Newsletter Volume 2 • Number 45
Republicans ax a specialist who would pursue energy efficiency initiatives that could save “tens of millions of dollars”
Long before the threat of global warming made conserving energy critically important, there was a different reason to do so: to save money. So it’s baffling that Greenwich’s Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) won’t fund a specialist to do just that.
The town’s Energy Management and Advisory Committee, which is tasked with saving us money by reducing energy consumption, made this their number one recommendation after finding that the town spent 17% more on energy in 2023, even though our winter was a warm one.
On Monday, the town legislature, the RTM, effectively endorsed the need, by voting overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution calling for the consideration of energy reduction measures in the design of all town construction and renovation.
Democrats on the Board of Estimate and Taxation fought to put the energy specialist position in the budget, to “focus on energy management cost reductions for our municipal buildings, schools and infrastructure and other budget reduction measures.” But it was defeated on a party-line vote by the Republican BET majority.
Other Connecticut towns have capitalized on energy savings by hiring a specialist to oversee municipal energy use:
- In West Hartford an energy specialist uses a database to track energy consumption across schools, and has already discovered a billing error that led to $20,000 in savings.
- West Hartford adopted an innovative net metering program, which powers eight of its town buildings with credits from a solar energy site about 50 miles away.
- In Hamden, an energy efficiency project coordinator has the twin job of reducing the town’s impact on global warming and saving the town money by eliminating inefficiencies in town buildings and fleets.
Democratic BET Board Member Matt DesChamps estimates we could save “tens of millions” of dollars in energy bills over the next decade, if major capital projects were powered by low-cost, renewable energy from heat pumps and solar panels, while the specialist ensured Greenwich applies for federal and state grant money to pay for energy-efficient initiatives.
This specialist could also help avoid the missteps that have occurred with energy efficient equipment at our existing town facilities, such as with the geothermal HVAC unit at Hamilton Avenue, and the solar electric system at New Lebanon School that is apparently not even operating.
But this doesn’t matter to the Republican majority on the BET. So get out your wallet and find a lighter. In the short term you saved the cost of a single energy specialist. But you’ll be lighting your money on fire for years to come as a result. Tell your BET representatives to manage your tax dollars better. Email them at bet@greenwichct.org.
Republican infighting continues in BET budget hearings
For the first time in recent memory, the Board of Estimate and Taxation is stretching its final budget deliberations into a fourth day, to be held next week. The delay occurred after BET vice chair Karen Fassuliotis called for a recess moments before the final budget vote, sowing chaos and confusion over the very budget Republicans had just spent weeks slashing to bits.
The BET could find a bipartisan majority for a budget with a combination of Republican and Democratic votes. But there’s an unfortunate tenet in Republican Party politics today: don’t negotiate.
It’s the same thing we are seeing in the U.S. Congress: don’t negotiate. Now, in Greenwich, it may mean that the BET fails to pass a budget at all.
Join us at the Greenwich Symphony
Join fellow Greenwich Dems for an afternoon at Greenwich’s very own symphony. Afterward, come have a drink or meal at a nearby restaurant.
Where: Performing Arts Center behind Greenwich High School, 10 Hillside Road, Greenwich, CT
When: Sunday, April 14th The concert starts at 3:00 pm. Look for Erin Flynn in the lobby as early as 2:30 pm so we can sit together as a group.
The program is out of this world and includes “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance.
| Volume 2, Number 45 • April 11, 2024 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |