Meetings:
7:00 pm
Town Hall, main floor
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Contact:
Bob Larson
larson.robert@earthlink.net
Phone & Fax: 895 4013
Meeting Minutes
October 9, 2007
October 15, 2007
January 15, 2008
February 19, 2008
March 18, 2008
April 15, 2008
ENERGY SUGGESTIONS:
The Fremont Energy Committee will be providing energy savings suggestions in the Newsletter on a monthly basis. Our initial offering is a comparison of costs between a standard 60 watt incandescent light bulb and a 14 watt compact fluorescent bulb, which has an equivalent light output.
Based on current electric bills from PSNH, and light bulb prices from a local chain store outlet, a savings of $97.00 would be achieved for every compact fluorescent installed.(Basis: 12,000 hour rated compact fluorescent and 1000 hour rated incandescent: Common ratings.)
It should be noted that , at this time, compact and standard fluorescent bulbs should not be disposed of as household trash. The reason being that these devices contain minute amounts of mercury, a toxic substance. However, it should be noted that the largest energy source for producing electricity in the U.S. is coal burning, which emits mercury. The amount of mercury produced to generate the excess power consumed by incandescent lighting far exceeds the amount contained in a compact fluorescent.
Fluorescent bulbs may be disposed of at the twice-yearly hazardous waste collection site. As an aside, it should be noted that dry cell batteries should be disposed of as hazardous waste, as well.
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ENERGY COMMITTEE UPDATES
The Energy Committee is currently doing an energy audit on all Town Facilities and Departments with a goal of minimizing the Town’s energy usage which will reduce greenhouse gases and reduce overall operating costs. The Town and School District spent in excess of $160,000 in 2007 on energy purchases, which includes heating oil, electricity and vehicle fuel. (This cost is in spite of energy saving efforts.) These costs are expected to rise significantly in 2008 due to rapidly escalating fuel costs. The Committee is interfacing with various entities which have expertise in energy management to assist in the goal of continually reducing our "Carbon Footprint" and, as a result, reducing our costs.
In addition, the Committee is working with the Planning Board to develop an Energy segment for the updated Fremont Master Plan. This will result in energy usage as prime consideration in the planning and zoning process.
The Energy Committee is always looking for additional volunteers. Their next meeting is Tuesday May 20, 2008 at 7:00 pm in the main floor meeting room at the Fremont Town Hall. Contact Bob Larson for more information at 895 4013.
MORE ENERGY TIPS
Reprinted from the Ellis School Newsletter: Did you know:
v That you can run a television set for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved from recycling one aluminum can?
v By recycling just one glass bottle or container you save enough electricity to power a 100 watt bulb for four hours?
v For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons water, 380 gallons of oil, and enough electricity to power an average American home for six months?
What can you do to help?
v Pick up a recycling bin at the Town Hall, or use a laundry basket or trash can to recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass containers, newspapers, and cardboard. For a full list of items to be recycled, check the town website at www.Fremont.nh.gov on the Recycling Page; or refer to the page in this newsletter with updated information.
v Rinse and reuse plastic and Ziploc bags or use plastic washable (reusable) containers to pack lunches and snacks.
v Put shredded papers in clear plastic trash bags, or simply clearly mark the outside of a bag with shredded paper inside it. This can all be recycled with paper, but should be bagged separately.
v Compost food and yard waste in a compost bin or create a compost pile in your yard. This will save money on trash pick-up by reducing tonnage, saving landfill space, and you can create your own rich soil. Be cautious of compost bins (like your birdfeeders) as bears who are hungry will paw thru them.
The Fremont Energy Committee is going to make available a program to do energy audits on homes and businesses. At this time, the details or timing are not available, but hopefully something will be in place this year, and improved upon over time. In addition, there are programs in place at this time, provided by energy suppliers; and the committee will provide details on how to access these programs. Please contact us if you are interested in these programs.
The following are a few reminders and suggestions to assist in your energy saving efforts:
* Run your dishwasher with only a full load & use the energy saving setting.
* Turn your water heating setting to 120 degrees. If the device is over 7 years old and does not have internal insulation, wrap an insulating jacket around it.
* As you replace home appliances, select the most energy efficient models. Any additional cost will be recovered many times over due to the lower energy use.
* RECYCLE! Our current vendor for trash pickup is no longer able to stay in business, and all of the bids submitted by potential new vendors are substantially higher, resulting in higher than anticipated costs in 2008 and beyond. There are two components to our solid waste costs: The cost to a hauler to bring the trash to the landfill, and the cost per ton to dump the trash. We pay the hauler to pick up recyclables and trash, but there is no cost to dispose of recyclables whereas the trash disposal fee is approximately $65/ton.
The next meeting of the Fremont Energy Committee will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday April 15, 2008 in the main meeting room at the Fremont Town Hall.
February Energy Tip
This month's energy saving suggestion involves recycling of household solid waste. Although increased recycling does not reduce an individual household's energy usage, it does decrease overall consumption. Recycled materials are utilized in the manufacture of metal goods, plastic fabrications and paper products. Using recycled materials rather than raw materials reduces energy consumption and costs less to manufacture a product.
In addition, Fremont's cost to dump solid waste at the landfill is approximately $66/ton, but there is no cost/ton for recycled materials. Fremont disposes over 1800 tons of trash per year at the $66 cost! Currently, our recycling rate in Fremont is approximately 13%; the state recycling rate is over 20%; and the theoretical amount which can be recycled is approximately 45%. As an example, if Fremont increases it's recycling rate to 25%, it will save taxpayers about $17,000..
All residents are encouraged to take a few minutes each week and recycle their paper, plastic, aluminum & tin cans. A list of recyclable items and recycling bins can be obtained at the town offices. In addition, composting food and yard wastes is a great way to reduce the solid waste burden, and produce fertilizer material for your garden.
March Energy Tip
What is your Carbon Footprint?
This month’s green tip from the Fremont Energy Committee is about reducing your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint measures the impact of our everyday activities on the environment in terms of green house gases produced (in units of carbon dioxide). Reducing energy consumption reduces our carbon footprint. There are many websites that provide free calculators to determine your footprint. A few are: www.carbonfootprint.com; www.climatecrisis.net; and www.nature.org/. These resources not only help you figure out where your biggest impact may be, but they also have a lot of information to help reduce and offset our impacts. The biggest contributors to our individual carbon footprints are usually home heating/electricity usage and travel. When calculating your footprint you will be asked questions pertaining to these factors in addition to other lifestyle information.
So how can you reduce your carbon emissions and balance your impact? There are many ways – some of which we already know and some that aren’t so obvious. Here are some suggestions: replace light bulbs and appliances to Energy Star-compliant products; carpool (even for short distances); buy local food and products (these are not shipped long distances); buy produce that is in season and organic (oil is used in fertilizer production); recycle; combine business related trips or use modern communication technologies when possible; and unplug TVs and other appliances when not in use. Many of these are not only better for the environment, but are money savers.
In addition to reducing our carbon emissions, we can take action to help offset the carbon that we do produce. Planting trees and supporting clean renewable energy are two ways to do this. Why should we reduce and offset our impact? These are personal considerations, however research does suggest that we need to move toward a more sustainable living practice (using renewable energy sources) and the impact of our existence is already seen in our changing weather patterns. More information about sustainable living in NH is available at http://nhsea.org/.
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