Melissa Elander is Clean Energy NH's North Country Energy Circuit Rider. An Energy Circuit Rider is a shared staff person providing services to multiple cities and towns across a region. The Energy Circuit Rider helps towns and schools plan, finance, and implement energy-saving upgrades to buildings and infrastructure as well as projects that focus on renewable energy technologies. Working side-by-side with municipal officials, ECRs provide capacity and expertise to support informed decision-making.

January 2021 Update :

Update from the Bethlehem Energy Commission:  
The Bethlehem Energy Commission (BEC) has been working to get the right amount of clean energy to our public facilities. BEC assisted in the development of a solar project to offset 100% of the electricity at the Profile School, our regional middle/high school. This will be funded by a PPA which enables us to get the project up and running without increasing property taxes.
BEC is now in the planning stage for another PV project, this one designed to handle demand for the other town facilities, including town hall, street lights, library, and elementary school. It may be possible to pay for this up front with some grant funding, help from the town’s general fund, and redirecting what we are already paying for electricity.
BEC also helped to set up an energy audit by NH DES of the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Some energy conservation and efficiency measures were identified, and there is a recommendation to switch to solar for electricity supply here, as well.

​Update from the Stratford Select Board:
The Stratford Select Board is committed to improving the energy efficiency of the municipal buildings and reducing costs.  Energy audits have been completed at the Stratford Public Library and Stratford Fire Station with assistance from Eversource.  An energy audit was completed at Fuller Town Hall using a grant offered by the Community Facilities Energy Assessment Program at NH Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA).  
 
The energy audit completed at the Stratford Public Library showed significant savings associated with installing insulation on the basement walls.  This project qualified for a 50% rebate from Eversource and is projected to save 286 gallons of heating oil per year, equivalent to $515 per year.  The Select Board hopes to complete insulation upgrades at the Fire Station in early 2021. 
 
In addition to improving the energy efficiency of the municipal buildings, the Select Board is looking to achieve greater savings by transitioning to renewable energy.  The town has submitted a USDA Community Facilities grant to upgrade the lighting to LEDs at the Town Hall and Fire Station and install a solar array on the roof of Fuller Town Hall to offset 100% of the electrical usage of that building. 


Update From the Town of Pittsburg: 
Towns around the North Country are switching to LED lights to save money and energy.  Pittsburg completed interior LED lighting upgrades at the Fire Station and Town Hall.  The projects qualified for a 50% incentive from Eversource.  The Fire Station upgrades are projected to save $3,476 per year and show a payback of 2.3 years.  The Town Hall lighting upgrades are projected to save $713 per year and show a payback of 3.2 years.  
 
In addition to the interior lighting upgrades in municipal buildings, the Pittsburg Select Board is moving forward with updating the streetlights to LEDs.  In addition to saving energy LEDs have longer lifetimes than other types of lights, which means fewer replacements and lower maintenance costs.  The project qualifies for a 26% incentive from Eversource, and the LEDs are expected to reduce the electricity bill for the streetlights by 69%.  The project shows a payback of 1.6 years.