News that Harvard is the recipient of a second Green Communities grant from the state’s Department of Energy Resources is an occasion to celebrate the accomplishments of yet another volunteer group that works hard but largely out of sight on behalf of the town: our six-member, seven-year-old Energy Advisory Committee.
The $226,000 grant is among the largest awarded to a Green Community this year, placing Harvard among the top third of recipients, despite its relatively small size. By combining this money with $46,000 in future incentives available through National Grid, the town’s electrical and gas utility, Harvard will replace an aging furnace at Hildreth House and upgrade the town’s systems for managing energy use at its schools and library. The schools, library, and police and fire stations will also get more energy-efficient lighting. The committee estimates that the current round of improvements will result in average savings of $37,000 per year.
Though progress has not been as rapid as the committee would like, its initiatives on behalf of the town have reduced use of electricity, gas, and oil by municipal buildings, vehicles, and equipment by an estimated 6 percent since fiscal 2009, and members are confident that planned upgrades and improved management will help Harvard move closer to its goal of lowering energy use by 20 percent. Presumably, these lower energy costs are reflected in reduced town budgets for fuel and electricity and not just absorbed by other spending. It would be nice to see these savings highlighted.
This work is good for the town, good for the state, and good for the planet, lowering our carbon footprint as well as the cost of municipal government, and it’s being accomplished at no cost to Harvard taxpayers, thanks to the hundreds of hours donated by a group of citizens comfortable with British thermal units, kilowatt hours, and the engineering intricacies of complex lighting, heating, and cooling systems. We’re glad to see that this year’s grant includes money for an administrator to help the committee prepare the detailed quarterly and annual progress reports that the state requires, which have consumed so much of its members’ time.
At a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, Selectman Stu Sklar declared the work of the committee “remarkable.” We agree. So let’s hear a round of applause, please, for one brainy and hardworking band of volunteers and their efforts to make Harvard a better place for us all.
