About us

The Belchertown Energy and Sustainability Committee was established in 2021 for the purpose of developing and recommending sound energy and sustainability policies for the Town.

The Committee shall: 

  • develop and administer programs relating to energy conservation, increased energy efficiency, and to develop alternative and/or renewable energy resources; 
  • develop and administer programs to guard against the effects of climate change; 
  • work with our energy data and information management system to aid energy planning and decision-making; 
  • promote the development of sound local energy education programs; 
  • with the approval of the Town, apply for, receive, expend, represent and act on behalf of the Town connection with federal grants, grant programs or reimbursements, or private grants; 
  • advise, assist, and cooperate with state, regional, and federal agencies in developing appropriate programs and policies relating to energy planning and sustainability; 
  • keep accurate records of its meetings and actions and shall file an annual report which shall be printed in the Town’s Annual Town Report. 

The Committee will consist of no fewer than five and no more than nine members appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The Director of the Department of Public Works and the Director of the Schools Buildings and Grounds (or their designees) shall be de-facto members of the Committee.

Belchertown is a Massachusetts Green Community. To read more about the town’s designation and commitment as a Green Community, and to review past projects supported by the program, visit 
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/green-communities-division

Committee Members

Frank Byrne, Joanne Collins, Patricia Krebs, Todd Perry, John Piekara (Chair), Michael Potishnak and Jacob Robinson (Clerk)  
Ad Hoc members: Steve Williams, Director of DPW and Eric Lebeau, Director of Buildings for School Department.

 

Welcome to the Belchertown Energy and Sustainability Committee


Belchertown:  A Green Community Working for You

The Belchertown Energy and Sustainability Committee, appointed in January 2021, is charged by the Select Board with developing and recommending sound energy and sustainability policies for the town. This means that the committee will help citizens in the areas of energy conservation, energy efficiency and alternative/renewable energy resources. This includes the committee informing the community about energy and sustainability and working with town, state and federal programs. In addition, the committee assists the Select Board in developing and administering programs which guard against the effects of climate change.

Resources for Energy and Sustainability

https://www.masssave.com/
Sponsored by Massachusetts utility companies, Mass Save is a great site to start on a path for better energy efficiency in your home.  Home Energy Assessments are available for any renter, home owner or landlord  who wants to learn the best and most cost effective ways to obtain energy savings.

https://www.energystar.gov/
Energy Star is a government-backed symbol which helps consumers select goods which are energy efficient. The website has information about purchasing, rebates, home improvements, and home certifications.

https://www.dsireusa.org
DSIRE is the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Established in 1995, DSIRE is operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University and receives support from EnergySage.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-energy-savings-projects
This government site provides information for consumers about energy efficiency and renewable energy. It has step by step directions for the do-it-yourself consumers. The projects range from easy; such as caulking, to medium; such as insulating your water heater.  The site also includes information about  energy efficient ways to decrease your transportation costs.  

https://view.publitas.com/p222-4389/reduce-reuse-recycle-2021/page/1 
Once a year, the Daily Hampshire Gazette collaborates with the Springfield Materials Recycling Advisory Board to present the latest information on reducing, reusing and recycling for Hampshire and Greenfield Counties .  The annual Earth Day special section includes information on how to  recycle common household items and community recycling information
 
https://issuu.com/repubnews/docs/rrr-20210416
Every year The Republican and MassLive.com  collaborate with the Springfield Materials Recycling Advisory Board to compile up-to-date  information about how to reduce, reuse and recycle.  The booklet includes information on what to do with common household  items you no longer want.
 
https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations
  The EPA has a mission to protect human health and the environment.  The Environmental Protections Agency develops and enforces regulations, gives grants, studies environmental issues, sponsors partnerships, teaches people about the environment and publishes information.

BELCHERTOWN GREEN GRID PROGRAM

Clean Energy for Belchertown

The “Green Grid” subcommittee is looking into options to provide Belchertown residents and businesses with a cleaner sourced electricity supply, to do the right thing for our environment, with a goal to increase renewable energy usage. Through programs known as Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) and Green Municipal Aggregation (GMA), the Town can negotiate, as a community, a higher clean energy amount at a competitive or lower cost than the standard supply offered by the utility (National Grid).

CCA is the process by which a municipality (a town or city) purchases electricity in bulk from a competitive supplier, combining the purchasing power of residents and businesses within the community, switching supply from the basic utility service over to a competitive supply source typically with higher cleaner energy content.

 GMA is an enhancement which has an option that includes up to 100% renewable energy content, above the state’s standard requirement (22%), which is the utility’s (National Grid) default offering.

CCA/GMA has been successfully implemented in many communities across Western Massachusetts, such as Leverett, Great Barrington, and Deerfield.

The program was approved at the June 12, 2021 Belchertown Town Meeting. Check out the resources below to learn more.

Read the Belchertown Green Grid Flyer:

Read the Belchertown Green Grid Frequently Asked Questions:  Belchertown Green Grid Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions, you can email the committee at energycomm@belchertown.org 

Get involved!

If you would like to join us to listen in, our monthly meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00pm.  You can email the committee at energycomm@belchertown.org