Middlebury Municipalities

and Their Energy Consumption

Compiled by John Hanley

Middlebury Energy Consumption

First and foremost it is important to note what the Town of Middlebury has done thus far to reduce their energy consumption. Having Efficiency Vermont help the Town of Middlebury with the construction of the new Police Station has been the greatest step to date. With the help of Efficiency Vermont, this station will consume a fraction of the electricity it would have under normal building conditions. Consequently, Efficiency Vermont has helped reduce the cost of adding this new municipal building to the town budget. In addition, Middlebury municipal buildings will soon be better connected through computers. This simple step prevents many miles of unnecessary driving for interoffice paper work. As a result, both time and gas are saved through this improvement in interoffice communication. Also, when buying computers Middlebury tries to buy equipment that is energy star approved and/or used thus helping save energy and reduce waste. Finally, another major step the town has taken is buying more fuel-efficient cars each time a new vehicle must be added to the fleet.

These steps are extremely encouraging and should be used as an example of how other Vermont towns should run their municipal operations. However, the Town of Middlebury can do more to save money and energy and consequently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The emissions associated with the municipality of Middlebury are approximately 775 tones of carbon dioxide equivalent a year.

This said, there are numerous ways that the town can both chip away at these emissions as well as reduce their monthly fuel and electric bills. Some of these steps do not even involve an initial investment. No matter what steps are taken there will be a reduction in emissions as well as a probable reduction in utility bills.

Municipal Buildings

Buildings are responsible for over half of the emissions for the Town of Middlebury’s municipal operations. The three sources of these emissions are electricity, heating oil, and propane used to provide power and heat to the buildings. There are essentially five buildings that are responsible for the majority of these emissions: the Ilsley Public Library, Town Hall/Police Station, Department of Public Works/Town Garage, Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Memorial Sports Center.

Ilsley Public Library

Lighting:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Immediate	30.93	$0.00	$21.00

Like most of the other municipal buildings, the Ilsley Public Library uses compact fluorescent light bulbs for its lighting needs. This small step reduces electric consumption for lighting by approximately 75%. However, the Library could take advantage of a free light source saving nearly 100% of their electric consumption for lighting. The large windows that face Main Street help illuminate Ilsley public Library during the day. On days when sunlight is ample to illuminate much of the building or even certain sectors, then task lighting should be used instead of overhead lighting. Task lighting is simply the small lamps that are already present in the main lounge of the library. Since task lights are already present, then there is no initial cost and patrons can simply turn them on if they require more lighting. If ten 75-watt fluorescent light bulbs are turned off for just an hour a week for the entire year then the Library will have saved over $20 on their electric bill for that year and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 30 lbs.. This savings may not be large but every step adds up. To achieve this savings simply requires the staff to be mindful and take advantage of natural daylight, which at times may even over power the overhead lights.

Thermostats:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Immediate	152	$0.00	$7.50

The thermostats are programmed at 68°F during the day and 63°F at night, which is a good temperature setting for buildings in this area. However, the town can save money by adjusting the programmable thermostat so that it turns off an hour before the library shuts down instead of right when the building shuts down. This is common practice and will not affect comfort since after the heating shuts off the building still remains roughly at that temperature for the next hour. If the Library were to reprogram the thermostat, then it would save about 6 gallons of oil a year. For the year 2001, Ilsley would have saved at least $7 and reduced emissions by over 150 lbs.. Again this only takes awareness and a little time.

Appliances:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Varied	129	Varied	$91.10

There are few appliances in the Library and most of those that are present are either efficient or left unplugged. There is however, a refrigerator in the bottom floor kitchenette that is essentially empty. While this may not be a good diagnostic of how the appliance is used, it does leave the library with some options. Refrigerators work most efficiently when filled, so if the library chooses to keep the unit it can fill the unit with jugs of water. These can easily be removed if anything needs to be stored plus they provide cold water for employees. The other option is to remove the refrigerator. The cost of removal could be at a profit, for free, or at a fee depending on whether someone else wants the refrigerator. While the unit may not be sold for a high price, its removal will save Ilsley at least $91 a year and reduced emissions by over 129 lbs.. This savings may be minimal but if the refrigerator serves no purpose then why keep it.

Windows:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
15.6	1,650	$1,297.30	$83.00

The majority of the windows in the Ilsley Public Library are new and are efficient so they do not need to be upgraded. However, there is an old section of the Library that was not renovated at all. In the back of the library where the offices are on the first floor and the second floor meeting area, the windows are original to the building making them nearly 80 years old next year. These windows are approximately 2’x 4’ and are major sources of heat loss. These windows lose 1.2 BTU/hr as opposed to more energy efficient double paned windows that lose only 0.34 BTU/hr. If the windows were replaced, then the library would save approximately $80 a year on heating. However, installation and cost of the windows would total about $1,300 with a payback period of 16 years. Thus the library could look at this in two ways one way is that this is an acceptable loss and replacement is too expensive. On the other hand, the library could see the old windows as a loss since the windows are old and should be replaced, so by not replacing the windows they are losing $80 a year in fuel oil and emitting over 1,600 lbs. of greenhouse gases.

The other option is to weather strip these windows. This option will not be as effective as saving heat loss but will be much cheaper. Weather stripping varies in price from $2 to $10 for at least 10 feet of material. Consequently the total perimeter of the windows can be weather stripped for $20 to $100. The savings in fuel is not easy to calculate but will not be nearly as high as $80 a year. Despite the low payback, this option has a low input cost and thus is only a small loss if it does not significantly reduce heating needs.

Town Hall/Police Station

Middlebury Town hall is an interesting mixture of new upgrades adjacent to parts original to the building. Most of the building where the Town Offices are has been upgraded with double pane windows. However, the gymnasium and the rest of the building have been left in its original state and have single pane windows in place. There are parts of the building where heating pipes are not insulated and parts that serve little purpose and are primarily empty space. When the Police Station moves out this spring, there will be even more empty space in the building. Consequently the biggest decision that is being debated is what to do with the building. With all the soon to be empty space the Town should either utilize the space or essentially abandon it.

Thermostat:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Immediate	19,375	$0.00	$980.00

If Middlebury decides to keep the building then there is much that can be done to help improve the efficiency of the space heating and cooling as well as the electric consumption. First off, the thermostats for the town hall range at settings from70°F to 75°F. These temperature settings are too high and can easily be reduced to 68°F during the day without disrupting employee or visitor comfort. This reduction in temperature can have a rather significant impact on the fuel oil consumed during the winter heating months. According to the United States Department of Energy, for each degree the thermostat is turned down one saves 4% on heating needs. Thus if the temperature in the town hall was lowered from 70°F to 68°F there will be roughly 8% savings on fuel oil. For the year 2001 the Town would have saved at least $980.

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
0.2	37,232	$300.00	$1,880.00

The Town Hall does have a new boiler and is going to upgrade their steam system due to the inefficiency and malfunction of the current system. When this is done, Middlebury should purchase programmable thermostats for the building. One programmable thermostat ranges in price from $30 to $100. If the Town Hall was equipped with three of these thermostats and set the night time temperature to 65°F and the daytime temperature to 68°F, then in the year 2001 total savings would have amounted to at least $1,800 and 37,000 lbs. of greenhouse gases. Thus the cost of the programmable thermostats would easily be paid back within the period of one winter.

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Immediate	1,313	$0.00	$66.00

Finally, if the Town Hall does stay in operation then there is an issue with all the empty space in the building. If this space is left empty, then it will be heated for no reason. Therefore, all spaces that are vacated should have the heat turned off and the doors closed tightly, while those spaces used for storage should have the heat turned down to a level that will not damage whatever goods are being stored. This can save potentially large sums of money for space heating and reduce emissions. If five percent of the building becomes storage and is kept at 65°F at all times of day, then the town could save $66 and reduce 1,300 lbs of greenhouse gases. That is just the savings of lowering the temperature by 3°F in the storage areas. If the heat were to be turned off completely in those areas then the savings would be even greater.

Department of Public Works/Town Garage

Thermostat:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Immediate	9,686	$0.00	$730.00

The thermostat is set at 70°F to 72°F and is kept at this temperature due to fear of freezing of the pipes since the radiators have water running through them and the frame is made of steel. This is a very delicate situation since if the thermostat is turned down too far, then the pipes will freeze, causing the heat to stop working and resulting in some pretty costly repairs. However, it does seem reasonable to believe that if the temperature of the building were maintained at 68°F during the day and 65°F at night that the pipes would not freeze for two reasons. First off, the building was built around 1991 and since the building is relatively new it would be safe to assume that the heating pipes are well insulated and do not give up much heat when traveling to heating vents. Therefore, they are probably not likely to freeze easily due to the cold steel structure. Secondly, the maximum drop in temperature for the building will be 7°F and this drop probably is not significant enough to lower the temperature of the water in the pipes to the freezing point. If these assumptions are correct then lowering the temperature of the Department of Public Works building and Town Garage to 68°F during the day and 65°F during the night will save over 715 gallons of propane, $715, and 9,600 lbs of greenhouse gases a year.

Energy Saving Efforts:

The Department of Public Works/Town Garage is an environmentally conscious building. With the exception of the hallway lights, all lights were turned off when a room was unoccupied. In addition, all computers and other office appliances were left off when they were not being used. These actions show the awareness of the employees for the buildings energy consumption and their actions are saving Middlebury money. This savings is often hard to reach since it is necessary for employees to remember to turn lights and appliances off when not in use.

Treatment Plant

Thermostat:

The Treatment Plant is one of the most conscious buildings with regard to their space heating. The building where the sewage is treated is kept at 60°F at all times. At this temperature, the sewage will not freeze and it is warm enough for employees to feel comfortable to work in. In the office building, the temperature is set at 65°F during the winter heating months. This temperature is 3°F lower than what most buildings are willing to set the thermostat at, but the colder setting does not seem to compromise employee comfort. Also, the vents did not seem to be working efficiently at circulating fresh air into the boiler room. This resulted in the vents bringing in an exceptionally high level of cold air into the building causing the boiler to burn even more fuel oil. To mitigate this problem, the employees propped open the door of the boiler room leaving it open to the sewage intake room allowing more air to circulate into the boiler room. The end result was that the vent to the outside let less cold air in during the winter and thus less fuel oil was burned.

During the summer time, however, the office building is cooled and left at a low 68°F. Typical buildings are cooled to a temperature of 72°F and a reasonable setting for a building would be 74°F. Thus, by raising the thermostat to these levels the facility would be able to reduce energy consumption and save money. Due to the fact that the oil delivered to the Wastewater Treatment Plant cannot be differentiated between the office and the treatment building itself and due to the infrequency of deliveries of oil to the facility, it is extremely hard to calculate how much fuel oil adjusting the thermostat would save. Consequently, a few assumptions can be made to give a sense of the savings. First, heating and cooling with a boiler work much the same way except that cooling is actually less efficient. Therefore, if lowering the thermostat 1°F in the winter reduces fuel consumption by 4%, then it is fairly safe to assume that raising the thermostat by 1°F during the summer cooling months would save at least 4% of the fuel consumption. As a result, by raising the thermostat from 68°F to 72°F the net result would be an approximate savings of 15% and by raising the thermostat from 68°F to 74°F would be an approximate savings of 22% on fuel consumption. The other assumption is the number of cooling days is approximately 90 days a year as opposed to the approximate 210 days of heating. Also, the difference in the outside temperature during the summer and the thermostat setting is on average less than in the winter. This means that the consumption of fuel for space cooling is not as much as for space heating in the office building. Nevertheless, raising the thermostat setting is easy, should not compromise the working environment, has no cost, and will save money. Consequently, the thermostat should be raised during the summertime.

The fact that the office has such a low summertime thermostat setting should not overshadow all the work they have done to lower the thermostat during the winter heating months. This effort is much more substantial through its savings and shows a lot of effort by the employees of treatment plant to reduce heating needs.

Lighting:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Savings
Immediate	7	$0.00	$4.50

The plant is set up with efficient light bulbs that provide great lighting for plant operations. As a result, saving energy will not come through the purchase of new light bulbs but rather through the wise use of those light bulbs. Each light bulb that illuminates the plant operations is a 250-watt bulb. Therefore, if only six of these light bulbs were turned off during the course of 5 working days, then the plant would save nearly $5. Turning off the lights can easily be done in the garage at the end of the processing line since the garage door seems to be left open and due to the size of the door there is plenty of natural daylighting that overhead lights are not necessary most of the time.

The plant seems to have periods of high worker use and periods of low worker activity. There are two plans of action that can be taken to reduce electric consumption in the plant. The first plan of action is for workers to be mindful and to turn lights off once they are finished working in a section of the plant. The second plan of action involves the installation of motion sensors to activate lights in a section of the plant. Approximately six motion sensors would be needed at the plant and their total cost would be approximately $300. The potential problem with this set up is that if someone is working in an area for a substantial period of time where the sensor cannot detect them, then the lights will go off after the programmed time. As a result, the best and most efficient way for the plant to reduce this energy consumption is by being mindful and simply turning off the lights when it is obvious that they will not be needed.

Fire Station

Thermostats:

The Fire Station has the lowest thermostats out of all the municipal buildings in Middlebury. The temperature in the bay is only 55°F while the temperature upstairs in the office, lounge, and meeting room is 60°F. Part of the reason the thermostats are set so low is that the Fire Station does not get much use and is left completely unoccupied at times; thus there is no need to raise temperatures to increase comfort. This is a commendable move and these settings should be continued.

Windows:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
15.7	15,804	$12,385.00	$790.00

The windows for the Fire Station appear to be original to the building and are inefficient single pan windows. In total, there is approximately 611 square feet of windows in the fire department. This means that approximately 675 gallons of fuel oil is lost each year through the windows resulting in the emissions of over 15,000 lbs of greenhouse gases. This loss adds up to be roughly $790 a year. The cost of replacing all of these windows is roughly $12,500 and the pay back time would be about 16 years. Two ways of looking at this is that the windows are old and in need of replacement, so they are actually costing Middlebury about $790 a year. Or the Town can see this as an acceptable loss and that the windows should not be upgraded.

Lighting:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Savings
Immediate	253	$0.00	$180.00

There are two reasons why the electricity needs are so high for the Middlebury Fire Station. First off, the Fire Trucks need to be plugged in while at the station and this constant draw of electricity adds up over time. However, the other reason that the electric bill is so high is due to the presence of inefficient light bulbs, more than enough lighting, and misuse of lighting. In the basement, there are a total of 12 incandescent bulbs. If these bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescent light bulbs then there would be a 75% immediate reduction in the electricity needed for those light fixtures. The bay area where the fire trucks are kept are understandably well illuminated, however, the upstairs lounge has more than enough lighting causing the consumption of electricity to be higher than necessary. Finally, the biggest problem and the easiest one to fix is that the interior lights rarely seem to be turned off in the Fire Station. This can be evidenced by the fact that there were many burnt out light bulbs throughout the buildings in rooms that were unoccupied but still being illuminated. If the incandescent light bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs, then the cost of leaving all of these lights on for just an hour is approximately $175. Many of these lights were left on in areas that are not heavily traveled such as the basement. By leaving these lights on, there is a constant draw of electricity that increases the utility bill as well as shortening the lifespan of the light bulbs creating high electric bills for the Fire Station.

There are two ways in which the Fire Station can combat this problem. The first way is by being mindful and turning off lights when the room is not in use. The second way has initial costs to it but does not require any extra effort from the station. The installation of 8 motion sensors at each of the entrances to the bay areas and two upstairs rooms would cost around $400. Unlike the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the sensors placed in the meeting and lounge rooms would be able to detect people all throughout the room so there would be no inconvenience for the members of the fire department with lights turning off on them. However, the sensors may not be effective for people working in the bay areas since the fire trucks block most of the room. Therefore, the most practical and cost effective way of reducing the electric bill is to promote awareness at the Fire Station and have members turn off lights whenever a room is left unoccupied.

Boiler Room:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Savings
48.1	30,748	$39,500.00	$821.25

The boiler room seems to have not been touched in years and is in need of maintenance and a new boiler. A lot of heat is immediately lost in the piping in the boiler room since it is not sufficiently insulated. These pipes can be insulated for a reasonable cost of only $2 for every 6 feet of insulation. Once the pipes are well insulated, less heat will be lost and consequently less fuel will be needed to heat the Fire Station.

The next step that is needed is to replace the current boiler that seems to be near the end of its life with a new boiler. This new boiler can either be replaced with another fuel oil boiler or it can be replaced with a biomass boiler. A new fuel oil boiler is more efficient than the current boiler and thus would use less fuel each winter due to its advanced technology and it being new and not worn down.

A biomass boiler will have a higher fixed cost but will eventually make up for this higher cost in the long run since biomass is significantly cheaper and readily available here in Middlebury. A Chiptec biomass boiler would cost about $39,500 for the boiler, installation of the boiler, and training on how to use the boiler. However, the average fuel savings from using a biomass boiler would be approximately $820. Also, biomass boilers have no greenhouse gas emissions associated with them. Biomass can be any plant material from corn to wood. The most common biomass boilers, however, are those that burn wood. Using wood as a fuel source has no greenhouse gas emissions associated with it only if the wood is harvested sustainable. Trees are part of the biological cycle so while they are alive they take in carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and when it dies it emits carbon dioxide. This is on a short cycle of about a hundred years. Fossil fuels on the other hand are part of the geological cycle and formed over millions of years. Millions of years ago carbon was trapped beneath the rocks and formed oil and when we burn it now carbon is released into the air. This cycle is on the order of millions of years and the oil beneath the earth is not supposed to enter the atmosphere as quickly as we are releasing it when we burn fossil fuels. Therefore, burning biomass does not add to global climate change while burning fossil fuels does. In addition to its environmental benefits, biomass boilers keep money in the local economy. So while initial costs of biomass boilers are high, so are social and environmental benefits. Therefore, purchasing a biomass boiler should be seen as a long-term investment and local economic stimulation.

Vending Miser:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
1.8	127	$162.00	$90.00

The soda machine in the fire station could become efficient if a vending miser was installed. Vending machines are on 24 hours a day seven days a week and consume about 427 watts an hour. This is the equivalent of about $300 spent a year on electricity for the vending machine. When the machine is not in use, the vending miser turns off the lights of the machine and regulates the temperature of the beverages. The lights are turned back on when an individual walks in front of the machine. Preliminary studies have shown that a vending miser reduces the electric consumption of a vending machine by 30%. The cost of a vending miser is about $162 and since it saves approximately $90 a year on electricity the device will pay for itself in the period of two years and reduce greenhouse gases by over 125 lbs. a year.

Memorial Sports Center

The Memorial Sports Center has basic needs and thus most of what the sports center can do to save energy has a high up front cost and/or is highly advanced. Perhaps the most overall energy conscious municipal building, the sports center does not leave lights on, shuts off all appliances, and only heats when absolutely necessary. There main energy needs for propane is the zamboni shed and heating for games that pay for the radiant heaters to be turned on over the stands. Electricity on the other hand is mostly used to power the chillers to maintain the ice on the rink and to power the lights. The center utilizes energy efficiently and even had Efficiency Vermont look at what else could be done to lower electric needs. Unfortunately, Efficiency Vermont has not been in contact with the sports center since their visit. Their advice will be more helpful than this report, but there are a few small steps that can be taken before Efficiency Vermont steps in. Without Efficiency Vermont’s help or grant money the center will not be able to afford any upgrades.

Steps Before Efficiency Vermont Helps:

There are a few steps that the Memorial Sports Center can take before Efficiency Vermont steps in. These steps have already been discussed or will be discussed in more detail later, so description of them will be brief. Three main changes that the sports center can take are installing a vending miser on the vending machine, replacing current exit signs with LED exit signs, and installing low flow plumbing. All these steps have low initial costs and have payback periods of less than two years. Therefore, while only a small chunk of the energy will be reduced, the monetary savings are significant. Other than these few steps, Efficiency Vermont’s assistance is needed to make any other changes towards energy reduction.

Energy Savings Across all Buildings

Computer Use:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
Immediate	6	$0.00	$4.40

Habits are hard to break but the word of energy efficiency needs to spread in order to help save money in the office environment. Almost all buildings seemed to be mindful of turning off appliances and unplugging them when not in use. Every kitchenette had the coffee makers unplugged and other appliances turned off when not in use. Also, office equipment such as computers were usually turned off when not in use. However, there were still a handful of computers on that should have been turned off. Computers use approximately 110-130 watts. Just one office computer that is left on for one extra hour a day instead of being turned off can add up to over $4 on the electric bill and 6 lbs of greenhouse gas annually. This number may be small but small costs like this can add up.

Exit Signs:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
1.1	1,411	$1,140.00	$1,000.00

Exit signs are important for the safety of people in case of a fire and due to its nature they are on 24 hours a day. This is one object that cannot be compromised by turning it off. However, these signs can be upgraded by replacing them with LED exit signs. LEDs are light emitting diodes that require less watts, are often brighter, and last longer than incandescent and compact fluorescent features. These signs use only 2.5 watts as opposed to the 40+ watt conventional signs. Middlebury municipal buildings have approximately 38 exit signs. The cost to replace all of these signs would be about $1,140. However, the savings in electricity is about $1,000 a year so the estimated payback time would be less than 1.25 years. Also the reduction in greenhouse gases would be over 1,400 lbs. a year.

Hot Water Heating:

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
0.7	3,129	$111.00	$160.00

Like most buildings, the hot water heater is set at 120°F for the municipal

buildings in Middlebury. This temperature is higher than it needs to be and can be turned down to 115°F. This rather simple step will have minimal savings but since its cost is nothing the savings will help. Also, there are approximately 37 faucets in municipal buildings. Low flow faucets are hardly indistinguishable from regular flow faucets when cleaning up in the bathroom. Aerators added to regular faucets transform faucets into low flow and cost from $3 to $8. If each faucet were only used for one minute a day, then the cheapest aerators would save about $160 a year and cost only $111. Therefore the aerators would pay for themselves within a year and reduce emissions by 3,100 lbs. of greenhouse gas annually. Thus this is a fast and easy way of reducing heating bills.

General Energy Saving Tips:

These tips cannot be placed easily into how much the municipalities of Middlebury will save thus they are just recommendations of ways the municipal buildings can add “invisible” savings to utility bills. With regards to space heating and cooling, a simple step that can be done at the end of each workday is to close the blinds in the building during the heating months. Closing the blinds will provide an extra layer of insulation for the windows and thus lower the amount of heat escape from the windows overnight. Opening the blinds in the morning will have a dual benefit. First it will allow the suns rays in and provide some solar heating even during winter months. Secondly, the sunlight helps light up a room, so that fewer lights need to be on. When sunlight is ample, overhead lights should be left off and if additional lighting is needed task lights should be used. Task lights are simply small lamps that provide light for one’s place of work. To take full advantage of this natural light, offices should position their desks in such a way that the light helps illuminate their workspace while not blinding them. To get an estimate of the savings assume that in a typical everyone office has their own lamp and leave it on throughout the day when working. Also say that the office space has six 34-watt overhead light bulbs. So if everyone kept their task lights on and turned off the overhead lights to take advantage of sunlight in the course of an 8-hour workday, then that one room would have saved $0.13 that day. This may not seem like much but this is only one office and only takes into account one day. It is small savings like this that can actually add up over the course of a year and reduce electric bills without the building really pinpointing the source.

Another step that should be taken is to ensure that none of the heating systems are obstructed. When furniture is placed in front of vents then the heat has trouble emerging from the vent and circulating around the room. Consequently, there may be enough heat leaving the vent to heat the room but due to the fact that it cannot circulate well the sensor will not feel the increase in temperature and will continue to pump more heat from the vent. This is a clear waste of fuel whose consumption that cannot be measured but if the vents are left unobstructed then savings will appear on heating bills.

Transportation

Middlebury’s vehicle fleet accounts for approximately 30% of the greenhouse gas emissions for municipalities. Unfortunately many of these emissions are unavoidable since police cars need to patrol to protect the citizens and maintenance trucks need to keep streets clear during the winter. The Town has purchased more fuel-efficient cars when adding to their fleet, but it can go even further.

Aveo

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
83.1	960	$4,660.00	$56.00

Insight

Payback Time (years)	Annual lbs CO2 Equivalent	Fixed Cost	Annual Savings
130.6	1,966	$14,660.00	$112.00

Instead of converting old squad cars to the vehicle fleet these cars can be resold and the money can then be used to purchase more fuel-efficient cars. A 1998 Ford Crown Victoria with 150,000 miles can be resold at around $5,300 and this money could then go to either a brand new car such as a Chevrolet Aveo that costs $10,000, or a Honda Insight that costs $20,000. These cars get nearly 1.5 to 3 times as many miles per the gallon and thus will cut gas consumption by nearly 33-67%. When the Crown Victoria is decommissioned as a squad car and added to the vehicle fleet, it often is used for simply driving around town and its excess size is not necessary. Thus, replacing it will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but will also reduce gasoline purchases.

Final Thoughts

The path to a more climate friendly Middlebury will involve people to be more conscious of their actions. Many strategies rely heavily on employees taking responsibility for their actions and their willingness to slightly alter their working environment. Also, some of the biggest changes towards a more efficient Middlebury will come when new purchases are needed. Both the short and the long term prices need to be studied in order to see which piece of equipment will be the most energy efficient and consequently will have the lowest cost in the long run. By keeping a good line of communication open with Efficiency Vermont, Middlebury stands to benefit from offsetting some initial investments into more environmentally friendly technology that tend to have slightly higher initial costs but are cheaper to operate. All of the technology mentioned in the report, with the exception of the biomass boiler, is quite common and can readily be found. Any questions regarding the purchasing of the equipment should be directed toward the author of the report (jhanley@middlebury.edu; phone: (802) – 443- 4007). The steps listed in the report are what the Town of Middlebury should do for the benefit of the taxpayer and the environment.