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About Melrose
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City of
Melrose
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Energy Commission
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| Created
in 2005, the Melrose Energy Commission is a group of Melrose citizens who
are volunteering their time to help the city and its residents save
energy. MEC members have diverse and extensive experience in areas
pertaining to energy usage, efficiency and policy. |
| GOALS |
| The
Commission is working with city officials to: |
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| MEETINGS |
| The
Melrose Energy Commission meets monthly in the basement of City Hall
. Melrose
residents are welcome to attend and participate, and are also encouraged
to become members of the Commission. See the calendar for the next meeting
date. For additional details and/or to be placed on the MEC mailing list,
contact the Melrose Energy Commission at 781-662-2616 or melroseenergy@yahoo.com. |
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| For
further information about the Melrose Energy Commission, use the links
above. |
| CLEAN ENERGY CHOICE |
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By
participating in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Program,
Melrose
residents support clean,
renewable energy (such as solar or wind energy generation). Participants
pay a small premium on their monthly electric bill and these funds help
sponsor the development of renewable energy in the state.
A portion of these funds are also returned to
Melrose
in
the form of state-funded matching grants for use in renewable energy and low-income energy projects.
Contributions to the program are tax deductible.
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| MATCHING FUNDS |
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Residents
can sign up at any time but there are several major advantages for early
registration. If 131 new participants sign up by
April 30, 2008
, the city will receive a grant to
install a free solar-panel system for a public building or school.
Even
if the number of new applicants does not reach 131 by the April 30
deadline,
Melrose
will still receive matching state funds
(administered by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative) for smaller
projects.
As
of
Feb.
29, 2008
,
a total of 113
Melrose
households are participating. This is the fifth-highest total in the
state.
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| WIND
POWER |
|
Another
option available through Mass. Clean Energy is to make a separate
contribution to the New England Wind Fund. These contributions are eligible for a partial tax deduction.
Please visit www.newenglandwind.org
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| HOW TO SIGN UP |
For
further details about Clean Energy Choice, including information about
enrolling, see www.masstech.org/CleanEnergyOrg/option1.htm.
You can also contact National Grid about this program by calling
1-800-322-3223 and asking about GreenUp (National Grid’s Clean Energy
Choice program is referred to as GreenUp.)
|
| MEMBERS |
| MEC
members represent a wide array of backgrounds, including engineering,
policy, environmental protection, communications, sales and installation,
utility regulation, evaluation and analysis, and law. |
|
| Robert
Lucien, MEC Chair,
recently retired after 35 years of teaching science in the Melrose school
system. He has served on the
Melrose Conservation Commission, the Community Development Committee and
the Stop Now Coalition, and helped develop Melrose’s first
recycling program. |
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| José
Rotger, MEC Secretary,
has more than 18 years of experience in the electric utility industry,
specializing in policy and regulatory affairs. He has served as a state utility regulator, electric utility
executive and energy project developer. He currently consults for utility companies and wind project
developers. |
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| Gregg
Aloi,
whose educational background is in electrical and mechanical engineering,
has more than 30 years of commercial property management experience with
Prudential Insurance Company, BankBoston, StorageNetworks and Comcast. He
developed the first energy-use database for all municipal buildings in Melrose. |
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| Eric
Beaton,
Energy
Manager for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has 11 years of
experience with energy-efficiency and renewable energy programs in the
buildings and transportation sectors |
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| Jeff
Cook,
a Licensed Master Electrician for more than 20 years, is the
Facilities/Lab Operations Manager for Nuvera Fuel Cells, a cutting edge
alternative energy company. |
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| James
Cross,
Vice President of Technology at
Nuvera Fuel Cells in Cambridge,
has 13 years of experience in
advanced energy systems analysis and R&D. |
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| Matt Dugan,
Manager
of Residential Energy Efficiency Programs for KeySpan Energy, has 11 years
of experience developing and implementing natural gas and electric
energy-efficiency programs. |
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| Ellen
Katz,
Fiscal Director for the Cambridge Dept. of Public Works, has been
actively involved with energy-efficiency projects for the City of Cambridge.
Katz has more than 20 years of experience in environmental programs and
policies. |
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| Bradley
Michaels,
an engineer for Teradyne Corporation, has more than 10 years of experience
in the semiconductor and medical device industries, specializing in
mechanical engineering and technical project management. |
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| Susan
Murphy,
an attorney for the past 11 years, is co-chair of the Melrose Conservation
Commission. |
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| Howie
Newman,
a communications specialist, worked for the Consortium for Energy
Efficiency for nine years and has 28 years of experience in journalism and
public relations. |
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| David
Shakespeare,
who
works for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, has
more than 15 years of experience in environmental policy and analysis. A
member of the State Sustainability Council, he recently presented a paper
at the World Renewable Energy Congress in Denver. |
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| Brian
Smith,
an
engineer for Lawrence Pumps, has more than 18 years of experience product
development, project management and sales. |
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| Jack
Welch,
with nearly four decades of experience in the HVAC industry, is the sales
manager for Burnell Controls, Inc. His expertise includes service,
installation and system design of HVAC systems, as well as temperature
control and energy management systems.
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| MEC
IN the news |
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| 12-05-07
’Tis the
season to save energy
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| 11-15-07
Melrose
Energy fair draws record crowd Melrose
Energy Fair |
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| 9-20-07
Teachers
fine-tune energy curriculum at national conference |
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| 7-12-07
Installing
central AC: an opportunity for efficiency
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| 7-12-07
Energy
tips for the summer |
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| Accomplishments |
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Solar
panels at Melrose Middle School
The
Melrose Energy Commission worked with city officials to obtain a $340,000
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative grant for a 30-kilowatt
photovoltaic panel at the school. |
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Purchase
of city streetlights
After
conducting an extensive economic analysis of Melrose’s streetlights, the
MEC recommended to city officials that the streetlights be purchased
directly from National Grid. The purchase is expected to be closed in
early 2008. By purchasing – rather than leasing – these lights,
Melrose stands to realize an annual net savings of about $100,000. |
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Accruing
more than $10,000 in state funds for renewable energy projects
By
promoting the state’s Clean Energy Choice program, the Commission
enlisted more than 100 Melrose households to contribute monthly payments
(through their utility bills) in support of renewable energy. These contributions have earned Melrose more than$10,000 in
matching state funds that will further promote renewable energy through
equipment (such as photovoltaic panels), consumer education and building
analysis. |
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Energy
education in Melrose schools
Using
funds from the Clean
Energy Choice matching grant, two
Melrose Middle School teachers – Nancy Naslas and Eric DiAntonio –
were able to attend July’s National Energy Education Development (NEED)
curriculum training seminar in Washington, D.C. The teachers reported back
to the MEC to explain how they are incorporating the lessons from the
training into their existing curricula.
In addition, the Melrose
Energy Commission helped secure $500 from KeySpan Energy to
fund the cost of NEED curriculum materials for the public schools. |
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Melrose
enlists in EPA’s Community Energy Challenge and U.S. Mayors Climate
Agreement
Identifying
these initiatives as excellent opportunities for energy savings in city
buildings, the MEC worked with Mayor Dolan to enlist Melrose in these EPA
and state-sponsored programs.
Through
these programs, Melrose and other New England cities are benchmarking the
energy usage of city and school buildings, and then committing to an
energy reduction of at least 10 percent. |
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Melrose
Energy Fair (link to press release)
The
MEC organizes and manages the annual Melrose Energy Fair, an event
designed to create public awareness about opportunities for energy
efficiency, renewable energy, energy audits and financial assistance for
low-income families.
First
held in December 2005, the fair provides hands-on demonstrations and
information for consumers. Exhibitors include local retailers, contractors
and utility representatives.
The
third annual Melrose Energy Fair was held Nov. 11, 2007, at Memorial Hall,
drawing a record crowd of more than 200 area residents. Click here for
details. |
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Consumer
education
The
MEC regularly contributes stories to the Melrose
Free Press and Melrose Weekly
News about energy-saving opportunities for consumers. Through these
media outlets, the Commission also keeps Melrose residents informed about
energy-efficiency projects undertaken by the city.
In addition, the MEC offers
presentations about energy efficiency at local venues, such as the Melrose
Public Library and Milano Senior Center.
The
MEC has also facilitated free public access to energy-savings documents at
City
Hall |
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Energy
audit of city buildings
In
coordination with the School Department and Department of Public Works,
the MEC has initiated an inventory of energy consumption in city
buildings. The objective of this project is to establish baseline levels
which can be used in developing energy-efficiency opportunities. In
conjunction with this effort, the MEC has arranged for an accelerated
scheduling of energy audits for city buildings by National Grid. The
Commission is also investigating other energy audit opportunities,
including grants from the state and energy performance contracting. |
| FUTURE PROJECTS |
| Working
with city officials, National Grid and other organizations, the Melrose
Energy Commission is exploring the following energy-efficiency opportunities: |
- State
funding for efficiency projects
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- Memorial
Hall HVAC upgrade
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- Evaluation of wind energy projects
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- Water-efficiency
projects
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- Solar-powered
lights, irrigation system for
Ell Pond Park
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- Bio-fuels
for city facilities, equipment and vehicles
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- Distribution
of “smart meters” to residents
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- Renewable
energy projects
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- Insulation
and weatherization retrofit of
city buildings
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| April 17 |
MEC Monthly Meeting |
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| May 15 |
MEC Monthly Meeting |
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| June 19 |
MEC Monthly Meeting |
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