ENERGY CODE ENFORCEMENT TRAINING

Energy enforcement training is an important high-impact action. The energy code is a minimum building standard for energy efficiency. It applies to new construction and renovation of commercial and residential buildings in New York State.

Since buildings represent roughly 60% of New York’s total energy consumption, there is significant opportunity for energy and cost savings through improved energy code compliance.

The town code enforcement officer completed training prior to January 26, 2021. Communities that completed Energy Code Enforcement Training prior to the January 26, 2021 date must retake the training to earn additional points in the CEC program.

Led Streetlights

Replacing conventional street lights with LED lights results in cost savings, reduced energy use, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The town has converted all possible streetlights in the street lighting districts to LED lights.

By completing conversion to LED street lights in 2020, the town reduced its cost $10,745, its electricity use by176.083 kWh, and its greenhouse gas emissions by 23.63 metric tons of carbon dioxide compared to 2017, the baseline year.

Unified Solar Permit

The standard permit is expected to cut costs by creating an expedited uniform permittingprocess.

The Unified Solar Permit is a CEC high-impact action adopted by the town in 2016 and recognized by the 2021 CEC Leadership Round as a high-impact action.

The unified solar permit provides a standardized permit application designed to streamline the approval process for installing solar in the community. The standardized permit is expected to cut costs by creating an expedited uniform permitting process throughout New York State. It saves the town government and the solar installers time and resources.

Ny Stretch Energy Code

Adoption of the NY

NY Stretch Energy Code – 2020 (NYStretch) if adopted by municipalities would apply to new buildings and major renovations in existing buildings. It is a high-impact action developed by NYSERDA as a statewide model code for municipalities to use to meet energy and climate goals. This more stringent code protects the environment, creates healthier more comfortable buildings with lower operating costs. The CAC task force recommends the adoption of NY Stretch by the Town Board.

It is estimated that NYStretch will be 10–12% more efficient than the state’s 2020 code (2020 ECCCNYS) and will significantly reduce energy consumption, operating costs, utility costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Adoption of a more stringent standard for buildings may result in slightly higher costs for new construction, but costs will be offset by the energy cost savings associated with a home that meets NY Stretch requirements

On average, residential buildings that meet NYStretch can save an estimated 19.7% in terms of energy cost compared to those built to the 2020 ECCCNYS. Likewise, a homeowner would see, on average, an estimated19.7%reductionin theirutilitybill over the course of one year.

The prescriptive residential provisions of NYStretch were modeled using whole building energy simulation software to quantify energy savings beyond what will be expected under the 2020 ECCCNYS.

Kiwanis Ice Arena Chiller

While replacing the ice arena chiller is not a CEC high-impact action, the chiller is identified in the CAP as using the largest amount of electricity and generating the greatest amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

$32,811 in yearly costs.

The 2020 Annual Report recommended, as a priority, the replacement of the existing chiller with one that is “the most energy efficient, reduces the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions and yields the most annual cost savings.” Replacing the chiller is estimated to save $32,811 in annual costs. The Climate Action Plan (CAP) called for the town to pursue funding for a state-of-the-art chiller.

The town applied for and was awarded a $269,688 state matching grant for the Kiwanis Ice Arena Air-cooled Chiller Project. In announcing the grant, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation noted that the project will replace the chiller using a refrigerant type that will “reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere through leaks in traditional cooling systems to reduce energy and financial costs, eliminate commercial water treatment, and cut maintenance costs.”

2021 Town Municipal Greenhouse Gas Data Introduction

The Saugerties Climate Action Plan (CAP) adopted by the Town Board in 2019, used the Municipal Greenhouse Gas Inventory to set a number of energy-efficiency goals and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals. The plan calls for the Town to reduce its GHG emissions by 20% by 2025 and to report annually on its progress. 2021 is the second reporting year.

Several roadblocks were encountered when preparing this 2021 report resulting in an estimated reduction of GHG emissions for 2021. Most significantly, we were able to obtain only usage numbers from Central Hudson’s portal rather than directly from the town’s accounts which was done in the past. No costs associated with Central Hudson’s electricity and natural gas usage for town facilities were available on the Central Hudson portal.

In addition, we experienced the same problems that the Saugerties community experienced with its Central Hudson bills, including new account numbers and inexplicable increases or decreases in usage. Some accounts included only eight months of usage data. They are: the Large Pavilion and Conference Center, Malden Pump Station, Garden Court Pump Station and Streetlights. Central Hudson provided no data for the Ice Arena Chiller building. Therefore, the total usage and Greenhouse Gas emissions from kWh usage presented in this report are the best estimates given the incomplete numbers provided by Central Hudson. The above factors also caused a delay in completing the 2021 report.

The town’ s Police Department has not yet met its yearly goal of adding one hybrid plug-in police vehicle to its fleet through 2025 due to a lack of vehicle availability and not lack of intent. The upcoming installation of a new chiller, along with the other improvements already completed at the ice arena, will make the facility highly energy efficient. Superintendent of Parks, Recreation and Buildings Greg Chorvas and his team have made energy efficiency a priority since the construction of the Ice Arena, and their successes are noteworthy.

Methodology

 We used the same format, Facility/Group Names and Categories that were used in the 2017 GHG Inventory.

 Definitions: MTCO2e means Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases (GHG).

 We used the factors and sources provided in the GHG Inventory to calculate Metric Tons of CO2e.

 Central Hudson’s portal was used only for electricity and natural gas usages.

 Street lighting usage and cost records came directly from Central Hudson at our request.

 Gas and diesel records were self-reported by the Highway Department’s records (including Building Inspector, Animal Shelter, Police, and Transfer Station), Parks and Recreation, Glasco Waste Water Treatment Plant (GWWTP), and Police Department WEX authorized purchases from regular gas stations when police are unable to use the Highway Department facility.

 Tank fuel usage and cost numbers were requested and received from the town’s suppliers, Paraco and Bottini.

 David Velasco of Conductive Power, an affiliate of East Light Partners, provided the usage, cost and GHG numbers from the solar farm located at the Transfer Station.

Comparison Results

In order to provide a comparison between 2020 and 2021 (with the caveats mentioned in the introduction) below are side by side comparisons for each of the categories for Municipal Operations.

Electricity

East Light Partners’ Solar Farm

In 2021 the total municipal electric usage was 1,951,193 kWh. The East Light Solar farm provided 1,946,507.60 kWh in 2021, eliminating 261.30 Metric Tons of GHG emissions in 2021.

East Light Partners’ Solar Farm at the Transfer Station reported that:

 Total kWh allocated to the Town of Saugerties in 2021 was 1,946,507.60 kWh

 Total savings in 2021 from the solar installation was $21,315.45 (which is 10% of the total credit of $213,154.54)

Administration Facilities, Wastewater Facilities, Water Delivery Facilities, and Streetlights are the town’s electricity users. Administration Facilities generated the lion’s share of electricity usage and emissions.

Please note. Central Hudson’s reported only eight months of data for the Large Pavilion and Conference Center.

Please note. Central Hudson’s portal includes only 8 months of data for the Malden pump station and the Garden Court pump station.

Please note. Central Hudson did not have a new account number for 3637949000 (G Rt. 32 water), so it is not included.

Streetlights

All the town’s streetlights have been converted to LEDs.

Please note. The numbers above represent only eight months of data provided by Central Hudson accounts.

Natural Gas

Natural Gas is a more polluting source of energy than electricity and emits more greenhouse gases. Because it is used primarily to heat town facilities, it is difficult to find less polluting and cost-effective alternatives, such as heat pumps, within the limitations of the municipal budget.

Please note, Central Hudson’s portal only reported eight months of data for the Large Pavilion and Conference Center and no data in the account for the Chiller building.

Also, the new standard for calculating natural gas MTCO2e emissions is to use therms instead of ccfs. 1 ccf = 1.037 therm.

Vehicle Fleet

The vehicle fleet is the largest emitter of municipal greenhouse gases. This is the reason for a continued effort by the Town to gradually change over to electric and/or plug in hybrid vehicles.

Tank Fuel

Heating oil and kerosene are highly polluting, so all the Town’s departments who don’t use natural gas have switched to propane for the heating of all its buildings. This has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Propane is also used to fuel a generator in the Bluestone Park Water District.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Summary

THE ESTIMATED GHG EMISSIONS IN 2021 COMPARED TO 2020*

THE TOTAL MUNICIPAL PERCENTAGE OF MTCO2e INCREASING IN 2021 WAS .002% from 2020. WHEN THE KILOWHATT HOURS ALLOCATED TO THE TOWN FROM THE EAST LIGHT SOLAR FARM ARE FACTORED IN, THE ACTUAL TOTAL PERCENTAGE OF GREEN HOUSE GASES (MTC02e) REDUCED IN 2021 COMPARED TO 2020 IS 21.91%

*Due to Central Hudson’s failure to provide four months of usage numbers for the accounts listed in the Introduction, the summary excludes that data. The total usage and Greenhouse Gas emissions from kWh usage presented in this report are the best estimates given the incomplete numbers provided by Central Hudson.

Recommendation

As the Town of Saugerties continues to move forward with its plans and strategies for reducing energy use and its annual tracking of municipal greenhouse gas emissions, it is imperative that the town have reliable year-to-year usage data for all its energy components.

Therefore, the Climate Smart Task Force strongly recommends that the Town Board contact Central Hudson and require the utility to provide full twelve months of 2021 usage data for accounts for which only eight months were provided as of early October, 2022.

The accounts are:

Streetlights

Large Pavilion and Conference Center

Garden Court Pump Station

Malden Pump Station.

In addition, the task force recommends that the town require Central Hudson to provide an explanation for the unusual usage changes in accounts such as the Kings Highway Water account that went from 4,145 kWh in 2020 to 7 kWh in 2021 and to provide the accurate Kings Highway Water kWh usage for 2021.

The Task Force will provide the Town Board with a master list of its Central Hudson accounts.

 The town completed nine clean energy high-impact actions making the town eligible to apply for and receive a $10,000 grant.

 The state awarded the town a $5,000 grant to fund an energyrelated project or program.

 The NYSERDA Clean Energy Program recognized Saugerties as a Climate Smart Community at the Bronze level.

 The town initiated a Community Choice Aggregation CCA program that offers100% renewable -energy supply for residents.

 A Community Solar Campaign, a partnership between the town and Ulster County, offered residents up to 10% of their electric bill.

 The town was awarded a $269,688 grant toward the replacement of the Ice Arena chiller.