Energy Committee

Municipal Solar Panels:

Our greatest accomplishment so far has been the installation of two large municipal solar arrays, which are now producing 40 percent of the electricity consumed by New London town facilities. This project is a big step toward our municipal goal of achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

Next time you drive past the Highway Garages on South Pleasant Street, take a look up at the roof, facing the street, where you'll see 210 solar panels that began generating electricity on July 1, 2020. These panels not only produce enough electricity to power both Highway Garages; they also generate a surplus that offsets the electricity usage of other town facilities. 

Around the corner, at the end of Frothingham Road, another 428 solar panels came online May 19, 2020. They produce most of the electricity needed to run our six Sewer Pumping Stations.

The combined output of these arrays has exceeded 436,000 kilowatt-hours in just eighteen months. The solar panels will continue to produce electricity for the next 25, 50 or even 100 years.

To see the solar production on our Highway Garage roof: CLICK HERE

And to see solar production at our Sewer Department: CLICK HERE  

Building weatherization
In 2019 and 2020 we co-sponsored Weatherize Kearsarge, a 10-town volunteer initiative encouraging homeowners, landlords and tenants to weatherize their homes through generous rebates on insulation and air-sealing work. In the winters of 2020-21 and 2021-22 the program fell victim to funding cuts and the pandemic, but as of the spring of 2022 it’s up and running again and offering rebates up to $6,000 per homeowner. Generous to say the least, as homeowners will also save on home heating bills.

LED lighting enhancements
In our quest to save energy through conservation and efficiency, we spearheaded an effort to upgrade all municipal buildings to LED lighting fixtures. In 2019 and 2020 we upgraded Tracy Library, the Town Office Building, Fire Station, Police Department, Recreation Department and the large Public Works Garage. These upgrades have significantly reduced our electric bills. Equally important, LED bulbs last ten times as long as fluorescents, which reduces maintenance expense, especially in high-ceilinged buildings.

Education
Education is the key to widespread adoption of energy-saving techniques. To get the word out about tax credits, rebates and other incentives for homeowners, we organize in-person events such as Weatherize, Solarize, Electric Vehicle Expos and electric bicycle loans, as well as our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/NLECNH). A recent Facebook post highlighted the fact that the federal tax credit for renewable energy has been expanded to include woodstoves and wood furnaces as well as solar panels, geothermal heating systems and home storage batteries. However, this tax credit is only in place for a limited time - 26% in 2022, 22% in 2023, and 0% in 2024 – so quick action is recommended. For dates and descriptions of this year’s in-person events, please scroll down to the heading ‘Coming Up Soon’.

Looking ahead
In the past our primary focus has been electricity use. In 2022 we plan to begin examining energy used for heating and transportation as well - including heating systems in municipal buildings, and the composition of our municipal vehicle fleets, with an eye toward transitioning to electric vehicles as they become available. Equally important is encouraging bicycling and walking for short trips around town, instead of driving a car, to promote health and wellness while simultaneously saving energy. To this end, we plan to spearhead and support bike-friendly initiatives such as an electric bicycle loan program and a multi-use loop trail encircling the village district and connecting the Colby-Sawyer campus with the Shopping Center and destinations in between.

Monthly meetings

We welcome guests at our monthly meetings, held on the first Wednesday of the month at 5:30 PM (winter) or 7:00 PM (spring, summer, fall), in the Syd Crook Conference Room or on Zoom. Check the Town Calendar for the correct date and time. Our permanent Zoom link is us06web.zoom.us/j/5079883436. Come share your energy, enthusiasm and ideas!