12/03/2024 EC Minutes
TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
2155 Main Street
Bethlehem, NH 03574
Minutes of Bethlehem Energy Commission
December 3, 2024
Present: Dan Crosby, Mary Lou Krambeer, Chuck Phillips, David Van Houten
Excused: Bruce Caplain (Select Board Liaison)
Excused: Scott Caisse, Josh Lieberman
Also attending: Marni Hoyle, Jim Fitzpatrick
Mission: The Bethlehem Energy Commission encourages and supports economically and environmentally sensible energy practices in Bethlehem, NH.
AGENDA
-November minutes moved by Chuck Phillips and second by Mary Lou Krambeer. Approved.
-Village District solar turned on as of October 29. There is one more walk through with Ted and Jack of Barrington Solar. Jack installed a wifi setting to monitor the output.
-NHDES water treatment plan audit done in Sept. and report of our drinking water system should arrive soon. One key recommendation was to lower unoccupied building heat to 45-50 degrees, upgrade lights, and add solar. Possible installation of heat pumps. Propane usage is currently at about $20,000 a year. Eversource should be able to do an electric audit to help us figure out what to install and costs of renovations.
-Mowing maintenance plan for BES solar array: Dan Crosby looked at the array and there are saplings at the back of the fence, they will grow fast. He met with Town Administrator Mary Moritz and asked that the Town mow all four sides of the array each year.
-Main Street Solar Initiative: Mai Papaya is finishing paperwork. Super Secret Ice Cream has signed a contract and put down deposit and is waiting to hear on their installation date (it may not be until Spring). Rosa Flamingo is working on paperwork for participation in this USDA REAP solar installation program.
-Mary Lou mentioned seeing a North Country Solarize article by David Van Houten in the Green Energy Times. Please go on-line to read the July-Oct edition.
-Selectboard voted last night for BEC to become an annual member of Clean Energy New Hampshire. The $300 membership fee is included in the 2025 budget. Thank you to the Selectboard for supporting the organization that has been offering us free technical assistance and grant writing assistance for the past 5 years.
-To Do: Dan and Bruce would like to meet with Bob Francis, Bethlehem Building Inspector to talk about building codes in relation to energy efficiencies. Ask for an explanation of the process.
Think about how we reach out to builders,
-PUC and net metering: In November PUC Commissioners voted to keep the current net metering rules in-place until 2040.
-Rambling Woods –
To Do: Dan will ask Melissa Elander of Clean Energy NH for a follow-up at our January meeting.
-Eversource has approved underwriting 50% of the cost of battery storage for municipal building up to $200,000. Participants will still be able to apply for an additional 30% tax credit from the federal government. To Do: Mary Lou will ask Melissa Elander of Clean Energy NH for a follow-up
-CPCNH Nov 22 mtg notes (Mary Lou sat in on Zoom meeting):
CPCNH now has 5 products – in addition to the four original price options, they have added a new tier of pricing which allows municipalities to include a small increase to the kWH cost. It is called a adder” and the additional funds go to the municipality to build up discretionary reserves. Four communities are currently participating — Canterbury, Nashua, Cheshire County, Peterborough – added $0.2 cents to raise dollars for local projects. This can “adder” can be applied to the basic rate (default rate) or become another price option on the tier of prices. Town will need to review this add-on rate once a year.
Some nonresidential accounts, municipal and business accounts, want a 12-month rate to better project their costs; no contract required and no penalties for joining late or leaving early. Contact Jackson.kaspari@communty powernh.gov Granite basic annual = 8.9 cents/kWh – $Clean 100 at 12.4 cents/kWh
Rate sheet: https://www.communitypowernh.gov/annual-rate
Renewable Energy Credit (REC) – producers get a reimbursement for every 1000 kWh generated (used by owner or sent back to the grid). CPCNH is working on a new service for net metering households in the area; that will allow CPCNH to procure the RECs they need and expand their local RECS (CPCNH would prefer to buy directly from our local producers). Pricing will be market-based and set in November of each year. Launching REC website this November (2024). An explanation sheet coming out soon. This will allow: 1) local energy producers (e.g. solar energy producers) to move away from selling to a commercial aggregator. 2. And/or it will help CPNNH increase their aggregation by buying from commercial aggregators (we want to encourage these companies to sell to CPCNH).
To Do: Mary Lou will look into the REC vendor in NH, the price they are offering residential solar clients and if they will considering selling to CPCNH.
On Dec 19 towns will get an email with the new draft rate offerings for Feb – July. We don’t have to do anything unless we want to change to a different default rate offering (Granite Basic vs. three higher rates or an “adder” rate). If we want to change our default rate level, or add an “adder” amount, we need to let CPNNH by Dec 30. January 1 new rates will be finalized, noticed to Towns, and published on websites.
-Profile High School: $685,000 cost to build the Profile array; in 2027 the value of the array (cost to school, if the school wants to buy) would be $350,000.
Possible projects for BEC in 2025:
- Think about how to help residents save energy and save money through efficiencies
- Solar for Water Plant
- Opportunity for Bethlehem re: Group Net Metering for municipalities in Eversource area contact: bolinger@communitypowernh.gov . CPCNH wants to sign-up municipalities to participate; in the case of municipalities with solar, only their non-solar $ amount may be covered
- Battery storage for municipal storage
Meeting adjourned at 7:08.
BEC Meetings in 2025 (first Tuesday of the month):
January 7 — Scott will run the meeting.
Feb 4, March 4, April 1 (really!), May 6, June 3, July 1, Aug 5, Sept 2, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 2