPhee.

For other Massachusetts cities and towns considering establishing an energy committee, DOER has several recommendations. First, ensure that the energy committee consists of both municipal officials and people outside of government. Integral team members may include: an experienced energy specialist or engineer; representatives of the facilities maintenance department, finance department, local utility, mayor’s office, Board of Selectmen, city/town council, and/or municipal manager’s office; interested citizens. Government members and energy specialists may provide essential information, expertise, and training. Individuals from outside of the government can contribute diverse perspectives and help the committee to engage the broader community.

Experimenting with the structure of an energy committee may enhance its effectiveness. For example, Winchester reduced the size of its committee, allowing it to function more effectively. Establishing an energy committee can help municipalities to realize their local clean energy potential. DOER’s Green Communities Division and its regional coordinators are here to help towns and cities take this important first step.

Massachusetts Clean Tech at the Top

Alicia Barton 

CEO and Executive Director at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

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Add it to the list-- last week Massachusetts was ranked No. 2 in the nation for clean tech in Clean Edge Inc.’s 2013 Clean Tech Leadership Index, joining the numerous other accolades the state has been racking up in recognition of the enormous strides we have made in staking a claim towards global leadership in clean technology.

Getting there took the hard work and dedication of citizens, homeowners, businesses, academia, communities, environmentalists and regulators coming together to reach a common goal: leaving the next generation a cleaner energy future. Across the state, business owners put solar panels on their roofs, like this photo here of a homeowner in Hopkinton, who installed solar panels through the Solarize Mass program. Cities and towns committed to making municipal buildings more energy efficient. Investors put money into clean technology startups. Meanwhile, state, federal and local governments offered incentives and crafted policies to nurture this rapidly-growing industry.

It was this all-hands-on-deck approach that gave Massachusetts a perfect score in the public policy category, which scored states on transportation policies, building codes, climate change targets and renewable energy adoption rates. Massachusetts was also ranked No. 1 in capital category, which analyzed private venture capital investments and higher education and research.

But let’s not stop here, there’s more to be done. At MassCEC, we’re going to keep pushing forward with programs to assist residents, business and communities in continuing to grow the clean energy sector here in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Schools Honored for Energy, Sustainability Achievements

Samantha Randall

Intern, Department of Energy Resources (EEA)

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On Wednesday, June 5, the Massachusetts National Energy Education Development (NEED) Youth Awards ceremony was held in the State House. NEED was started more than 30 years ago and is a national project to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating objective and engaging energy education programs. This year, seven schools, one district and one exceptional student were chosen from applications by Massachusetts schools and awarded for their efforts towards environmental sustainability and community outreach. I had the opportunity to attend as a DOER intern, where part of my work supports our clean energy education initiative. Being a recent college graduate, I was completely surprised by just how much these K-12 students actually knew and understood about energy.

Commissioner Mark Sylvia was the keynote speaker and opened the event by addressing how much the efforts and leadership taken by NEED students and teachers alike are becoming an increasingly important part of Massachusetts’ clean energy initiatives. The NEED curriculum ranges from themes like energy efficiency, to recycling and renewable energy.

That day, there were more than 100 students sitting in the Massachusetts State House for the NEED Youth Awards who had spent the year becoming energy literate. At one point during the award ceremony, each school was given a chance to have student representatives approach the podium and speak about their outreach projects. This is when I actually heard what the students had to say.

I was most impressed with the younger K-8 students’ knowledge. They were using words like solar photovoltaic, energy generation, kilowatt-hour, sustainability… These kids were learning topics in their primary education years that I hadn’t had the chance to start learning about until college − and most of them weren’t able to drive yet, let alone even see a PG-13 movie without an adult.

Commissioner Sylvia made a point during the event that I strongly agree with − “It’s so important for young people to understand the role energy plays in our lives; and it may be more important than trying to educate all the adults in Massachusetts.” If younger people learn about energy and environmental protection today, it will likely influence their actions and cultural values in years to come. And as I witnessed in the Massachusetts’ NEED Youth Awards − students become motivated to act upon an issue they understand when given the opportunity.

New Opportunities for K-12 Energy Education in Massachusetts

Florence Chen

Intern, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

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Creating a “cleaner energy future for the Commonwealth” (DOER’s focus) and teaching engaging and relevant science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) material in the classroom may seem like two goals that require different strategies. However, DOER’s new energy education website (mass.gov/energy/energyeducation) may enable progress toward both.

The website is a tool for Massachusetts educators − perhaps you − to explore clean energy concepts as a way to bring math and science lessons together in a stimulating, engaging context. You can learn about examples of successful energy education programs in our schools, examples of student efforts that have won energy and environmental education awards, and evolving state and federal guidelines and standards that are creating a path to integrate science and energy education.

The website’s section on “Lessons You Can Use in Your Massachusetts Classroom” discusses ways to link science concepts to clean energy examples that can make lessons more interesting and more relevant. For instance, if you’re teaching about thermodynamics and heat energy, why not talk about solar thermal collectors as an application of these principles? This energy education page also connects to lessons – with sample lesson plans – that fit energy concepts to current Massachusetts standards for science education.

Many great energy education lesson plans are freely available online already; DOER hasn’t tried to reinvent that wheel. Our website shows you how easy it is to integrate these lessons into your science curriculum and match them to our state education standards. Through energy examples, your students will be able to learn about exciting, real-world applications of science.

As a DOER intern, I was able to create a large part of the content for this website. It quickly became clear that teachers have many demands on their time, so our DOER team tried to make this website practical and easy-to-use. Another insight from this experience is that a few motivated individuals really can make a difference and change the way a school system approaches sustainability. While researching content for the website, I was inspired again-and-again by stories of how innovative educators around Massachusetts are making clean energy and environmental awareness a part of their students’ lives.

Finally, my DOER colleagues are always looking for feedback and ways to improve the website, so please share your ideas with us at energy.education@state.ma.us.

Cities & Towns at the Forefront of Massachusetts Energy Leadership

Aimee Powelka

Member of the DOER Green Communities Division

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The word is out that Massachusetts is a national leader in clean energy.The Commonwealth has been number one in energy efficiency since 2011 and the state met the Governor's goal for 250 megawatts of installed solar electric (photovoltaic or "PV") capacity four years early. The lesser known story is that leadership at local levels -- in cities and towns -- has been central to that success.

As recently as 2009, only a small percentage of Massachusetts cities and towns were keeping an eye on municipal energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Fewer still were pursuing renewable energy. For example:

• Fifty-nine of Massachusetts' 351 municipalities participated in EPA's Community Energy Challenge to use efficiency improvements to reduce by 10 percent their "energy use intensity" (total energy consumed in one year divided by the total building floor space).
• A small portion tracked energy consumption through EPA's ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager system or other energy-tracking software tools.
• Residential solar was a rarity; in 2007 there were only 3 MWs of solar PV capacity installed statewide in all sectors.

Today, the municipal energy landscape is vastly different. Guidance and incentives from Patrick-Murray Administration policies and programs, together with the expanded Mass Save® programs, has energized municipal and school officials to take action. The results have been dramatic.

• 110 cities and towns, covering almost half the Commonwealth's population, went through a rigorous, five step process -- which includes adopting a formal 20 percent energy reduction plan -- to be designated as one of the "Green Communities," eligible for state grants and other programs. Further, over a third of municipalities have adopted the "Stretch Code," which requires new buildings -- public or private -- within a city or town to be 20 percent more efficient than required by the existing "base energy code."
• Sixty-eight percent of cities and towns, representing 80 percent of Massachusetts residents, now measure and benchmark energy consumption of municipal, school and regional entities' buildings within the municipality. Through MassEnergyInsight®, a no-cost, web-based tool offered through the Department of Energy Resources, it's now easier to make sound decisions and take actions to maximize energy efficiency.
• The power of local clean energy leadership inspired SolarizeMass®, a partnership between cities and towns, DOER and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, to increase adoption of solar electric power by home and business owners. In 2012, 748 residents and business owners in seventeen communities signed contracts to install over 4.8 MW of solar electricity. The number of small-scale solar electricity projects in each community will more than double as a direct result of the program. That success led to 2013 SolarizeMass, just launched.

Growing involvement in clean energy by cities, towns and schools is contributing to an ever-increasing portion of Massachusetts' march to a clean energy future.

Agriculture — A Canary in the Coal Mine for Climate Change

Greg Watson

Commissioner, Department of Agricultural Resources

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An often overlooked culprit, the agricultural sector accounts for fourteen percent — or as much as twenty-five percent if you include agriculture-driven deforestation — of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, agriculture may be one of the greatest tools we have for mitigating climate change, and Massachusetts can lead that charge.

Since 2007, over 100 farms in the Commonwealth have installed renewable energy or implemented energy efficiency projects. For example, the Jordan Dairy Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts installed an anaerobic digester that combines manure with commercial food waste to generate electricity and produce fertilizer that can be used to increase farm productivity. It’s a win-win-win-win situation: clean energy, reduced need for chemical fertilizers that generate greenhouse gases and runoff that pollutes our waterways, reduced pressure on landfills, and more productive soil.

As demand for locally grown food in Massachusetts increases, efforts to build a sustainable supply infrastructure are growing as well. It’s been estimated that the average distance food travels from the farm to your dinner plate is 1,500 miles. By shortening the distance between farm and consumer, we’re reducing the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted by transporting food. Further, selling directly to the consumer at farmers’ markets, farm stands, and through CSA (community supported agriculture) shares, farmers get a bigger share of the profits than they would by going through wholesale markets.

Finally, interest in urban agriculture is exploding. Our cities have acres of vacant, flat rooftops that could be used for both rooftop farms and for greenhouses. In March, the first annual conference on urban agriculture, organized by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and held at Roxbury Community College, attracted 350 people – maximum capacity. Another 180 people wanted in.

We have a new generation of farmers in Massachusetts and across America — young people who understand there’s a promising future in agriculture, one in which farming plays a critical role in meeting the challenges of climate change. They are joining forces with and learning from our experienced farmers to ensure that agriculture will continue to play a pivotal role on Massachusetts’ physical, economic and environmental landscapes. I’m thrilled to be part of the solution.

(Adapted from Commissioner Watson’s WBUR’s Cognosenti submission.)

Mass. Data Center Tees Up Innovation in Clean Energy, Sets Standard for Energy Efficiency

John Goodhue, Guest Blogger

Executive Director, Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center

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A just-completed high performance computing center in Holyoke will help Massachusetts stay at
the forefront of discovery and innovation, and demonstrate clean energy leadership through application of efficient data center design and technology.

This model of collaborative economic development, the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) was created by Boston University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts, with financial support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the federal New Markets Tax Credit Program, EMC and Cisco.

The MGHPCC is intended to meet a critical need in the research community, where computing has become the “third leg” of scientific discovery, along with theory and experimentation. High performance computing will be critical to many clean energy research and engineering activities. These include synthesis of new materials for batteries and solar cells, analysis of usage patterns for energy distribution systems, and performance modeling for new wind, gas, and water turbine designs.

In designing, building and operating the facility itself, the MGHPCC has gone to great lengths to minimize its environmental footprint and maximize energy efficiency.

To begin with, it was designed for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED influenced dozens of decisions about the design, construction, and operation of the facility, ranging from selection of the site to choice of building materials to handling of waste water.

Beyond LEED certification, the MGHPCC was built in Holyoke in great part because the local power company, Holyoke Gas & Electric, generates more than 70 percent of its power through inexpensive, sustainable hydroelectric power from the Connecticut River.

As you might imagine, data centers consume massive amounts of energy. The MGHPCC has peak power capacity of 15 megawatts – enough to support 20,000 high-powered computers. The MGHPCC, however, is setting a new standard in the industry for energy efficiency. One of the most widely used measures of efficient operation is Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), developed by the US Green Buildings Council. A recent report cites typical data center PUE at about 1.9. The MGHPCC is targeting a more efficient PUE of less than 1.3 – a 25 percent reduction.

Here are a few of the ways that the MGHPCC is achieving this level of efficiency:

• Use of outside air to remove heat from the building much of the year, reducing the need for energy-intensive chiller operations. 
• Use of major mechanical and electrical equipment that operates reliably at relatively high
  temperatures, further reducing the need for air conditioning.
• Placement of cooling and power distribution equipment directly below the computer room. This configuration allows for short pipe and cable runs, which reduce the loss of power and cooling capacity.
• Layout of the computer room itself. Heat produced by the computers is captured through a “hot aisle” containment system that efficiently transfers waste heat to a chilled water loop. 

In addition to practicing energy efficiency and minimizing its environmental footprint, the MGHPCC itself will be something of a living laboratory, outfitted with sensors and other equipment that will collect data that will help improve future building design.

As you can see, with the MGHPCC, Massachusetts is putting the “green” into high-performance computing.

Saving Energy With Your Holiday Gifts

Tom Witkin

Marketing and Collaboration, Department of Energy Resources (DOER) 

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Did you get some sort of new electronic gadget as a holiday gift? If you did, you have a new, easy opportunity to save energy in your home.

The typical American household owns about 25 pieces of consumer electronics. Turns out that these fun electronic widgets, especially the older ones, can be real electricity hogs. Hopefully, your newest gifts are better about burning fewer electrons than similar products from not so long ago. If not, there are simple steps you can take to reduce their electricity appetite. Check out an informative, fun-to-read blog by Peter Lehner of the National Resources Defense Council: Pulling the Plug on Energy Waste: A Guide to Efficient Consumer Electronics. 

And, if you want to learn more about practical ways to save energy and money that don't relate to the holy grail product that integrates your computer/library/phone/music/etch-a-sketch into one tool, check out this Energy Smarts blog and tips.

Cleaning Up Your Woodstove

Bram Claeys

Renewable Energy Policy Director, Department of Energy Resources

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Winter is here – maybe even a real New England winter this time. We’ll huddle around to watch the bowl games and maybe even turn up the heat. But before you touch your thermostat, consider how your heat is generated. In all probability, you use either a boiler or furnace fired by natural gas or heating oil. Perhaps you use propane or even (let’s hope not) electricity.

The latter options especially can turn out to be pricey. But there’s good news: alternatives are available. Efficient renewable heating is coming, and if the Mass. Department of Energy Resources' (DOER) recommendations are followed, it’s here to stay.

One renewable path opened up with the launch of DOER and MassCEC’s $100,000 pilot incentive program to assist residents to trade in their inefficient wood, wood pellet, or coal-burning stoves for safer, more efficient, and cleaner models.

Qualifying residents can get a voucher of either $1000 or $2000 (depending on income) to replace older, non-EPA certified stove models with high efficiency stoves that use less wood and release fewer particulates into the air.

Efficient renewable heating is an attractive alternative to warming your home with fossil fuels; it can save you money, does not have the same supply constraints, and is cleaner. The efficient wood stoves in the change out program use less wood and produce fewer airborne particulates. Your family will appreciate the better air quality - so will your neighbors.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell notes that “this program is a great example of how state agencies work together to support our clean air goals, as well as clean energy goals. Because new wood stoves emit approximately 70 percent less pollution than older, conventional stoves, MassDEP worked with our partner agencies to ensure that the change-out program targets the less-efficient stoves and significantly reduces local particulate emissions.”

The woodstoves pilot program is just part of a broader program to support renewable heating and cooling. The MassCEC Commonwealth Solar Hot Water program is already stimulating an important approach to renewable heating in the residential, commercial and public sectors. There is more on the way.

Watch for additional pilot initiatives from a DOER / MassCEC / MassDEP partnership:

• Outdoor hydronic heater change out
• Residential wood pellet boilers (more sophisticated systems than wood stoves)
• Industrial/commercial wood boilers
• Residential and commercial air source and ground source heat pump programs
• Community district energy financing
• Renewable thermal business investment financing programs

These projects can help us gain experience with and build the marketplace for exciting, cost-effective and environmentally friendly new systems for our northeast climate.

The Cost of Staying Warm

Meredith Geraghty

Marketing and Outreach Intern, Department of Energy Resources (DOER), 

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A recent post in Energy Smarts highlighted several ways that Massachusetts residents can lower their heating energy use. And as the temperature drops and heating bills rise, that advice becomes ever more appealing.

Due to a combination of anticipated cooler weather and rising oil prices, the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) has predicted that this heating season will be the most expensive on record for those residents who use heating oil to warm their homes. If you look at recent pricing data for Massachusetts, it’s easy to see that heating oil prices have gone up over the past few years in comparison with natural gas prices, which have actually dropped.

But natural gas is not available to everyone in the Commonwealth. (Check with your local utility.)

So, as a consumer looking at these trends and continuing to empty my wallet, I want to know exactly what I am paying for. Here’s what I found out. The utilities act as distributors of natural gas and electricity that they purchase from generators. These purchasing costs show up as the “generation” portion of our utility bills. There is a separate price for getting the electricity or natural gas delivered to your home. On your bill, it will say “transmission and distribution” for electricity and “delivery” charges for natural gas. Consumers purchase heating oil from independent distributors and just see a single cost, the price per gallon.

While natural gas rates are regulated (by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities), heating oil and propane are market based products whose prices are not regulated by the state. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources conducts weekly price surveys of these fuels as part of its participation in the State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP) sponsored by the EIA. The cost of importing these fuels into our great (but currently really chilly) state is factored into the prices of heating oil and propane.

In communities where it is available, many households have converted to natural gas, in part as a
consequence of rising oil prices. According to the 2010 U.S. Census in Massachusetts, gas is now used by 50% of households, marking a gradual shift over the past 30 years from heating oil as the primary heating fuel. Heating oil made up 54% of household heating in 1980.

But no matter whether you use electricity for heat, or oil, gas or another fuel, chances are that you’d like to spend less. To achieve that, energy efficiency is the name of the game to generate ”green” benefits: less green from your wallet and fewer greenhouse gas emissions into our air.