JerryShechter on "Energy Work Group Minutes - 1.16.07"

JerryShechter — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:36:00 +0000

Meeting Minutes

Kansas City Climate Protection Plan
Energy Work Group Meeting

January 16, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 4:10 p.m., by Bob Jackson, Chairman. Meeting attendees signed an attendance roster.

Bob Jackson provided introductory remarks, and:

• Summarized the reports made by each chairman to the Steering Committee at the December 2006 meeting
• Reviewed the schedule of upcoming meetings that will lead to the preparation of the Phase I Climate Protection Plan for submittal to Mayor Barnes and the City Council in early April
• Noted that the presentations scheduled for today’s meeting address some of the topics that generated strong interest at the December 14, 2006 Work Group meeting.

Sue Nathan, KCPL, made a presentation on the utility’s Affordability, Energy Efficiency, and Demand Response Programs.

• Energy Star Homes is a new program and KCPL is looking for 2 or 3 builders who are interested in doing “green building” in order to partner
• Demand Response Programs include Energy Optimizer, which has already met its three year goal of enrollees in just 14 months; and MPower. She noted the program really took off after news coverage on television and talk shows, proving the demand is there from the public for these types of energy efficiency programs. The long term goal of KCPL is to defer Iatan 3.
• KCPL is looking at ways to continue KC’s Million Lights campaign beyond the three month time frame (Oct-Dec) under the Change a Light, Change the World program.

Bob Jackson, KCMO, made a presentation on the city’s weatherization programs.
• Air leakage is the biggest energy drain for most homes. The city has worked with 25 contractors in its weatherization program, some for two decades.
• Work group member Rick Robson, Hallmark, offered comments about a program in Austin, Texas, to put at-risk kids to work learning a construction trade in partnership with the city and Habitat for Humanity to provide weatherization.
• The Work Group expressed an interest in the Weatherization Program producing data on energy saved, and resultant GHG reduction.

Robert Rives, KCMO facilities manager, made a presentation on energy conservation programs in city buildings.

• Since 2000, the city has avoided $12,488,191 in energy costs due to efficiency programs that have been implemented. That equates to 280 million pounds of CO2 not produced, which is the equivalent of taking 21,000 cars off the road, or planting 41,000 acres of trees.
• The city will do a spring assessment of remaining buildings. The work group members asked about statistics from Aviation and Water Services Department, including whether anything is being done to harvest methane by WSD.

• Questions were asked about using solar panels on city buildings, solar water heaters, and weatherization of buildings.

Lynn Hinkle asked the group for feedback on topics they would like to hear discussed at the February 6, 2007 meeting. Suggested topics included:

• KCMO’s LEED Ordinance
• Missouri Energy Task Force Action Plan update by Jeff Davis
• Building Publicly-financed housing to meet Energy Star standards
• A Million Lights campaign

• Energy Star office equipment and appliances

• Metropolitan Energy Center’s energy conservation workshops

• Wind turbines/solar panels for on-site generation of electricity; Green-e certification and Green tags; This general topic was of primary interest to the group

From the above list, participants voted to have the following two presentations on Feb. 6:

Jeff Davis about the Missouri Energy Task Force Action Plan

Green-e certifications and Green tag programs and wind turbines/solar
panel and PV applications

Participants were also asked to provide, prior to the next meeting, information on education and outreach activities relative to global warming that they are involved in or aware of. Staff will distribute a form to participants for this purpose. Materials are to be submitted to Jerry Shechter by February 1, 2007.

The next meeting of the Work Groups is on February 6, 2007 at the Kauffman Foundation at 4801 Rockhill Rd.

KC Climate Protection Forums Topic: Energy Work Group Minutes - 1.16.07

JerryShechter on "Energy Work Group Minutes - 1.16.07"