Northampton Green Communities designation form FINAL 5 10 2010
DESIGNATION FORM
INSTRUCTIONS
In order to be designated as a Green Community pursuant to MGL c 25A §10, the applicant must meet five
criteria. The Green Communities Division is required to verify that the applicant has met the criteria through
an application process.
This designation form is the first step in a municipality becoming a Green Community. Please fill out this
designation form completely including providing the required information outlined in this form. The
designation phase is a rolling process. However, to be considered for grants in FY 2010, designation forms
are due on Friday, May 14, 2010 by 5pm. One electronic copy must be submitted to Cliff Sullivan at
cliff.sullivan@state.ma.us and one unbound hard copy must be submitted to the following address:
Department of Energy Resources
Green Communities Division
100 Cambridge Street, 10th Floor
Boston, MA 02114
ATTN: Cliff Sullivan
Once an applicant has completed this designation form, it will be reviewed by the Green Communities
Division and a determination will be made as to designation. When an applicant is designated as a Green
Community, it is eligible to apply for grant funds to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
APPLICANT INFORMATION
Municipality / Local Government
City of Northampton
Contact (print)
Chris Mason
Street Address
240 Main St.
Title
Energy and Sustainability Officer
City/Town State Zip Code
Northampton MA 01060
Telephone Email
413-587-1055 cmason@northamptonma.gov
GREEN COMMUNITIES
GRANT PROGRAM
FY 10 APPLICATION
□ CRITERIA 1: AS OF RIGHT SITING
Description of Criteria
Provide for the as-of-right siting of renewable or alternative energy generating facilities, renewable
or alternative energy research and development (R&D) facilities, or renewable or alternative
energy manufacturing facilities in designated locations.
Type of As-of-Right Zoning
Please indicate which type of as-of-right zoning the municipality is providing (check all applicable
boxes).
X RE/AE Facilities
X Research and Development
X Manufacturing
Documentation
RE/AE Facilities – Description
RE/AE Research and Development and RE/AE Manufacturing (or any other kind of R&D and
manufacturing) are allowed by-right in any Special Industrial or General Industrial Zoning District.
(Zoning §350-2.1, Definition and Zoning §350-Attachment 1, Table of Use Regulations)
Site Plan approval is required for any construction over 2,000 square feet.
Site Plan approval for alternative energy Research and Development and/or manufacturing is
guaranteed within one year. (Zoning §350-11.4, Requirements)
Site Plan approval is governed by Massachusetts common law, which has been very clear that site
plan approval is NOT a discretionary approval and is only based on HOW projects are developed,
NOT on whether or not they are developed.
See attached City Solicitor’s letter on next page
Applicable Section of Northampton Zoning
Northampton Zoning-- §350-2.1, Definition {extract}
MANUFACTURING: Heavy or light industry, manufacture or assembly of a product, including
processing, fabrication, assembly, treatment, packaging, and allowed accessory uses.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FACILITY: A facility primarily for scientific or product
research, investigation, testing, or experimentation, along with incidental offices, incidental
storage, incidental manufacture and sale of products, and incidental employee-only facilities.
Northampton Zoning--Attachment 1, Table of Use Regulations {extract}
Northampton Zoning—§350-11.4, Site Plan Requirements {Extract}
These requirements are superimposed over any other requirements of this Zoning Ordinance. The
Building Commissioner may not issue any building or zoning permits for any intermediate or major
projects until the site plan has been approved by the Planning Board through a simple majority
vote of the members present. The site plan process shall be conducted by the Planning Board in
conformance with the filing, review and public hearing requirements for a special permit, except in
the case of alternative energy research and development (R&D) and manufacturing facilities, as
defined in the Green Communities Act. Editor's Note: See Acts of 2008, Ch. 169.
For alternative energy R&D and/or manufacturing, review periods are guaranteed not to exceed
one year from the date of initial application to the date of final Board action. Said applications
shall be reviewed within 45 days, and the applicants will be notified of what additional
submissions are necessary to meet this one-year final action deadline. The Planning Board shall
use the criteria of § 350-11.6 for approving or disapproving the site plan. As with special permits,
any appeal of a site plan decision by the Planning Board shall be made in accordance with MGL
c. 40A, § 17.
Northampton Zoning Map Highlighting SI and GI Zoning—
RE/AE R&D and Manufacturing allowed by right
Lot Yield Calculations
The Northampton Office of Planning and Development has done an analysis of General and
Special Industrial zoning districts in Northampton. We concluded:
3. These districts contain greenfield sites, partially developed sites, and previously developed
sites that are suitable to house significant RE/AE Research and Development and
manufacturing.
4. There are 588 acres zoned Special Industrial or General Industrial in the city, of which
approximately 400 acres is useable for RE/AE R&D and Manufacturing.
5. Approximately 60 acres is available on greenfield or empty sites for RE/AE R&D and
Manufacturing, especially in GI sites on Haydenville Road and off Damon Road.
6. The remaining 340 acres provides ample opportunity for the redevelopment of existing sites,
expansions of existing buildings and reuse of existing buildings.
□ CRITERIA 2: EXPEDITED PERMITTING
Description of Criteria
Adopt an expedited application and permitting process under which these energy facilities may be
sited within the municipality and which shall not exceed 1 year from the date of initial application to
the date of final approval.
The expedited application and permitting process applies to the proposed facilities which are
subject to the as-of-right siting provision.
An applicant can meet this requirement by applying the expedited permitting process of MGL c
43D to these zoning districts.
Type of Expedited Permitting
Please indicate which type of as-of-right zoning the municipality is providing (check the applicable
box).
X Local Expedited Permitting Process
Documentation
See attached City Solicitor’s letter under Criteria 1.
As documented in the City Solicitor’s letter and the zoning and yield calculation criteria in
Criteria 1, under zoning permits for energy facilities are as-of-right and must be issued
within an expedited time frame.
There is nothing within the State Wetlands Protection Act and regulations nor the
Northampton Wetlands Protection Ordinance that would limit the Conservation Commission
from issuing their permits within the same time period as the Planning Board, which has
been their practice for decades. Nonetheless, for the purpose of the lot yield assessment
under the Criteria 1 section (above) we assume for lot yield only that land that does not
need any Wetlands Orders of Condition to demonstrate that Criteria 2 is met regardless of
how long the Conservation Commission takes.
No other discretionary permits are required and non-discretionary permits (primarily
building permit and related codes) are all issued on a state-mandated timeline.
Northampton Zoning Map Highlighting SI and GI Zoning—
Expedited Permitting coincides with RE/AE R&D and Manufacturing allowed by right
□ CRITERIA 3: ENERGY USE BASELINE /
REDUCTION PLAN
Description of Criteria
Establish an energy use baseline inventory for municipal buildings, vehicles, street and traffic
lighting, and put in place a comprehensive program designed to reduce this baseline by 20 percent
within 5 years of initial participation in the program.
Documentation
Please provide a copy of the energy use baseline inventory completed for all municipally owned
and operated buildings, vehicles, street lights and traffic lights and a detailed plan for reducing
fossil fuel consumption by 20% in 5 years (all required).
XIdentify inventory tool used: _Facility’s monthly energy consumption is entered into a series
of Excel spreadsheets. See sample spreadsheet below. Vehicle
fuel is tracked using the Gasboy petroleum dispensing system.
XProvide the baseline year used:__Fiscal Year 2009__________
X Provide documentation of results of inventory
X Copy of plan / specific Actions to be implemented and timeline with milestones to achieve
required energy reductions
Inserted on the following pages are:
Sample Excel spreadsheets used by Northampton for tracking energy use
FY09 inventory of facilities energy use
FY09 inventory of vehicle fuels used
Northampton Energy Reduction Plan
City Council Resolution adopting the Northampton Energy Reduction Plan
Minutes from Northampton School Committee verifying committee resolution of approval of
the Northampton Energy Reduction Plan
Letter of confirmation that the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School Board of
Trustees approved the Northampton Energy Reduction Plan
Until recently, data on all types of facility energy use was taken from received invoices (bills) and was
entered into Excel spreadsheets. Over the last two years, data on electric and natural gas consumption
has been taken either from received invoices or from the National Grid and Bay State Gas web sites.
Data on oil and propane consumption are still taken from received invoices.
The Gasboy petroleum dispensing system automatically tracks the date, time, pump-key number
(assigned to a specific vehicle), and password (assigned to an individual staff person in a specific
department) at each fill-up. In some cases, because individuals within a department may have reasons
to share vehicles, this does not currently allow the City to track fuel use per vehicle. Odometer
readings are not currently tracked at the time of fill-up.
Sample Excel Spreadsheets
Sample Spreadsheet: Natural Gas
Sample Building: Municipal Building
Supplier Account # 308232002J45065 Customer Name: Municipal Building
Baystate Account # 3082320026 Meter #: J45065
Read Date Therms Used $/Therm SUPPLY $ Delivery $ TOTAL $ FY - 2010 June-10 6/12/2010 0 $1.28 $0.00 $0.00 FY - 2010 May-10 5/13/2010 0 $1.28 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
April-10 4/13/2010 0 $1.28 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
March-10 3/14/2010 1157 $1.28 $1,480.96 $365.64 $1,846.60
February-10 2/12/2010 1350 $1.28 $1,728.00 $413.80 $2,141.80
January-10 1/13/2010 1707 $1.28 $2,184.96 $504.44 $2,689.40
December-09 12/14/2009 868 $1.28 $1,111.04 $291.30 $1,402.34
November-09 11/13/2009 728 $1.28 $931.84 $228.38 $1,160.22
October-09 10/15/2009 103 $1.28 $131.84 $108.19 $240.03
September-09 9/15/2009 26 $1.28 $33.28 $93.66 $126.94
August-09 8/14/2009 27 $1.28 $34.56 $94.51 $129.07
July-09 7/16/2009 32 $1.28 $40.96 $96.73 $137.69 FY - 2009 June-09 6/15/2009 29 $1.28 $37.23 $94.20 $131.43 FY - 2009 May-09 5/14/2009 262 $1.28 $336.33 $141.37 $477.70
April-09 4/14/2009 733 $1.28 $940.95 $250.16 $1,191.11
March-09 3/16/2009 1129 $1.28 $1,449.30 $337.68 $1,786.98
February-09 2/12/2009 1356 $1.28 $1,740.70 $367.00 $2,107.70
January-09 1/15/2009 1649 $1.28 $2,116.82 $414.00 $2,530.82
December-08 12/12/2008 1028 $1.28 $1,319.64 $296.00 $1,615.64
November-08 11/13/2008 566 $1.28 $726.57 $175.00 $901.57
October-08 10/15/2008 135 $1.40 $189.00 $89.49 $278.49
September-08 9/15/2008 191 $1.51 $288.41 $97.72 $386.13
August-08 8/14/2008 170 $1.51 $256.70 $94.98 $351.68
July-08 7/16/2008 199 $1.43 $285.21 $99.59 $384.80 FY - 2008 June-08 6/13/2008 201 $1.34 $269.34 $99.89 $369.23 FY - 2008 May-08 5/14/2008 273 $1.17 $320.15 $118.49 $438.64
April-08 4/14/2008 857 $1.00 $855.89 $245.77 $1,101.66
March-08 3/14/2008 1061 $1.01 $1,076.07 $287.52 $1,363.59
February-08 2/14/2008 1401 $1.02 $1,431.12 $350.00 $1,781.12
January-08 1/16/2008 1546 $1.00 $1,550.17 $380.66 $1,930.83
December-07 12/17/2007 1128 $0.95 $1,069.57 $301.21 $1,370.78
November-07 11/17/2007 553 $1.10 $609.63 $171.66 $781.29
October-07 10/18/2007 223 $1.29 $288.56 $99.84 $388.40
September-07 9/18/2007 185 $1.29 $239.39 $94.26 $333.65
August-07 8/19/2007 189 $1.29 $244.57 $94.85 $339.42
July-07 7/20/2007 202 $1.29 $261.39 $99.75 $361.14
Section of Typical Spreadsheet for Oil or Propane
FY09 OIL USAGE SCHOOLS FIRE STATION
Feiker School Florence C. C. Florence Fire Station
221 Riverside Drive 140 Pine St. 69 North Maple St.
Fill Date Amount Fill Date Amount Fill Date Amount MISC. 5/30/2009 8.5
6/19/2009 11 5/9/2009 13.1
5/30/2009 32.1 4/25/2009 276.5 6/1/2009 163.4
5/9/2009 123.9 4/11/2009 266.6 5/1/2009 413.3
4/11/2009 144.3 4/4/2009 193.7 4/1/2009 702 MARCH
3/28/2009 285.3
3/28/2009 190.4 3/21/2009 236.2
3/14/2009 257.5 3/14/2009 361.3 3/1/2009 825.4 FEBURARY 3/7/2009 527.1
2/21/2009 531.9
2/14/2009 467.1
2/28/2009 291.6 2/7/2009 214.3
2/14/2009 322.3 2/5/2009 365.8 2/1/2009 1,218.40 JANUARY 1/31/2009 672.5
1/31/2009 185.1 1/24/2009 671.2
1/24/2009 305.3 1/17/2009 758.9
1/13/2009 288.4 1/10/2009 685.2
1/2/2009 323.6 1/2/2009 360.2 1/1/2009 866.4 DECEMBER
12/29/2008 872.8
12/20/2008 403.6
12/20/2008 201.6 12/16/2008 436.1
12/11/2008 478.4 12/10/2008 1,023.00 12/1/2008 652 NOVEMBER
11/28/2008 824.1
11/18/2008 455
11/19/2008 521 11/6/2008 799 OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER
9/1/2008 318.5 MISC.
8/21/2008 179.9 8/21/2008 46.5
Sample Spreadsheet: Electricity Location: Muni Bldg. Utilities Breakdown Electricity FY 2010 Electrical Consumption Account Number: 1350995006 Current Supplier: Gexa July August September October November December January February March April May June Total Read Date 7/7 8/5 9/3 10/5 11/3 12/4 1/6 3/5 2/4 Read Days 33 29 29 32 29 31 33 29 29 274 Total kWh 12,120 12,720 13,440 11,520 10,440 10,800 10,320 9,360 9,480 100,200 Utility Charges $ 1,911.49 $ 2,005.70 $ 2,151.81 $ 695.50 $ 631.19 $ 652.81 $ 633.08 $ 643.70 $ 621.14 $ 9,946.42 Supplier Charges $ - $ - $ - $ 963.53 $ 873.20 $ 903.31 $ 863.16 $ 782.87 $ 792.91 $ 5,178.98 Total Cost $ 1,911.49 $ 2,005.70 $ 2,151.81 $ 1,659.03 $ 1,504.39 $ 1,556.12 $ 1,496.24 $ 1,426.57 $ 1,414.05 $ - $ - $ - $ 15,125.40 FY 2009 Electrical Consumption Account Number: 1350995006 Supplier: NationalGrid July August September October November December January February March April May June Total Read Date 7/1 8/4 9/4 10/2 11/3 12/4 1/6 2/4 3/5 4/6 5/6 6/4 Read Days 28 34 31 28 32 31 33 29 29 32 30 29 366 Total kWh 10,800 15,000 12,000 9,600 8,760 8,640 10,440 10,560 10,320 10,680 10,080 9,960 126,840 Utility Charges $ 615.65 $ 851.60 $ 683.06 $ 551.69 $ 545.20 $ 537.83 $ 648.03 $ 655.39 $ 615.06 $ 636.53 $ 600.77 $ 593.62 $ 7,534.42 Supplier Charges $ 1,249.34 $ 1,735.20 $ 1,388.16 $ 1,110.52 $ 1,020.45 $ 1,074.04 $ 1,297.79 $ 1,312.72 $ 1,305.69 $ 1,336.97 $ 1,208.00 $ 978.85 $ 15,017.74 Total Cost $ 1,864.99 $ 2,586.80 $ 2,071.22 $ 1,662.21 $ 1,565.65 $ 1,611.87 $ 1,945.82 $ 1,968.11 $ 1,920.75 $ 1,973.50 $ 1,808.77 $ 1,572.47 $ 22,552.16 FY 2008 Electrical Consumption Account Number: 1350995006 Supplier: NationalGrid July August September October November December January February March April May June Total Read Date 2/5 3/5 4/3 5/2 6/3 Read Days 29 30 29 32 0 34 31 32 29 29 29 32 336 Total kWh 11,880 1,392 13,080 11,640 9,480 10,068 9,840 10,440 9,240 9,120 8,520 9,480 114,180 Utility Charges $ 702.53 $ 821.72 $ 772.57 $ 698.32 $ 572.18 $ 632.30 $ 592.88 $ 618.34 $ 544.77 $ 521.26 $ 487.54 $ 541.50 $ 7,505.91 Supplier Charges $ 1,222.10 $ 1,431.90 $ 1,345.58 $ 1,197.41 $ 975.21 $ 1,137.58 $ 1,048.06 $ 1,111.97 $ 984.15 $ 971.37 $ 912.85 $ 1,096.65 $ 13,434.83 Total Cost $ 1,924.63 $ 2,253.62 $ 2,118.15 $ 1,895.73 $ 1,547.39 $ 1,769.88 $ 1,640.94 $ 1,730.31 $ 1,528.92 $ 1,492.63 $ 1,400.39 $ 1,638.15 $ 20,940.74
Fiscal Year 2009 Energy Use Inventory Summary for Municipal Buildings, Street and Traffic Lighting Electricity Natural Gas Fuel Oil Propane Total MMBTUkWh MMBTU therms MMBTU Gal. MMBTU Gal. MMBTUCity Hall 94,800323 3,774525 848Memorial Hall 50,320172 7,017975 1,147Municipal Building 126,840433 7,447744.7 1,177Senior Center 218,280745 1,264126.4 871James House Adult Learning 29,12099 4,313600 699Academy of Music 72,360247 8,9421,243 1,490Main Fire Headquarters 281,440960 14,9701497 5,159717 3,174Florence Fire Substation 51,833177 5,161717 894Police Headquarters 188,960645 645DPW Administration Bldg. 56,092191 191Water Department Administration 11,28138 2,085208.5 247DPW Garage 155,360530 28528.5 16,8132,337 2,896Misc. DPW Campus Energy Use 33,337114 114Waste Water Treatment Plant 2,010,6006,860 5,985832 52,2884758.2112,450Waste Water Pumping Facilities 59,623203 64664.6 268Water Treatment Plant 408,3001,393 32,2742936.934,330Water Pumping Facilities 209,895716 49949.9 766Landfill and Cemeteries 113,556387 2,077207.7 4,897681 1,276Bridge Street Elementary 215,280735 28,8082880.8 3,615Jackson Street Elementary 311,7001,064 34,5833458.3 4,522Leeds Elementary 249,240850 43,1574315.7 5,166Ryan Road Elementary 184,080628 19,9701997 2,625JFK Middle School 859,5002,933 79,5557955.5 10,888Northampton High School 1,159,0003,955 68,3336833.3 10,788Smith Vocational and Agricultural HS 1,232,0004,204 104,82410482.4 7,7701,080 2,142194.92215,961Feiker Pre-School 21,37773 3,856536 609Florence Community Center 88,653302 12,2811,707 2,010Forbes Library 326,0801,113 9,4581,315 2,427Lilly Library 89,520305 5,211521.1 827Street Lights (S1, S2, and S3 Accounts) 1,173,5974,004 4,004Misc. Outdoor Metered Lighting 58,796201 201Parking Lot Lights (Metered) 336,4891,148 1,148Traffic Lights 72,186246 246Misc Accounts (comfort stations, field lights, etc.) 145,631497 497Total 10,695,12636,492 413,71441,371 95,42613,264 86,7047,89099,017
Fiscal Year 2009 Municipal Vehicle Energy Use
Unleaded (Gal) Diesel (Gal)
DPW-Streets 1,429 22,683
WWTP 2,384 1,416
Sewer 470 7,879
Water Dept. 5,441 7,929
DPW-Recreation Crew 1,960 3,175
Cemetery 1,325 1,737
DPW-Engineering 2,533 127
Police 29,825 30
SVAHS (and SVAHS Farm) 4,599 2,178
K-12 School 3,020 6,171
Council on Aging 379 -
Fire Department 4,776 16
Libraries 69 -
Central Services 2,291 -
Recreation Department 257 -
Parking 2,419 223
Bldg. Inspector 139 -
Board of Health 213 -
Landfill 5 5,024
Total Gallons 63,531 58,585
Total MMBTU 7,878 8,143
City of Northampton
Municipal Energy
Reduction Plan
May 2010
Contents
PURPOSE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ 1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
Background ................................................................................................................................. 3
Facilities .................................................................................................................................. 3
Vehicles................................................................................................................................... 3
Baseline Energy Use ............................................................................................................... 3
Energy Use Forecast ............................................................................................................... 4
STATEMENT OF GOALS AND STRATEGIES .......................................................................... 4
RESULTS OF ENERGY USE BASELINE INVENTORY ........................................................... 6
Inventory Tool Used ................................................................................................................... 6
Existing Municipal Energy Use .................................................................................................. 6
Existing efficiency measures implemented in last 2 years ......................................................... 8
LED Parking Lot Lights (fall 2009)........................................................................................ 8
Lighting Upgrade in Parking Garage (winter ‘09-‘10) ........................................................... 8
13 kW PV Array in James House Adult Learning Center (spring 2010) ............................... 8
Improved Lighting and HVAC at James House Adult Learning Center (winter ’09-’10 and
ongoing) .................................................................................................................................. 8
Senior Center - Silver LEED Designed, Ge+-`othermal Heat Pumps (Spring 2007) ............. 9
Landfill gas to energy – 800kW facility (March 2008) .......................................................... 9
Adjustments to Baseline Energy Use ...................................................................................... 9
Areas of least efficiency/greatest waste .................................................................................... 10
Areas that can be Most Easily Addressed ................................................................................. 12
Municipal Facilities via Performance Contract .................................................................... 12
Non-tax Income Streams: ..................................................................................................... 12
SUMMARY OF ENERGY AUDIT ............................................................................................. 12
Summary of Proposed CES Investments at the City of Northampton ...................................... 12
SUMMARY OF FOSSIL FUEL REDUCTION MEASURES .................................................... 13
SPECIFIC FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY REDUCTION MEASURES ............................................ 14
Energy Conservation Tasks to Achieve 20% Reduction in 5 Years ......................................... 14
City Facilities ........................................................................................................................ 14
Vehicles................................................................................................................................. 16
Street, Parking, and Traffic Lighting .................................................................................... 17
Municipally-owned and -operated clean renewable or alternative energy installations ....... 19
Total Projected Fossil Fuel Energy Reduction ..................................................................... 21
MEASUREMENT AND VERIFICATION PLAN FOR PROJECTED REDUCTIONS ............ 25
LONG-TERM ENERGY REDUCTION GOALS – BEYOND 5 YEARS.................................. 25
Municipal Sector ....................................................................................................................... 25
Residential and Commercial Sectors ........................................................................................ 26
1
PURPOSE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The measures spelled out in this energy reduction plan stem from Northampton city staff,
commissions, and boards enacting actions called for in the Sustainable Northampton
Comprehensive Plan. The Northampton 2010 Energy Reduction Plan consolidates and
describes in one document Northampton’s efforts to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions as they stand in the spring of 2010. It describes the work of
the Mayor’s Office, Central Services, Department of Public Works, Planning Department,
Parking Commissioner, Department of Community and Economic Development Office, School
Department, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, the Northampton Energy and
Sustainability Officer, and the Northampton Energy and Sustainability Commission. Multiple
individuals from all of these organizations contributed to the development of this document and
are instrumental in Northampton’s continuing work toward a cleaner more energy efficient City.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Plan describes specific measures that Northampton’s City government will take to reduce
municipal energy use by more than 20% in less than five years. Many of the actions specified
here are already underway and build on past successes.
Northampton has a long history of prioritizing clean efficient energy use. The City has had an
active energy commission and employed an energy officer on and off since the 1980s. Through
the years, the City has conducted multiple energy audits and has established a habit of regularly
upgrading to higher efficiency energy systems. In 2007, Northampton began to track energy use
through the EPA’s Portfolio Manager Program. This program revealed many of Northampton’s
buildings to be eligible for the Energy Star rating; however, Northampton is waiting until the City
completes an energy services performance project before submitting to the EPA for this
recognition. ConEdison Solutions, an energy services company that just completed an
investment grade audit of Northampton’s municipal buildings, reported that efficiency
improvements had already been completed for many of Northampton’s buildings.
The City’s efficiency work hasn’t stopped with its buildings. In 1992 the City conducted a study
of street- and traffic-light use and, based on that study, implemented a street and traffic light
energy reduction plan that reduced the City’s operating costs for streetlights by 14%. More
recently, in 2009, Northampton became the first city in Massachusetts to install high-efficiency
LED lamps in a downtown parking lot. This follows Northampton’s earlier installation of solar-
powered parking pay and display machines for downtown parking areas.
The Northampton Parking Division has for years contracted for downtown trash to be collected
by bicycle avoiding hundreds of gallons a year of diesel use. In 2007, The DPW began
replacing four-wheel drive vehicles with more efficient two-wheel drive vehicles whenever
possible. The DPW has also replaced two utility vehicles with gas-electric hybrids. In 2008, the
City launched a landfill gas-to-energy plant that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more
than four times the level of emissions produced by all municipal energy use. The DPW now
plans on generating electricity with an in-line hydro-electric plant in the water delivery system.
Recently the City has reduced car miles traveled by expanding to 12 miles of bike paths that
connect to another 20 miles in other communities and installing 140 bike parking spaces and 12
bike lockers. The City has a goal to have a multi-use trail within ½ mile of 70% of city residents.
In 2000, Northampton joined the Cities for Climate Protection program run by ICLEI – Local
Governments for Sustainabilty and established, in 2001, a Greenhouse Gas Inventory of
2
Northampton’s municipal, business, industrial, and residential emissions. Northampton will
conduct a second inventory in 2011 to track its progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2008, Northampton completed a 28-month comprehensive community planning process that
resulted in publication of the Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan. Amongst other
guiding principals, this Plan lays out a vision to significantly improve energy efficiency, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, and make the City more walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented. In
2008, Mayor Higgins formally endorsed the Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan the first (and
possibly only) regional clean energy plan in Massachusetts.
In Northampton, efforts to increase use of clean renewable energy and energy efficiency don’t
stop with the municipality. Northampton had by far the most number of residents and
businesses of any city or town in Massachusetts participate in the Massachusetts Renewable
Energy Trust’s GreenUp Clean Energy Choice Program. This participation by its citizens
resulted in $254,000 in grant funds coming to Northampton for municipal clean energy projects.
This and other grant funds have enabled Northampton to install 23 kW of photovoltaic panels on
two City buildings and more is planned.
Northampton’s City government is also committed to helping private residents and businesses
increase efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. City staff are in communication with
local lenders to make sure energy efficient mortgages are readily available in Northampton. The
City’s Community and Economic Development Director and Energy and Sustainability Officer
are working with the Northampton Chamber of Commerce on a Green Business Initiative and
the City has for years formally recognized local businesses for their green initiatives. Most
recently, the City has partnered with regional planning agencies, not-for-profit groups, and local
businesses to lobby Massachusetts legislators to enable cities and towns to implement Property
Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. While the City of Northampton is leading by
example, its government is eager to launch initiatives such as a PACE program to expand
energy efficiency and use of renewable energy throughout the community. Northampton sees
this 20% Energy Reduction Plan as only the next step in a long-range plan.
3
INTRODUCTION
Background
Northampton is located along the banks of the scenic Connecticut River in Hampshire
County, Massachusetts. In 2000, the population was 28,978 with 11,880 households and
5,880 families residing in the city according to the U.S. Census. Northampton is the county
seat of Hampshire County and was dubbed "the Paradise of America" by the Swedish
Nightingale, Jenny Lind. It is nicknamed The Paradise City.
Facilities
The City of Northampton has, or pays energy costs for, approximately 29 significantly sized
buildings, 14 water and sewage pump facilities, and a dozen smaller buildings and garages.
This includes four elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and one
vocational-agricultural high school campus (six classroom / laboratory / administration
buildings, three barns / greenhouses, and several sheds / storage facilities), five
administration buildings, a Department of Public Works (DPW) complex (administration
building, garage, sheds, transfer station), one water treatment plant, one sewage treatment
plant, two fire stations, two libraries, one music hall, one senior center, one adult education
center (James House), a parking garage, and several smaller facilities. Specifically, these
buildings include:
- City Hall
- Memorial Hall
- Puchalski Municipal Bldg.
- Fire Department Headquarters
- Florence Fire Substation
- Police Station
- DPW Admin Building
- DPW Garage
- Transfer station
- DPW “Old salt shed”
- James House
- Senior Center
- Bridge St Elementary
- Feiker School
- Florence Learning Center
- Jackson St Elementary
- JFK Middle School
- Leeds Elementary
- Northampton High School
- Ryan Rd Elementary
- Smith Vocational & Agricultural High
School (SVAHS) Campus
- Sewage Treatment Plant (four
building campus)
- Water Dept. Admin Building
- Water Treatment Plant
- Landfill buildings
- Leachate Plant
- Rec. Dept. Admin Building
- Parking Garage
- 5 Recreation Comfort Stations
- 2 Cemetery Buildings
- 14 Water & Sewer Facilities
Vehicles
The City has on-road licenses for 192 vehicles, most of which are heavy-duty public works
vehicles, school buses, trailers, police cruisers, and fire trucks. Thirty-eight vehicles qualify
as “non-exempt” under the DOER’s Green Community Criteria 4.
Baseline Energy Use
In fiscal year 2009 (FY09), Northampton consumed 10,695,126 kWh of electricity, 413,714
therms of natural gas, 95,426 gallons of #2 fuel oil, 86,704 gallons of propane, 63,531
gallons of gasoline, and 58,585 gallons of diesel fuel as summarized in Table 1. In addition
to importing the above energy sources, Northampton consumes an average of 10,236 kWh
a year produced on site by a 10 kW photovoltaic array at the JFK Middle School.
4
City of Northampton Imported Energy Use for FY2009 (% MMBTU)
Table 1: City of Northampton Imported Energy Use (FY2009)
Fuel Type Qty. (conventional
units)
Million BTU Equivalent
(MMBTU)
Electricity 10,695,126 kWh 36,491.8
Natural Gas 413,714 therms 41,371.4
Fuel Oil 95,426 gal. 13,264.2
Propane 86,704 gal. 7,890.1
Gasoline 63,531 gal. 7,878.1
Diesel Fuel 58,585 gal. 8,143.1
Total all energy 115,038.7
Energy Use Forecast
Within the next five years, the City of Northampton expects to maintain its current fleet of
192 municipal vehicles. Construction for a new building for the Department of Public Works
as well as a new headquarters for the Police Station is possible within the next five years. If
completed, however, the old buildings will cease to be used, and the newly constructed
buildings are expected to reduce energy use through more efficient building and operating
practices. In addition, the City will sustain its commitment to the installation of LED parking-
lot lights for any new parking-lot lighting for continued energy and maintenance savings.
STATEMENT OF GOALS AND STRATEGIES
In 2008, Northampton completed a 28-month comprehensive community planning process
that resulted in publication of the Sustainable Northampton Comprehensive Plan, a vision
for Northampton’s future and the principals, goals, and strategies required to support and
implement that vision. Two of the Plan’s guiding principals read:
5
“Significantly improve energy efficiency in city buildings and programs, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage conservation and use of alternative and
renewable energy sources throughout the community;”
“Make the city increasingly more walkable, bikeable, and transit oriented;”
In this document, under the section Energy, Environment and Climate Protection, the Plan
sets goals to, “Reduce community’s and City’s energy demand and natural resource
consumption” and “Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases [GHG]” with the following
specific metrics:
o Trend in total energy demand from City facilities: 2 to 3% reduction per year
o Percent of municipal energy supplied by renewable sources: 25% energy
demand supplied from renewable sources by 2017
o Match comparative performance standards from ICLEI, The Climate Registry,
and others: Lead in local climate protection efforts
o Percent of FY2000 Equivalent CO2 Emissions from all City functions: 8% below
2000 levels by 2010, 25% below by 2017, and 30% below by 2020
The Plan specifies thirty-six individual strategies and actions to meet these goals, many of
which are already being implemented by City staff (including an Energy and Sustainability
Officer), the Energy and Sustainability Commission, the Transportation Commission, Capital
Improvement’s Commission, the Mayor, and City Council. Of specific note, several of these
strategies and actions parallel Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ criteria to
become a Green Community. These include:
· Investigate contracting with an Energy Service Company (ESCo) [for an Investment
Grade Audit and a comprehensive energy performance contract]
· Prepare, as an addendum to Sustainable Northampton, a plan for climate protection
for all sectors
· Keep energy audits and operations audits of all public buildings, vehicle fleets, and
public lighting (street, parking, and traffic)
· Petition the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for state approval of Energy Star
ratings as the minimum standards for local building code
· Present a report for public review that identifies where, as allowed by state law, the
City land use ordinances could further address greenhouse gas emissions
Several years prior to development of the Sustainable Northampton Plan, in 2001, the
Northampton City Council voted to join ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and
recognized the need to address the global warming problem swiftly, effectively, and on a
local level. In 2001, the City completed its first Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory. The
Sustainable Northampton Plan calls for the City to, “In 2011, update the City’s ICLEI
inventory for climate protection with 2010 data to determine the City’s progress toward its
GHG reduction targets and modify the City’s Climate Change Protection Action Plan as
needed to ensure the City can meet its GHG reduction targets.”
6
Regionally, in 2008, Clare Higgins, Mayor of Northampton, signed a Memorandum of
Agreement for Promoting and Implementing the Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan (2008)
that calls for:
· a reduction in energy consumption to 2000 levels by the end of 2009 and reduction
of that by 15% by 2020
· an 80% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050.
· a 28% reduction in energy use through efficiency improvements (in buildings) over
10 years.
In 2007, the City of Northampton joined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New
England’s Community Energy Challenge and committed to specifically:
· Assess – benchmark – the energy performance of all municipal buildings, schools
and/or drinking water/wastewater treatment facilities in our community
· Set a goal to reduce energy use in buildings by 10% or more
· Promote energy efficiency and renewable energy to companies and organizations in
our community
RESULTS OF ENERGY USE BASELINE INVENTORY
Inventory Tool Used
Northampton uses Excel spreadsheets to track monthly energy use for all City facilities.
In the near future the City intends to use the DOER MassEnergyInsight on-line program
concurrently with the Excel spreadsheets to track the City’s energy use. Two City employees
have attended trainings on this on-line data monitoring software and if the
MassEnergyInsight program proves convenient and can provide the information that
Northampton needs, the City anticipates transitioning to this on-line database to track
monthly and annual energy use.
Beginning in 2007, the City also began to track energy use of some of its buildings
concurrently with the EPA’s on-line Portfolio Manager Program. Portfolio Manager, however,
does not include categories for all of the City’s facilities and does not provide any added
convenience in use (e.g., it cannot receive City energy use data from utilities) and so did not
supplant the City’s use of Excel spreadsheets.
In 2000, through the efforts of an intern, Northampton analyzed its baseline energy use
using ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection Software. The City intends to repeat this in 2011
as a way to monitor its progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, however, the ICLEI
software has not been used to track energy use annually.
Existing Municipal Energy Use
Table 2 provides a full inventory of the City of Northampton’s electricity, natural gas, fuel oil,
and propane use in fiscal year 2009.
Table 3 provides a full inventory of the City of Northampton’s consumption of unleaded and
diesel fuels in fiscal year 2009. Note that this includes fuel consumed by all 192 of
Northampton’s vehicles including both “non-exempt” and “exempt” vehicles under the
DOER’s Green Community Criteria 4. The City is currently unable to distinguish fuel use per
vehicle.
7 Table 2: Municipal Buildings, and Parking, Street and Traffic Lighting - Fiscal Year 2009 Energy Use Sq-Ft (ft2) Electricity Natural Gas Fuel Oil Propane MMBTU kWh MMBTU therms MMBTU Gal. MMBTU Gal. MMBTU Total per ft2 City hall 16,675 94,800 323 3,774 525 848 .051 Memorial Hall 19,875 50,320 172 7,017 975 1,147 .058 Municipal Building 13,545 126,840 433 7,447 744.7 1,177 .087 Senior Center 20,934 218,280 745 1,264 126.4 871 .042 James House Adult Learning 8,500 29,120 99 4,313 600 699 .082 Academy of Music 10,178 72,360 247 8,942 1,243 1,490 .146 Main Fire HQ 21,246 281,440 960 14,970 1497 5,159 717 3,174 .149 Florence Fire Substation 7,832 51,833 177 5,161 717 894 .114 Police HQ 5,000 188,960 645 645 .129 DPW Administration Bldg. 3,868 56,092 191 191 .049 Water Department Administration 6,385 11,281 38 2,085 208.5 247 .039 DPW Garage 20,700 155,360 530 285 28.5 16,813 2,337 2,896 .140 Misc. DPW Campus Energy Use n/a 33,337 114 114 Waste water treatment plant 22,760 2,010,600 6,860 5,985 832 52,288 4758 12,450 .547 Waste water pumping facilities n/a 59,623 203 646 64.6 268 Water treatment plant 40,740 408,300 1,393 32,274 2937 4,330 .106 Water pumping facilities n/a 209,895 716 499 49.9 766 Landfill and cemeteries n/a 113,556 387 2,077 207.7 4,897 681 1,276 Bridge Street Elementary 60,489 215,280 735 28,808 2880.8 3,615 .060 Jackson Street Elementary 73,500 311,700 1,064 34,583 3458.3 4,522 .062 Leeds Elementary 72,085 249,240 850 43,157 4315.7 5,166 .072 Ryan Road Elementary 53,332 184,080 628 19,970 1997 2,625 .049 JFK Middle School 141,851 859,500 2,933 79,555 7955.5 10,888 .077 Northampton High School 203,617 1,159,000 3,955 68,333 6833.3 10,788 .053 Smith Vocational and Agricultural HS 173,720 1,232,000 4,204 104,824 10482.4 7,770 1,080 2,142 195 15,961 .092 Feiker Pre-School 11,256 21,377 73 3,856 536 609 .054 Florence Community Center 29,253 88,653 302 12,281 1,707 2,010 .069 Forbes Library 44,274 326,080 1,113 9,458 1,315 2,427 .055 Lilly Library 9,981 89,520 305 5,211 521.1 827 .083 Street lights (S1, S2, and S3 accounts) n/a 1,173,597 4,004 4,004 Misc. outdoor metered lighting n/a 58,796 201 201 Parking lot lights (metered) n/a 336,489 1,148 1,148 Signal Lights n/a 72,186 246 246 Misc other accounts n/a 145,631 497 497 Total 10,695,126 36,492 413,714 41,371.4 95,426 13,264 86,704 7,890 99,017
8
Table 3: All Municipal Vehicles - Fiscal Year 2009 Energy Use
Unleaded (Gal) Diesel (Gal)
DPW-Streets 1,429 22,683
WWTP 2,384 1,416
Sewer 470 7,879
Water Dept. 5,441 7,929
DPW-Recreation Crew 1,960 3,175
Cemetery 1,325 1,737
DPW-Engineering 2,533 127
Police 29,825 30
SVAHS (and SVAHS Farm) 4,599 2,178
K-12 School 3,020 6,171
Council on Aging 379 -
Fire Department 4,776 16
Libraries 69 -
Central Services 2,291 -
Recreation Department 257 -
Parking 2,419 223
Bldg. Inspector 139 -
Board of Health 213 -
Landfill 5 5,024
Total Gallons 63,531 58,585
Total MMBTU 7,878 8,143
Existing efficiency measures implemented in last 2 years
LED Parking Lot Lights (fall 2009)
In the fall of 2009, Northampton upgraded sixteen high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting
fixtures in the Armory Street Parking Lot to LEDs.
Lighting Upgrade in Parking Garage (winter ‘09-‘10)
During the winter of ’09-’10 the City replaced 220 HPS interior parking garage fixtures with
high-efficiency fluorescent fixtures.
13 kW PV Array in James House Adult Learning Center (spring 2010)
The City installed a 13 kW photovoltaic array on the James House Learning Adult Center
that began producing power in March 2010.
Improved Lighting and HVAC at James House Adult Learning Center (winter ’09-’10 and
ongoing)
Note, in FY 2009 – Northampton’s baseline year – the James House was underutilized due
to a hold-up in renovation of the building. A 2008 scoping study of the James House building
projected that, with no lighting or HVAC upgrades, when the full building is brought into use
as an adult learning center, the building will consume 115,142 kWh. The FY09 oil
consumption of 4,300 gallons is consistent with the building’s historic need for heating oil.
9
With substantial funding from MassCEC, the City is in the process of upgrading the lighting
and HVAC systems at the James House Adult Learning Center, which will result in a net
energy reduction of 34,200 kWh and 4,300 gallons of oil annually once the full building is
brought into use as an adult learning center.
Senior Center - Silver LEED Designed, Geothermal Heat Pumps (Spring 2007)
In April 2007, Northampton completed construction of a silver-LEED designed Senior Center
that is heated and cooled with a ground-source heat pump system. By investing in ground
coupled heat pumps to cool the space, condition the ventilation air, and heat water for
supplementary radiation, the City reduced the calculated energy load of the building by
1,337 MMBTU per year over what the building would have used if heated and cooled with a
more conventional gas-fired boiler and reciprocal chiller.
Landfill gas to energy – 800kW facility (March 2008)
In March 2008, Northampton began selling landfill gas to a private vender (Ameresco) to
power a 0.8 MW landfill gas to energy facility. According to the US EPA, this facility provides
an annual emissions reduction equivalent to reducing the City’s gasoline consumption by
3,828,533 gallons a year, or a total reduction of energy (MMBTU) that is four times the City’s
current energy use.
Adjustments to Baseline Energy Use
In order to accurately account for the impact of some of the energy conservation measures
being implemented by Northampton, adjustments to the baseline are needed.
· Adjustment due to Reduced Energy Use In Baseline Year at the James House
As previously mentioned, the City expects that the James House would consume
115,142 kWh a year once the full building is brought into use as an adult learning
center if no efficiency measures were taken. However, in our baseline year (FY09),
because the building was underutilized due to renovations, it consumed only 29,120
kWh. Therefore, if the City is to consider the effects of efficiency measures taken at
the James House, the baseline electrical use value must be adjusted by adding in
86,021 kWh to bring the annual consumption of electricity up to 115,142 kWh.
· Adjustment due to Geothermal vs. Conventional HVAC System at Senior
Center
Similarly, if Northampton is to consider the effects of installing a geothermal HVAC
system at the James House, it must adjust the baseline energy use at the Senior
Center to one that would have been experienced had the City installed a
conventional HVAC system.
Table 4: Adjusted Baseline Energy Use (MMBTU)
Electricity
Natural
Gas
Fuel
Oil Propane Gasoline Diesel Total
FY09 36,492 41,371.4 13,264 7,890 7,878 8,143 99,017
Reduced Energy Use In FY09
at the James House 294
294
Geothermal vs. Conventional
HVAC System at Senior Center
1,337
Adjusted Baseline 116,669
10
Areas of least efficiency/greatest waste
Northampton’s largest energy users per square-feet are: the waste water treatment plant,
fire department headquarters, Academy of Music, DPW Garage, police headquarters,
Florence fire substation, water treatment plant, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High
School, municipal building, Lilly Library, and James House Adult Learning Center. (See
graph below of MMBTU per area of all buildings but the waste water treatment plant.) The
JFK Middle School consumes the highest level of energy per sq.-ft. of all the K-12 school
buildings, however, this is most likely due to it housing the community pool.
Historically, the City has directed most of its energy efficiency efforts at the K-12 public
schools, therefore, it is not surprising to find that other municipal buildings use the greatest
energy per square foot. However, the K-12 schools, due to their high level of total energy
consumption, still provide some of the highest value in energy savings as has been revealed
in an investment grade audit of Northampton’s municipal facilities.
MMBTU per Square-Foot
In 2008, the City of Northampton solicited an Investment Grade Audit (IGA) through a
competitive procurement process under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 25a,
Section 11i. Subsequently, the City contracted with ConEdison Solutions® (“CES”) to
11
conduct the audit, which was completed by CES on February 16, 2010. After City review,
CES finalized a package of energy conservation measures (ECMs) in 33 buildings to be
included in a performance contract between the City and CES. The final IGA identified the
annual cost savings shown in Table 5. When looked at in magnitude of annual savings,
many of the K-12 school buildings will still provide some of the highest energy savings.
Table 5: Cost Savings per Building Sorted by Annual Savings
Building Annual Cost Savings
(FY09 energy prices) % Cost Reduction
WWTP SPB $93,469 48.4%
Forbes Library $36,261 32.2%
Leeds Elementary $31,719 35.4%
JFK Middle School $28,626 12.8%
Water Treatment Plant $28,405 24.8%
Smith Voc Building B $27,975 27.1%
High School $27,785 10.5%
Jackson Elementary $24,943 22.9%
Smith Voc Building A $23,011 24.9%
DPW Garage $15,570 41.3%
Bridge Street Elementary $14,669 21.2%
Ryan Rd Elementary $13,267 25.1%
Memorial Hall $12,729 40.1%
Academy of Music $12,054 35.0%
Fire Dept. HQ $11,095 20.5%
Smith Voc Building D $10,049 20.5%
Leachate Bldg $9,460 57.2%
Florence Fire $9,269 40.3%
Smith Voc Building C $8,713 28.1%
Feiker Pre-School $7,150 41.2%
City Hall $6,791 19.7%
WWTP Control Bldg $6,036 10.7%
Municipal Building $4,479 13.7%
Senior Center $3,643 12.2%
Lilly Library $3,473 14.6%
WWTP Flood Bldg $2,715 29.8%
Smith Voc Multi-spec Barn $2,338 24.9%
Smith Voc Small Animal Barn $1,674 33.6%
WWTP Maintenance Bldg $1,562 23.4%
WWTP Digester Bldg $1,494 32.3%
Misc Bldgs $1,156 38.8%
Smith Voc Admin Bldg $489 8.9%
Recreation Dept. Admin $486 8.9%
12
Areas that can be Most Easily Addressed
Municipal Facilities via Performance Contract
Northampton’s energy services performance contract with ConEdison Solutions will enable
the City to fold a large number of conservation measures into one far-reaching package. Not
only does this allow the City to design a comprehensive program of efficiency
improvements, but it also greatly simplifies the procurement process that the City would
otherwise have to engage in to complete these same set of conservation measures and it
does not require up-front capital expenditures.
Non-tax Income Streams:
Northampton’s enterprise funds allow the City to implement least-cost efficiency
improvements that benefit a specific enterprise fund without using tax dollars. This provides
enterprise fund projects freedom from the need to compete for tight capital improvement
funds. Fees from parking and water supply will support efficiency improvements at the City’s
parking lots and in its water delivery system respectively.
Measures underway include upgrading HPS lamps in the City’s parking lots with high-
efficiency florescent and LED fixtures and inserting a small conduit hydroelectric turbine
(11.8 kW) at one of two pressure reduction valve stations in the City’s water transmission
system. Lighting upgrades at the Armory Street parking lot and parking garage are expected
to reduce electric use by 94,870 kWh a year. The 11.8 kW hydroelectric turbine is expected
to produce 73,200 kWh of electric power annually.
The City estimates that lighting upgrades at the City’s six surface parking lots, along the bike
path, and along City streets with metered pole top streetlights, the operations of which are
paid for through enterprise funds, can reduce electricity consumption by an additional
115,000 kWh annually.
Securing grants provides another way the City can avoid using tax-dollars for efficiency
improvements. Currently the City is completing HVAC and lighting upgrades to the James
House Adult Learning Center through a grant by Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Renewable Energy Trust (Now Massachusetts Clean Energy Center).
SUMMARY OF ENERGY AUDIT
CES’s Investment Grade Audit (IGA) describes a wide array of Energy Conservation
Measures (“ECM”s) at municipal buildings and schools throughout the city. The proposed
package of ECMs to be included in a performance contract between the City and CES has a
project cost of $6,500,000. The long-term service agreement (15 years) with operation and
maintenance measures needed to ensure efficiency savings is estimated to cost $870,000.
Summary of Proposed CES Investments at the City of Northampton
1. ECM Category 1: Upgrade Lighting and Lighting Controls: Selected lighting fixture
replacements, comprehensive lamp/ballast retrofits, and lighting control upgrades in all
building. New, high efficiency fixtures or lamp/ballast retrofits will reduce the connected
kW of lighting systems. Improved occupancy and daylight controls will reduce lighting
system run hours.
2. ECM Category 2: Major HVAC System Upgrades: Proposed upgrades include
replacement of inefficient oil-fired boilers and inefficient oil-fired burners; installation of
high efficiency cooling systems, infrared heating systems, and dehumidification systems;
13
and improvement of warm-up time with heating capacity upgrades.
3. ECM Category 3: Process System Upgrades: Proposed improvements include upgrade
of process odor control system; replacement of process dehumidification system;
installation of VFDs on plant water booster pump system, new pumps and VFDs to
design pool water pumping system, and pool cover; and reduction of irrigation water use.
4. ECM Category 4: New Central Energy Management Control System and
Upgrade/Repair Standalone Controls and Mechanical Deficiencies: Upgrades include
new central energy management control system and repair of standalone controls;
reduction of steam use; recommissioning pneumatic and existing computerized controls,
and installation of self-contained temperature control valves.
5. ECM Category 5: Building Shell Upgrades: Improvements include installation of new
double-pane windows and storm windows; upgrade of ceiling/roof insulation; and
replacement/upgrade of weather-stripping.
6. ECM Category 6: Minor HVAC Projects: Upgrades include replacement of all steam
traps with mechanical traps, improvement of control of DHW recirculation pumps and/or
installation of instantaneous DHW heaters; and reduction of mechanical room infiltration
and heating in seldom-used areas.
7. ECM Category 7: Install Improved Local (Non-EMCS) Controls: Improvements include
installation of local programmable thermostats, bus engine block heater controls, and
vending machine controls.
8. ECM Categories 8-11: Renewable Projects, Water Savings, and Misc.: Projects include
installation of solar DHW heaters, Trombe wall outdoor air preheaters, water-saving
fixtures, kitchen hood controls, and high-efficiency motors.
SUMMARY OF FOSSIL FUEL REDUCTION MEASURES
Increasing energy efficiency is Northampton’s top priority strategy to reduce fossil fuel
consumption. The City is counting on a municipal-wide energy efficiency project of most
existing City facilities to achieve the bulk of our 20% energy use reductions and will enact a
long-term services agreement with an energy services company to implement a
measurement and verification plan to maintain this efficiency. All new facilities will be built to
a high-efficiency level; an example being the new LEED-Silver designed Senior Center
completed in early 2007.
Where economically feasible, the City will install renewable energy systems to offset
imported energy use. Such projects become even more attractive when they combine
measures to increase efficiency along with adding a renewable energy system as was done
with the James House energy upgrade project. As the State has changed its incentives for
installation of renewable systems to encourage larger systems, Northampton will explore
ways to use these incentives to build systems with capacities of more than 200 kW.
While Northampton has already begun to purchase higher efficiency vehicles, the City will
enhance its efforts by upgrading its systems for tracking fuel use per vehicle and by meeting
the specifications of the City’s new fuel-efficient vehicle purchasing policy. And while,
14
increasing the efficiency of its fleet will remain the highest priority strategy, replacing fossil-
based diesel fuels with biodiesel will also be used to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.
The City will continue to improve the efficiency levels of its streetlights and will expand on
the leadership it has already shown in converting parking lot lights over to high-efficiency
LED lamps.
SPECIFIC FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY REDUCTION MEASURES
Energy Conservation Tasks to Achieve 20% Reduction in 5 Years
City Facilities
Northampton will move forward with a performance contract in two phases. Phase one will
include 33 facilities and, based on ConEdison Solutions’s investment grade audit, will
produce energy reductions as shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Energy Use Reductions by Fuel Type per Energy Conservation Type for
Northampton’s 2010 Performance Contract
Electricity Natural Gas #2 Fuel Oil Propane Total
kWh MMBTU Therms MMBTU Gal MMBTU Gal MMBTU MMBTU
ECM-1: Lighting and
Controls Upgrades 355,914 1,214 1,214
ECM-2: Major HVAC
System Upgrades 9,906 34 -29,248 -2925 44,023 6,119 1,815 165 3,393
ECM-3: Process
Upgrades 313,455 1,070 2,000 200 1,206 168 28,312 2,576 4,014
ECM-4: EMCS Upgrades 809,976 2,764 45,801 4580 11,948 1,661 14,528 1,322 10,327
ECM-5: Building Shell
Upgrades 483 2 9,725 973 7,457 1,037 1,272 116 2,126
ECM-6: Minor Equipment
Replacement Upgrades 2,118 212 4,032 560 755 69 841
ECM-7: Local Controls
and Plug Load Upgrades 25,802 88 477 48 1,134 158 1,283 117 410
ECM-8: Cogeneration
and Renewables
Upgrades
9,030 31 2,318 232 193 27 289
ECM-9: Water Upgrades 2,412 241 21 3 244
ECM-10: Kitchen
Upgrades 21,575 74 6,878 688 761
ECM-11: PHE Motors
Upgrades 5,198 18 18
Total Utility Savings: 1,551,339 5,293 42,481 4248 70,014 9,732 47,965 4,365 23,638
Phase II will include a selection of facilities for which the City is deciding on their use and
timeframe for renovation, expansion or disposal. These include building a replacement
Police Headquarters, combining the Water Department and DPW administration buildings at
the current location of the DPW administration building, expanding the DPW garage, and
deciding on whether to keep or sell the Florence Community Center.
15
Replacement buildings are expected to reduce energy use due to ongoing City practice and
policy to construct all new buildings to a LEED-Silver level design. Specifically, in March
2010, the Northampton Energy and Sustainability Commission issued the following
recommended policy:
All new significant City buildings or major building renovations shall
1. Meet LEED™ certification standards; and
2. Achieve as many of the LEED categories of Energy and Atmosphere and
Sustainable Sites pertaining to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and
sustainable transportation strategies as feasible and practicable; and
3. If practical, be LEED-certified.
In April 2007, Northampton completed construction of a silver-LEED designed Senior Center
that is heated and cooled with a ground-source heat pump system. By investing in ground
coupled heat pumps to cool the space, condition the ventilation air, and heat water for
supplementary radiation, the City reduced the calculated energy load of the building by
1,337 MMBTU per year over what the building would have used if heated and cooled with a
more conventional gas-fired boiler and reciprocal chiller.
The City has completed phase one of an upgrade of all light fixtures at the James House
Adult Learning Center to high-efficiency light fixtures and lamps and installation of
occupation sensors in all rooms. Once completed and the full building is brought into use as
an adult learning center this energy conservation measure is expected to reduce annual
consumption of electricity by 30,000 kWh.
The City has begun to replace use of the oil-fired furnace and single oversized air-cooled
chiller that are currently used to heat and cool the James House building with multiple air-
source heat pumps under timed thermostatic control. Once complete and the full building is
brought into use as an adult learning center this will reduce the oil use at the James House
by an estimated 4,300 gallons a year, replacing this heat source with an electricity-driven
high-efficiency heat pump system (HSPF of 9.0) that is expected to use 51,800 kWh per
year, and reduce summer-time consumption of electricity for cooling by 30% (28,000 kWh).
The City will reduce energy use through management and behavior changes as well. The
Northampton Energy and Sustainability Commission will produce a Sustainability Practices
Guide for municipal employees that will reduce energy use, increase recycling, and promote
sustainable transportation habits.
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 1-A
· Task: Guaranteed Energy Services Performance Project – Phase I
· Timeline: Phase I construction to begin in the summer of 2010 and run for 18
months.
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Mayor, Financial Director, City Council.
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 23,638 MMBTU
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs:
Project cost = $6,500,000
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Long Term Service Agreement = $870,000
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 1-B
· Task: Guaranteed Energy Services Performance Project – Phase II
· Timeline: Phase II IGA and construction contract to be developed in the fall of
2010.
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Mayor, Financial Director, City Council.
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: TBD
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 1-C
· Task: Ground Source Heat Pump at Senior Center
· Timeline: Completed April 2007
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 1,337 MMBT
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 1-D
· Task: HVAC and Lighting Efficiency at James House
· Timeline: Phase I was completed in spring of 2010. Phase II to be completed in
fall 2010.
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Community and Economic
Development Director, Energy and Sustainability Officer, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 618 MMBTU
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs:
o Lighting Upgrades: $17,600
o HVAC improvements: $57,000
o Grant support: $31,452
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 1-E
· Task: Sustainable Practices for City Government
· Timeline: Develop guiding document 2010 - 2011
· Responsible Party(ies): Energy and Sustainability Commission, Energy and
Sustainability Officer, Department Heads, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: TBD
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
Vehicles
While Northampton has recently adopted a fuel-efficient vehicle purchasing policy, the City
has been purchasing high efficiency vehicles for several years. For instance, in 2007, the
DPW switched from purchasing four wheel drive (4WD) to two wheel drive (2WD) vehicles
used for reading water meters and Ford Escape Hybrid utility vehicles. Similarly, the parking
division began purchasing Kia Rios (at 24 mpg) for light-duty parking lot chores. Adoption of
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the fuel-efficient vehicle purchasing policy will result in the City purchasing even higher
efficiency vehicles.
In addition, in 2007 Northampton’s DPW began to use a biodiesel/diesel blend in all diesel
vehicles. They found that a 20% biodiesel blend in warm months and 5% biodiesel blend in
cold months worked well. Unfortunately, due to the national financial downturn’s effects on
City finances (i.e., budget cuts), the DPW went back to 100% diesel in 2008.
Currently, the City tracks vehicle fuel use by individuals, which effectively provides a history
of fuel use by department. In addition, fuel use is not matched to miles driven for any
vehicles. The City has begun to investigate ways to track fuel use per vehicle in a way that
can be used to monitor individual vehicle’s fuel efficiency fill up by fill up.
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 2-A
· Task: Upgrade to high efficiency vehicles
· Timeline: Ongoing
· Responsible Party(ies): City Department Heads, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: TBD – Inadequate tracking of fuel use per
vehicle prohibits an estimate of savings from being made at this time. Anticipate
a 3% to 6% energy use reduction per vehicle upgrade.
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 2-B
· Task: Upgrade Tracking of Fuel Use by Individual Vehicles
· Timeline: 2010 or 2011
· Responsible Party(ies): DPW, Energy and Sustainability Officer, Energy and
Sustainability Commission, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: N/A – will enable planning for measures
that will reduce energy use.
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 2-C
· Task: Use a blend of biodiesel in all DPW diesel vehicles
· Timeline: Anticipated to start in 2011 or 2012
· Responsible Party(ies): DPW, Mayor, Financial Director
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 424 MMBTU1
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: $6,000 annual price premium
for biodiesel blend versus 100% diesel plus added cost of increased fuel filter
changes.
Street, Parking, and Traffic Lighting
Northampton has already upgraded all of its red and green traffic lights to LED fixtures. A
cost and energy use analysis conducted in 2007 by the Energy and Sustainability Officer
1 Based on biodiesel providing a life-cycle reduction in fossil fuel use of 78% and 20% blend used for 7 months and
5% blend used for 5 months of the year
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determined that the energy savings that could be realized by upgrading yellow traffic lights
to LEDs were not worth it, the funds would be more effectively spent on other efficiency
projects.
In the fall of 2009, Northampton replaced sixteen 400-watt high-pressure sodium (HPS)
parking lot fixtures in the Armory Street parking lot with eight 128-watt LED fixtures and eight
96-watt LED fixtures. These are expected to reduce the City’s energy use by 23,564 kWh a
year.
During the winter of ’09-’10 the City replaced all 220 70-watt HPS interior parking garage
fixtures with high-efficiency fluorescent fixtures with photovoltaic controls. These are
expected to reduce the City’s energy use by 71,306 kWh a year.
The City’s Parking Division maintains and operates cobra-head light fixtures at seven
parking lots (Hampton Ave., South St., Union Station, Strong Ave., Masonic, James House,
and Round House); pole-top fixtures similar to the Armory Street lot at Hampton Avenue,
Gothic Street, Strong Avenue, Pearl Street, and along the bike path from Hampton Avenue
to the railroad bridge; and six pole-top fixtures on top of the parking garage. The parking
division will continue to phase in LED and other high efficiency light fixtures at all of these
sites over the next one to five years. LED fixtures for the six pole-top fixtures on top of the
parking garage are already on order. The City roughly estimates an annual savings of about
5 times the savings seen at the Armory Street lot once all upgrades are complete.
The City has and continues to seek grant funds to implement a LED streetlight pilot project
to determine cost-effectiveness, energy reduction potential, and user acceptability of LED
fixtures for street and sidewalk lighting.
Twenty years ago, Northampton completed a municipal streetlight survey to evaluate light
levels throughout the city and recommend improvements to reduce energy use and improve
traffic safety. Eight out of ten recommended phases from the study were completed that
resulted in a net removal of 691 streetlights and an overall 14% reduction in lumens. Since
then, new construction and individual requests by property owners to adjust light levels in
their neighborhoods have occurred and the City has passed a dark-sky ordinance.
Over the next year or two, Northampton intends to conduct a new municipal streetlight
survey taking into consideration new technologies (such as LED light fixtures), current
recommended light levels for traffic safety, and specifications from the dark sky ordinance.
At a minimum, the City anticipates achieving energy and cost savings that were identified in
phases 9 and 10 of the 1992 survey.
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 3-A
· Task: High Efficiency Florescent and LED Fixtures at Parking Facilities: Phase I
· Timeline: Completed in the fall/winter of 2009
· Responsible Party(ies): Parking Commissioner, Energy and Sustainability
Officer, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 324 MMBTU
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs:
o Project Cost: $60,000
o Utility Rebates: $22,514
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o Simple payback LED fixtures: 1.5 years
o Simple payback florescent fixtures: 4 years
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 3-B
· Task: High Efficiency Florescent and LED Fixtures at Parking Facilities: Future
Phases
· Timeline: 2011 - 2015
· Responsible Party(ies): Parking Commissioner, Energy and Sustainability
Officer, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 400 MMBTU once all parking facilities are
addressed
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 3-C
· Task: LED Streetlight Pilot Project
· Timeline: ASAP 2011 - 2015
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: TBD
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 3-D
· Task: Streetlight Survey
· Timeline: 2011/2012
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: N/A – will enable planning for measures
that will reduce energy use.
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 3-E
· Task: Streetlight Efficiency Improvements
· Timeline: 2013 - 2015
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: TBD
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: TBD
Municipally-owned and -operated clean renewable or alternative energy installations
In March 2008, Northampton began selling landfill gas to a private vender (Ameresco) to
power a 0.8 MW landfill gas to energy facility. According to the US EPA, this facility will
provide a total equivalent annual emissions reduction of 4.051 tons of CO2, and 1,594 tons
of methane (CH4), equivalent to reducing the City’s gasoline consumption by 3,828,533
gallons a year. While the City is not considering this measure equivalent to reducing energy
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use, it is notable that 3,828,533 gallons of gasoline has an energy content of 474,738
MMBTU, which is more than four times Northampton’s adjusted baseline energy use.
Total Equivalent Emissions Reduced
[Total = Direct + Avoided]
MMTCO2E/yr tons CH4/yr tons CO2/yr
million metric tons of
carbon dioxide
equivalents per year
tons of
methane
per year
tons of
carbon
dioxide per
year
0.0340 1,594 4,051
In March 2010, the City began producing power from a 13 kW photovoltaic array installed on
the roof of the James House Learning Adult Center. This array is expected to offset 13,114
kWh of City electricity demand a year.
In October 2009, Northampton received authority from the US IRS to issue $313,925 in New
Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (New CREBs) under section 54C of the Internal Revenue
Code, for two photovoltaic projects in the City; one a 100 kW system at the Smith Vocational
and Agricultural High School (SVAHS) and a second 13 kW system on the Jackson Street
elementary school (JSS). This would cover roughly 45% of the cost of these two projects.
The anticipated energy savings due the estimated annual production of 139,960 kWh of
electricity from these two projects would be enough to pay off the CREBs. The City is
currently seeking funds to pay the remaining project costs. If funds can not be obtained, the
City will evaluate soliciting a power purchase agreement (PPA) for one, both, or a modified
version of these two projects.
Northampton’s landfill is currently slated to close in 2012, however, before that time an
expansion may be approved. While the City does not want to consider installing a
photovoltaic array on the capped portions of the landfill while the current sections are in
operation (i.e., before 2012), it may once the current section being filled is filled in. At that
point, the City would consider soliciting a power purchase agreement (PPA) for a
photovoltaic array of 200 kW or more to be installed on the capped portion of the landfill.
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 4-A
· Task: Landfill Gas to Energy
· Timeline: Completed
· Responsible Party(ies): DPW
· CO2-equivalent Emissions Reduction from Equivalent Annual Energy
Savings of: 3,828,533 gallons of gasoline
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 4-B
· Task: 13 kW Photovoltaic Array on the James House
· Timeline: Completed March 2010
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Community and Economic Development Director
· Projected Annual Energy Offset: 45 MMBTU
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· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs:
o Project Costs: $104,838
o Grants: $104,838
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 4-C
· Task: 113 kW Photovoltaic Arrays at SVAHS and JSS
· Timeline: 2010-2011
· Responsible Party(ies): Central Services, Energy and Sustainability Officer,
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, Energy and Sustainability
Commission, Financial Director, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 478 MMBTU
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: $750,000
ENERGY CONSERVATION TASK 4-D
· Task: 200 kW or greater Photovoltaic Arrays at the Landfill
· Timeline: 2012 - 2015
· Responsible Party(ies): DPW, Energy and Sustainability Officer, Financial
Director, Mayor
· Projected Annual Energy Savings: 833 MMBTU minimum
· Estimated Project Capital and Operating Costs: Commitment by City to
purchase electricity produced by the array at a rate equivalent to or better than
market rate of electricity.
Total Projected Fossil Fuel Energy Reduction
Table 7 provides a summation of energy conservation tasks 1 through 4.
22 Table 7: Summation of Energy Conservation Tasks Reduction/Offset of Fossil Energy Use Factors in Calculating Adjusted Baseline Energy Use by Energy Source Total Current Energy Use (MMBTU) Electricity (kWh) Natural Gas (therms) Fuel Oil (Gal.) Propane (Gal.) Gasoline (Gal.) Diesel Fuel (Gal.) BASELINE ENERGY USE FY09 Municipal Energy Use 10,695,126 413,714 95,426 86,704 63,531 58,585 115,039 Adjustment due to reduced energy use in baseline year at the James House 86,021 294 Adjustment due to geothermal vs. conventional HVAC system at Senior Cen. 1,337 Adjusted Baseline 116,669 Energy Conservation Tasks Energy Reduction/Offset by Energy Source Total Reduction (MMBTU) % of Adjusted Baseline Task # Task Descriptor Electricity (kWh) Natural Gas (therms) Fuel Oil (Gal.) Propane (Gal.) Gasoline (Gal.) Diesel Fuel (Gal.) 1. City Facilities 1-A Guaranteed Energy Services Performance Project – Phase I 1,551,338 42,481 70,014 47,966 23,638 20.26% 1-B Guaranteed Energy Services Performance Project - Phase II TBD 1-C Ground Source Heat Pump at Senior Center 1,337 1.15% 1-D HVAC and Lighting Efficiency at James House 34,200 4,300 714 0.61% 1-E Sustainable Practices for City Government TBD
23 Energy Conservation Tasks Energy Reduction/Offset by Energy Source Total Reduction (MMBTU) % of Adjusted Baseline Task # Task Descriptor Electricity (kWh) Natural Gas (therms) Fuel Oil (Gal.) Propane (Gal.) Gasoline (Gal.) Diesel Fuel (Gal.) 2. Vehicles 2-A Upgrade to High Efficiency Vehicles TBD 2-B Upgrade Tracking of Fuel Use by Individual Vehicles N/A 2-C Use a blend of biodiesel in all DPW diesel vehicles 3,050 424 0.36% 3. Street, Parking, and Traffic Lighting 3-A High Efficiency Light Fixtures at Parking Facilities: Phase I 94,870 324 0.28% 3-B High Efficiency Light Fixtures at Parking Facilities: Future Phases 117,820 402 0.34% 3-C LED Streetlight Pilot Project TBD 3-D Streetlight Survey N/A 3-E Streetlight Efficiency Improvements TBD
24 Energy Conservation Tasks Energy Reduction/Offset by Energy Source Total Reduction (MMBTU) % of Adjusted Baseline Task # Task Descriptor Electricity (kWh) Natural Gas (therms) Fuel Oil (Gal.) Propane (Gal.) Gasoline (Gal.) Diesel Fuel (Gal.) 4. Municipally-owned and -operated Clean Renewable or Alternative Energy Installations 4-A Landfill Gas to Energy2 N/A 4-B 13 kW Photovoltaic Array on the James House 13,114 45 0.04% 4-C 100 kW and 13 kW Photovoltaic Arrays at SVAHS and JSS 139,960 478 0.41% 4-D 200 kW or greater Photovoltaic Arrays at the Landfill 244,130 833 1% Total Determinable Energy Reductions Reductions from Energy Conservation Tasks 1 - 3 1,798,228 42,481 74,314 47,966 3,050 25,502 21.86% Reductions from Clean Renewable or Alternative Energy Installations 397,204 1,355 1.16% Total Determinable Energy Reductions 2,195,432 42,481 74,314 47,966 3,050 26,857 23.02% 2 While, according to the US EPA, the greenhouse gas reductions from this measure are equivalent to not consuming 3,828,533 gallons of gasoline annually the City is not considering this equivalent to reducing energy use. However, it is notable that 3,828,533 gallons of gasoline has an energy content of 474,738 MMBTU, which is more than four times Northampton’s adjusted baseline energy use.
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MEASUREMENT AND VERIFICATION PLAN FOR PROJECTED REDUCTIONS
Each energy conservation measure (ECM) included in the performance contract will be
associated with a specific measurement and verification (M&V) protocol agreed to by the
City of Northampton and ConEdison Solutions (CES). If deviations in performance occur,
CES’s M&V plan will identify in a written report those deviations and identify clearly the party
responsible for correcting such deviations. Those deviations under the control and
management of CES will be corrected as soon as they are identified (typically during CES’s
operation and maintenance (O&M) oversight activities, but sometimes only after completion
of CES’s annual M&V activities) and, if such deviations cannot be corrected, savings will be
recalculated using the agreed-upon building simulation models to recalculate interactive
energy savings for the building. Those deviations under the control of City of Northampton
will be identified as soon as practicable and the City will take corrective actions
recommended by CES.
Because the City has included the new Senior Center in the performance contract,
monitoring the performance of this building’s geothermal system will be included in this
process. In addition, the performance contract project will increase the City’s energy
management systems capabilities, which the City will use to monitor energy performance on
a daily or weekly basis. For facilities not included in the energy services performance
contract, the City will continue to monitor energy performance through its ongoing in-house
energy tracking efforts. The City anticipates moving over to the MA DOER’s
MassEnergyInsight on-line tracking system as a way to upgrade the City’s current level of
energy tracking reporting.
Central Services will oversee all energy tracking responsibilities and will work closely with
CES to implement the performance contract’s O&M and M&V plans. Central Services will
provide at a minimum an annual report on the performance of the energy services project for
the Mayor of Northampton and the City Council.
Northampton will upgrade it’s capability to track gasoline and diesel fuel use and miles
driven per vehicle so the City can track individual vehicle’s fuel efficiency (miles per gallon).
Increased efficiency in outdoor lighting and energy produced by renewable energy projects
will be verified by monitoring electric utility bills and on-line data monitoring systems
respectively.
LONG-TERM ENERGY REDUCTION GOALS – BEYOND 5 YEARS
The Sustainable Northampton Plan sets a short term goal of 30% greenhouse gas (GHG)
emission reduction by 2030. The Pioneer Valley Clean Energy Plan, which has been
endorsed by the City, sets a goal of 80% GHG reductions over 2000 levels by 2050.
Municipal Sector
Northampton will continue to make comprehensive efficiency improvements in all City
facilities as new technologies become available and/or energy prices make feasible. The
City will evaluate at regular intervals whether technology and/or energy prices have changed
enough to warrant the City undergoing another energy services performance project. In
addition, the City will continue to seek funding and financing opportunities that will allow it to
install renewable energy systems at City facilities.
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The City will continue to encourage National Grid to provide a rate-tariff for high-efficiency
LED streetlights and upgrade all of Northampton’s streetlights to this new technology as
soon as the technology and cost make this feasible. Results from any LED streetlight pilot
project will be shared with National Grid to encourage them to bring this option to their
customers.
Residential and Commercial Sectors
In short, the City’s long-term strategy to assist private property owners is to reduce barriers
to increased efficiency in the residential and commercial sectors. The City can do this
through policies and partnerships that provide funding, financing, and education and reduce
uncertainties for private property owners to increase efficiency and use renewable energy.
Some specific programs include:
· Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing
· Partnering with banks to provide:
o energy efficiency loans
o a deferred energy efficiency loan program for low income residents
· Work with regional partners to develop a regional carbon-offset program
· Establish seed money for a local revolving loan fund for energy efficiency and
renewable energy projects
· Partner with the Chamber of Commerce to provide green business practices
assistance to local businesses
· Work with SVAHS and other local educational organizations to prepare our
workforce for jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy
□ CRITERIA 4: FUEL EFFICIENT VEHICLES
Description of Criteria
Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles for municipal use whenever such vehicles are commercially
available and practicable.
Documentation
Please provide the following documentation to verify that the municipality has met this criterion
(both required):
X A copy of the policy or other mechanism adopted for purchasing only fuel efficient vehicles
X Inventory of existing fleet (model, year, estimated mpg) with plans for replacements with
fuel efficient vehicles
City Council Policy/Resolution and inventory of City non-exempt vehicles with plan for replacement
are attached on the following pages
See Criteria 3 minutes from Northampton School Committee verifying committee resolution of
approval of the City’s fuel efficient vehicle purchasing policy
See Criteria 3 for a letter of confirmation that the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School
Board of Trustees adopted the City’s fuel efficient vehicle purchasing policy
Northampton Vehicle Inventory, April 14, 2010
Northampton owns and operates 38 vehicles that qualify as “non-exempt” under the DOER’s Green
Community Criteria 4.
Department Qty Year Make Model Drive MPG
Bd. Of Health 1 1999 Ford Crown Victoria 2WD 16
Central Services 1 2000 Ford Crown Victoria 2WD 16
Central Services 1 1991 Chevrolet Astro Van 2WD 17
Central Services 1 1996 Ford Escort 2WD 25
Central Services 1 2003 Ford Winstar 2WD 18
Central Services 1 1988 GMC Vandura 2WD 16
Council on Aging 1 1999 Dodge Caravan 2WD 16
DPW 1 1998 Ford Econoline Van 2WD 13
DPW 2 2007 Ford Escape Utility - Hybrid 4WD 27
DPW 1 2000 Ford Explorer 4WD 16
DPW 1 2002 Ford Explorer 4WD 15
DPW 1 2000 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 1 2001 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 3 2002 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 1 2003 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 1 2004 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 2 2007 Ford Ranger 2WD 17
DPW 1 2008 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 1 2009 Ford Ranger 4WD 15
DPW 1 1997 Ford Taurus 2WD 21
DPW 1 2004 Ford Taurus 2WD 20
Fire 1 2008 Ford Escape Utility 4WD 19
K-12 School 1 1991 Ford Econline Van 2WD 13
K-12 School 1 2004 Ford Crown Victoria 2WD 16
K-12 School 1 2001 Ford Crown Victoria 2WD 16
Parking 1 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 4WD 15
Parking 1 2003 GMC Sierra 4WD 14
Parking 2 2005 Kia Rio 2WD 24
Parking 1 2000 Ford Ranger 2WD 16
SVAHS 1 1989 Chevrolet Astro Van 2WD 17
SVAHS 1 1999 Ford Explorer 4WD 15
SVAHS 1 2001 Ford F250 4WD 14
SVAHS 1 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlas 2WD 21
Vehicle Replacement Plan
The City of Northampton, Northampton School District, and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High
School will identify vehicles to be replaced through their respective capital improvement planning
process and ensure that their proposed replacements are in compliance with the Northampton’s Fuel
Efficient Vehicle Purchasing Policy.
□ CRITERIA 5: MINIMIZE LIFE CYCLE COSTS
Description of Criteria
Require all new residential construction over 3,000 square feet and all new commercial and
industrial real estate construction to minimize, to the extent feasible, the life-cycle cost of the facility
by utilizing energy efficiency, water conservation and other renewable or alternative energy
technologies.
Cities and towns can meet this requirement by adopting the new BBRS Stretch Code, the new
appendix to the MA State Building Code.
Type of Method
Please indicate which type of life cycle cost reduction the municipality is providing (check
applicable box).
□ Local Process
X Adopted Stretch Energy Code (780 CMR 120.AA, the MA Board of Building Regulations
and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Energy Code)
Documentation
Please provide the following documentation to verify that the municipality has met this criterion:
Local Process
The municipality must provide documentation of the standard adopted, the mechanism in place for
requiring this criterion for new construction and documentation of how this standard provides
reduced life-cycle energy costs.
NOTE: If a Municipality plans to meet this criterion through a local process, they are encouraged
to submit a description of how it plans to do so with supporting documentation in advance of
applying for designation. In this manner, the Green Communities can provide feedback on the
acceptability of the identified process for meeting this criteria.
Stretch Energy Code
The municipality must provide documentation of the city or town vote adopting 780 CMR 120.AA,
MA Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Energy Code.
*NOTE: TOWNS THAT HAVE PLACED AN ARTICLE ON THEIR TOWN MEETING WARRANT
(PROVIDED THE TOWN MEETING VOTE IS NO LATER THAN THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2010)
CAN SUBMIT A DESIGNATION FORM, INDICATING THAT CRITERION #5 IS IN PROCESS. IF
THIS APPLIES PLEASE CHECK OFF THE BOX BELOW AND INDICATE WHEN THE TOWN
MEETING VOTE WILL OCCUR AND INCLUDE A COPY OF THE APPLICABLE TOWN
MEETING WARRANT. TOWN MEETING MUST APPROVE THE STRETCH CODE ARTICLE
FOR THE APPLICANT TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR MEETING CRITERION #5.
□ TOWN MEETING VOTE PENDING
Town Meeting Date:
Northampton City Council Resolution adopting 780 CMR 120.AA, MA Board of Building Regulations
and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Energy Code (1st reading on 4/8/2010 and 2nd reading on 4/15/2010) is
attached on the following page.
REQUEST FOR WAIVER
Pursuant to MGL c. 25A, Section 10(c),the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs may
waive these requirements based on a written finding that due to unusual circumstances, a
municipality cannot reasonably meet all of the requirements and the municipality has committed to
alternative measures that advance the purposes of the green communities program as effectively
as adherence to the requirements.
Please select the criteria that the municipality is requesting a waiver for. A letter justifying why the
applicant cannot meet this criteria (with supporting documentation) must be attached. In the letter
please provide an alternative measure that advances the purposes of the Green Communities
program as effectively as adherence to the requirement.
□ As of Right Zoning □ Expedited Permitting
□ Energy Baseline □ Fuel Efficient Vehicles
□ Minimize Life Cycle Cost