HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/13/2013Dear Renewable and Alternative Energy team members,
In Attendance:
Scott Russell
Betty Neville
Vincent Orlando
Chris Talbot
Jeff Standish
Tim Abrams
We discussed the following topics and had a presentation (that was not on the schedule distributed prior to
the meeting) by UR Energy, Inc. regarding a proposal to retrofit lighting primarily in Town buildings, but
also possibly extended to streetlights.
UR Energy Inc. Presentation:
UR Energy Inc. (http://www.urenerg¥inc. com) presented the Committee with the outline of what they
would provide for the lighting retrofit and the type of equipment they use. Per their presentation, as a
"partner" with CREE (http://www. cree. com )lighting, a specialist in LED lighting, they can offer better
terms and accept smaller margins on the work they do, compared to other similar energy retrofit
companies.
Specifically, they offered that there would be no cash outlay, and the savings from the energy would be
shared over a shorter term than the average of other companies' offers. Their terms were 2-3 years and this
is significantly shorter than other companies' terms we've heard. In addition, through the CEP
(Commercial Efficiency Grant Program) from LIPA, the company is reimbursed for the majority of its
costs (materials and labor) 60% of the total cost. The remainder 40% of costs not covered by the grants
would be covered by a split savings deal that would constitute the splitting of the energy savings over the
term of the contract (in this case 2-3 years). After completing the contract the lights and fixtures are the
There are some caveats to this: Some of the LIPA incentives for LED light and fixture installation which
run $125/fixture are to be repriced in June. In addition, LIPA's operations are presumed to be taken over
by PSE&G, the NJ utility, which may have other terms. As a result, Jeff will meet with them this Monday
and follow up on some of the details of the specifics for our Town Buildings. Jeff also suggested that we
may want to have meetings every two weeks so that we move the process along to take advantage of the
available incentives and grants prior to any major changes, if we decide to pursue working with this vendor.
In addition, depending on who they've worked with, we can determine the appropriate way to handle the
RTF.
This process has only started and will be followed up on in further meetings.
Request for Comment for "Model East End Wind Code:"
The request for comment by the Energy Committee for the "Model East End Wind Code" emailed to us
several days ago was only reviewed by Jeff'. I've not reviewed this yet either but will give my opinion on a
separate email and would appreciate the Committee members feedback reply to that email.
Town Shelter PV Proiect:
The Town received several bills from the architectural firm (2 bills approximating $16,000) for the design
of the solar panels and posts that will be installed (eventually) at the Town Animal Shelter. Jeff felt that the
billing was not appropriate and would review the matter with the architectural firm.
NYSERDA Grants
Anthony reviewed the NYSERDA website and indicated that there were a number of things that they were
issuing grants for including an electric vehicle charging system. There is approximately $5-6mm for the LI
for these type of projects and $30mm statewide. The grant would cover nearly 75% of the cost of the
installation but whatever cost the Town would provide would have to be justified compared to other needs
of the Town. Can our members comment on this?
Other outstanding issues
Issues the Committee would like to bring up to the Town Council that have not been covered and the
Committee members think we should consider. If I've not covered something in this email, can our
Committee members comment on issues they would like to discuss at our upcoming meetings.
The Schedule of Meetings for 2013
The meetings for the rest of the year are held on the 2~a Wednesday of each month as follows:
April l0th, May 8th, June 12th, July l0th, August 14th, September 11th, October 9th, November 13th,
December 11th,
Please comment if you think any of these dates should be altered. Also should we have an August
meeting?
Expanding the Mandate:
There is an opportunity to expand the mandate of our Group. More information will be provided in a
separate email with details.
Update on the Schools Recycling Initiative
Jeff and I have been attending meetings every two weeks. Work by the school districts, with Southold and
Greenport participating more actively, indicate that there are active programs on recycling but it is difficult
to measure such activities as all recyclables are carted away by outside carters and not brought to the
Southold Transfer station. While progress has been made it seems to be two steps forward and one step
back every meeting and implementation for this school year seems unlikely.
Regards,
Kimon H. Retzos