Energy Advisory Committee

2015 Town Meeting Warrant Article #19 PASSED as written: “To see if the Town will vote to request that the Moderator appoint an Advisory Energy Committee consisting at a minimum the following residents: One Selectman, one Planning Board Member, one Advisory Budget Committee Member, one School Board Member, and three voters from the community. Said committee will be charged with evaluating energy consumption, reviewing alternatives and cost benefits, and recommending short and long term energy savings opportunities for all municipal buildings. Said committee will conduct open meetings, keep minutes on file at the Town Hall website of all meetings and recommendations and comply fully with RSA 91-A.

The Committee was suspended in June 2020.  Related reference documents and annual reports are available here:

During the year 2018, the Energy Advisory Committee investigated the possibility of installing solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels to produce electricity for the town buildings and the elementary school.  Through 2017, these buildings were spending on average $55,000 for electricity annually.  The Board of Selectmen were first approached to determine if a solar array could be ground mounted on the back Ward parcel.  There appeared to be no deed restrictions and the Selectmen advised the committee to continue their evaluation of potential companies to propose equitable solutions.  At the end of the year, the committee recommended ReVision Energy LLC.  ReVision Energy proposed a sized solar PV ground mounted array to support the town buildings as a starter.  A Power Purchase Agreement would be the direction for financing this project with no requirement of capital from the town.  Read the recommendation letter HERE and  background on the analysis completed by the committee HERE.

In March 2019, Town Warrant Article #16 was approved unanimously at town meeting to permit the Board of Selectmen to enter into a lease agreement with a 3rd party investor for the purpose of renting a piece of town property for the installation of a ground mounted solar PV array.  The Energy Advisory Committee will track the progress of this project in hopes that one day a similar project can be recommended for the elementary school.  The project is expected to save on the overall cost of electricity for years to come while providing a positive impact on the environment.  A Power Purchase Agreement was approved in December 2019 between the town and ReVision Energy LLC.  The installation of the PV Solar panels was completed in June and formerly commissioned on July 20, 2020.

PV Solar Installation and Commissioning Video

Access the Solar Panel Production DashBoard

Energy Advisory Minutes