The Energy Committee was established in 2014 with the goal of reducing the cost and consumption of our energy resources and creating a more sustainable future for the Millis Community. We have evaluated a number of projects in pursuit of these goals. We are currently focused on applying for the Green Community designation and grant program. This is a program sponsored by the MA Department of Energ
y Resources (DOER), which assists towns in adopting clean energy solutions through grant funding and other support resources. There are 5 criteria that must be met for a town to be considered for the Green Community program. They are;
Criteria 1 - Provide as-of-right siting in designated locations for renewable/alternative energy generation, research & development, or manufacturing facilities. ("Large scale ground mounted solar installations zoning bylaw" was approved as part of the June 2015 Annual Town Meeting. The establishment of this bylaw satisfies the requirements of this criterion.) Criteria 2 - Adopt an expedited application and permit process for as-of-right energy facilities. (Current Millis application and permit processing satisfies this criterion.) Criteria 3 - Establish an energy use baseline and develop a plan to reduce energy use by twenty percent (20%) within five (5) years. (Robert Weiss, Energy Manager for Medway and Millis, is preparing this plan and currently collecting historical data in an effort to establish a baseline. This baseline will be used to help measure our progress towards the 20% reduction plan.) Criteria 4 - Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles. (The Energy Committee will work with town officials to identify vehicles and prepare a plan to accommodate this criterion.) Criteria 5 - Set requirements to minimize life-cycle energy costs for new construction; one way to meet these requirements is to adopt the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) Stretch Code. (The Energy Committee proposes that the Town of Millis adopts the Stretch Code. This will be formally requested as a warrant for a future Town Meeting. Education will be provided to help inform our community.) For more information on the Green Community program, please visit the following mass.gov site:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/energy-utilities-clean-tech/green-communities/
