If the town is to meet its goal of an 80 percent reduction of greenhouse gas use by 2050, its commitment will have to extend beyond the public sector.
Members of the town Energy and Sustainability Committee are starting to discuss a possible energy use disclosure bylaw to facilitate that objective.
Member John Shutkin briefed the committee on initial discussions at its virtual meeting last Thursday. He said he and fellow member Dan Bostwick conferred with a former committee longtime member, Carolyn Sarno, about the concept. Sarno is a veteran facilities management professional with expertise in the energy sector.
A disclosure bylaw from Cambridge is included for reference in Bedford’s 2019 net zero implementation report. That model requires commercial buildings above 25,000 square feet and residential buildings with more than 50 units to annually track and report energy use.
Shutkin said he envisions developing a bylaw that requires the gathering of data and limits on energy use that are enforceable.
“A large number of stakeholders have to be brought into this process,” he stated. “Owners of private businesses have a significant interest. This is a long-term project, an important one, and one that other communities have already done.” The town will need “expert consulting input,” he added, and there could be some expense involved.
Committee member Robert Direr concurred: “It’s a serious commitment if we march down that road.”
Shutkin said he and Bostwick “very consciously did not decide what is the next step.” Someone with professional experience like Sarno could provide guidance, he said. “Other towns could be a great resource: How have you done it?”
Committee Chair Emily Prince said at some point there should be a “working group.” She related, “When we first were talking about this in March 2020, we were coming right off net zero advisory council meetings and had relationships with those commercial leaders. We probably have to re-establish some of those relationships.”
The pandemic-induced suspension of progress was a setback, she continued, but the bylaw is “definitely something we want to pursue.”
She noted that the town is advertising to fill the new position of energy and sustainability manager. “I can’t imagine the manager not being intimately involved and perhaps leading this,” she said. “Maybe we need to wait for that person to be in place.” She also suggested involving the town’s economic development director.
Also at the meeting, Facilities Director Taissir Alani told the committee that design work is proceeding on the library’s new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system.
Similar to the system planned for the expanded police station, this one features electric boilers, heat pumps, and air-handling units. “We’re removing gas from the building,” Alani said.
He also cited the replacement of a 900-gallon water heater at John Glenn Middle School with three 100-gallon electric units. “We’re not running natural gas at JGMS,” he said.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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