Below is a list of specific projects, training, published writing and other work relating to energy, in a loose chronological order.
Organizational Affiliations
- Brattleboro Energy Committee, 2012 – present. Sub-committee memberships:
– Renewable Energy
– Energy Efficiency
– Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
– Integrated Systems
– Home Energy Challenge
- Windham Regional Commission Energy Committee
- Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network
- Union of Concerned Scientists
- Southern Loop Citizens Advisory Committee. Participated in a citizens’ panel to recommend solutions to the region’s electric utilities for looming electrical transmission problems throughout Southeastern Vermont. Reviewed the state of energy transmission in the region and investigated options to address it. 2006 – 2008.
- Brattleboro Cities for Climate Protection, steering council member, 2005 – 2010.
- Member of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association sporadically for over 20 years. Worked with NESEA professionally in various capacities including helping to organize their Building Energy conferences and Tour de Sol solar car race.
- Chair, Wind Power Committee, Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, Humboldt State University. Wrote grants, chaired meetings and oversaw the design, construction, installation and monitoring of a 15 kilowatt wind turbine that provided electricity to the Center and the grid. 1986-1987.
Publications
- Article: “Air Source Heat Pumps for Hot Water,” author of an article for the publication Green Energy Times. December, 2012.
- Article: “Air Source Heat Pumps for Space Heating author of an article for the publication Green Energy Times. October, 2012.
- Feasibility Study for Renewable Energy at Marlboro College, primary author and instigator. This project started as a broad assessment of the potential for energy conservation and renewable energy at the college. Wrote successful grant proposals for $1.2 million to commence the project, as well as a 150 page report with cost estimates and feasibility assessments from 22 companies for thermal energy conservation, electrical efficiency, solar thermal, solar electric, commercial scale wind power, biofuels, biomass, hydro-power, geothermal, district heating, co-generation, a greenhouse gas inventory and comprehensive economic and environmental analyses of the different options. The project included a thorough energy assessment of the 42 campus buildings using infra-red photography combined with building depressurization technologies, and aimed for a 30-50% reduction in heating load. 2005 to 2008.
Specialized Training
- High Performance Buildings, a training with Peter Yost of Building Green and Green Building Advisor, sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Practices. 2012.
- Weatherization Installer Training a week-long inculcation organized through Southeastern Vermont Community Action, Vermont Technical College and the Center for Sustainable Practices, 2011.
- Zero Net Energy Buildings. Attended a workshop on net zero energy buildings given by Marc Rosenbaum in 2007. Has attended many similar workshops over the last 35 years and has a number of professional colleagues and associates in this field.
Projects
- While interim executive director at the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, initiated weatherization and insulation projects for all habitable buildings. When one residential and one office building did not qualify for SEVCA services, commissioned a professional audit and enlisted volunteers to carry out substantial weatherization measures, including insulation and sealing of air penetrations. 2010.
- Performance Contract, City of Brattleboro. While serving on the Brattleboro Cities for Climate Change task force helped to organize and oversee the implementation of a $2 million comprehensive energy performance contract for all 16 town and school district buildings. The overall objective aimed for a 20% decrease in energy consumption using a financial mechanism whereby the cost of the project was guaranteed by the contracted firm (Honeywell) to be paid for through the energy saved.
- Brattleboro District Heating. Initiated a preliminary feasibility study for a combined heat and power district heating system for downtown Brattleboro through the Northeast District Heating collaborative at UMass. 2007.
- Energy and Performance Assessment of the Brown Science Building at Marlboro College, including building depressurization, envelope assessment and thermal imaging. 2005.
- Engineering Consultant, RCS Energy Systems, Leverett, MA. Performed extensive energy and water conservation audits for large commercial and industrial clients using AquaTrack™ software developed by RCS. Work included energy and water audits, research, writing, equipment evaluation and policy recommendations for industrial and governmental clients. Projects included the implementation of the Massachusetts Electric Company demand side management program for industrial clients. 1991 – 1993.
- Comprehensive Energy Audit of the Humboldt State University Forestry Building. Graduate level research project performed at HSU. This project involved the debugging of energy conservation software that had recently been developed at HSU, and its application in the energy audit of a large academic building. The resulting report recommended a number of energy conservation measures, with their capital costs, simple payback period and complex payback period. 1987.
- Small-Scale Hydropower Project Sequencing: Defining the Trade-Offs Between Minimized Cost and Minimized Environmental Damage. Graduate level research project for the Utah Power and Light Commission focusing on system optimization. This project involved the development of a multi-objective software program to discern an optimal solution. 1986.
- A Socio-Economic Analysis of the Humboldt Solar Municipal Utility. This report included a cost-benefit analysis for a proposed solar municipal utility in Humboldt County, CA. The program offered homeowners, landlords and businesses the opportunity to rent a solar hot water system from the County. The results were favorable, even in cloudy Northern California. 1986.
- Production and Thermal Characterization of a Flat-Plate Ceramic Solar Panel. Bachelor’s thesis written for the NY State College of Ceramic Engineering. 1982.