Thetford Energy Committee

Mission: The Thetford Energy Committee (TEC) works with the Town, its residents and businesses to help reduce energy use, save money and protect the environment.

We hope you find the information and links on this page helpful. If you have questions or suggestions for us, contact us at by email [email address coming soon] or phone at 785.4012.

TEC Events Calendar
If you would like to suggest a future energy-related workshop topic, send us an email [link to email address coming soon].

All events are free and open to the public.

Sunday, February 21, 7 p.m. Thetford Hill Congregational Church. Join the Thetford Energy Committee for a Kids PJ party with classic film interpretation of Dr. Suess's The Lorax. Wear your pajamas (regular clothes are okay too). Free, refreshments will be served. More information: 785.4012.

Sunday, March 7, 7 p.m. Thetford Hill Congregational Church. Vermont Law School professor Pat Parenteau will present on the hazards of coal, including carbon dioxide, mountain top removal, and the potential risks of geologic sequestration. As Vermont debates extending the license of Vermont Yankee, the state needs to think about the alternatives, including buying power generated by coal-fired power plants.

Saturday, March 13th, 10 a.m. to noon, Thetford Center Community Center. Introduction to Homemade Window Insulation with Nancy Limbaugh, Scott Stokoe, and Ann Wickham. This workshop will cover the fundamentals of heat loss and discuss several options for making your own window insulation. These will include window quilts, interior storm windows, and rigid insulation panels. We'll have samples of each type, including window quilts in various stages of construction. Bring your questions and share your own window insulation ideas.

Saturday, May 15, 10 a.m. to noon. Bike Repair Workshop with Chris Hebb and Bill Bridge at the Thetford Center Community Association building.

Coming in June . . . an EcoDriving Workshop led by the University of Vermont Extension Service.

Tire Inflation
Properly inflating tires can improve gas mileage by up to 5%. The following Thetford stores offer free air for tire inflation: Huggett's Market and Chuck's Auto Repair in East Thetford and Thetford Auto Service in Thetford Center.

Vehicle Idling
Reduced idling saves fuel and thus money, reduces pollutants (particularly those that cause respiratory problems like asthma), saves wear and tear on the engine, and reduces your contribution to climate-changing greenhouse gases. One easy way to reduce your vehicle idling is to eliminate unnecessary warmup. Consult your vehicle manual for the manufacturer’s instructions on warmup -- vehicles with direct injection engines (produced beginning in the mid-1980s) do not need to be warmed up and excessive warmup can damage the engine, wastes fuel, and increases emissions. Vehicle Idling Q&A pdf (73kb)

Other common situations that lead to unnecessary vehicle idling include dropping off and picking up children at school; stopping at the post office, stores, and recycling; pulling over to talk on cell phones; waiting to pass through roadwork sites or for a freight train to pass; and waiting at drive-thru windows. The EPA recommends parking your car and going into restaurants, banks, and the like instead of idling in drive-up lanes. In most situations, you will save gas by turning the engine off and restarting it again rather than idling the engine.

Weatherization
One of the TEC’s goals is to weatherize a town building, or a building available for public use, each year. Our 2007 weatherization project was the Rice’s Mills Community Center. Heating bills in many older homes can be cut by 30% to 50% by getting an energy audit and effectively weatherizing your home. Households meeting income eligibility guidelines may qualify for free energy audits and retrofits, through the Vermont Weatherization Program. More information about Vermont’s Weatherization Program is available at: http://www.dcf.state.vt.us/oeo/weatherization.
If you do not meet the low income eligibility criteria, visit www.efficiencyvermont.org and serach for Home Performance with Energy Star contractors.

Local Foods Initiative
Eating locally produced foods not only supports neighboring farmers, it can reduce the energy impact of the food you eat. The Thetford Energy Committee is working with various groups, including
Vital Communities www.vitalcommunities.org/,
Cedar Circle Farm www.cedarcirclefarm.org/,
Crossroad Farm www.crossroadfarm.com/,
Willing Hands www.willinghandsinc.org/, and the
Thetford Recreation Department to increase awareness of and access to local food options. Consult our Events Calendar for a list of educational events on raising your own foods at home. Check out the Thetford Food and Farm Guide for 2008. ThetfordFoodandFarmGuide.pdf(122kb)

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs at the Thetford Foodshelf
The Thetford Food Shelf now carries a supply of CFLs donated by SERG and town residents. If you are a food shelf patron, please take advantage of these free bulbs to lower your electric bills. If you are a town resident and would like to donate energy-efficient bulbs to the food shelf, you can contact the Energy Committee by email at [coming soon] or by phone at 785.4012.

Transportation Options
Take advantage of ride sharing and public transportation options available in the Upper Valley:
There is a commuter parking lot for carpooling and public transit on Rt. 113 just east of the I-91 Thetford exit.

Stagecoach bus service picks up riders there for trips into the Hanover, Lebanon, White River area, Monday through Friday at 6:55AM and 10AM and drops off back at the Thetford Park and Ride at 1:30PM and 5PM. Riders with medical issues, disabilities or over 60 years of age can call for special individual pickups. For fares, complete schedules or to schedule pickups, contact Stagecoach at 802-728-3773, scoach1@sover.net or www.stagecoach-rides.org.

Advance Transit provides free bus service between the core Upper Valley towns: 802-295-1824, info@advancetransit.com, schedules online at www.Advancetransit.com.

Vital Communities provides a comprehensive map showing all Upper Valley bus routes at www.vitalcommunities.org/Transport/transportmap.htm.

Upper Valley Rideshare provides free carpool matching services for commuters in VT and NH, with FREE Emergency Ride Home benefit for all registered carpoolers. ERH also available to regular transit riders, bicyclists and walkers who work in the Upper Valley BEST Workplaces for Commuters District. See website for details. Broker for Vermont RideShare. 802-295-1824 x21, info@uppervalleyrideshare.com, www.uppervalleyrideshare.com and www.vermontrideshare.org.

State and Local Energy Resources

The State has launched the Vermont Fuel and Food Partnership to help Vermonters address increasing home heating, gasoline, and food costs. The initiative includes links to weatherization, heating assistance, and more at www.helpforvt.org.

Energy Reference Section in Latham Library To learn more about reducing your energy consumption and the effects of energy's overuse, you can borrow books and DVDs from the Energy Reference Section at Latham Library on Thetford Hill. Also on loan is a Watt meter - just plug in your home appliances to measure how much energy they use. A PDF copy of the Watt meter instructions is available online. Killawatt instructions 07307.pdf(29kb). For Library Hours call 802-785-4361.

Efficiency Vermont helps Vermonters reduce energy use in their homes, farms and businesses through a variety of services. These services include technical assistance, education and financial incentives for the purchase of energy-efficient products; EnergySmart home energy analysis CD’s and on-line, a list of certified Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors and weatherization contractors and more, 888-921-5990, www.efficiencyvermont.com.

Vermont Department of Public Service maintains a webpage of information on energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy. http://publicservice.vermont.gov/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency.html

Sustainable Energy Resource Group – SERG is a nonprofit organization, located in Thetford, that works with towns and individuals to promote energy conservation, efficiency and renewables. SERG forms and consults with town energy committees, sells compact fluorescent bulbs, conducts home energy audits, and serves as an information and referral agency on energy related issues. Contact SERG at 802-785-4126, SERG@valley.net or www.SERG-info.org .

You can also get information on energy efficient appliances and other advice for saving energy in your home from the federal government at www.energystar.gov .

Meeting Minutes

The Thetford Energy Committee wishes to thank Building Envelope Solutions/Foam Tech, for its support of TEC activities. A North Thetford business, Foam Tech conducts energy-related diagnostics, performs air sealing, and installs foam insulation. 802.333.4333 www.foam-tech.com