Institute for Sustainable Energy
Board Meeting August 27, 2003

Members present:
     Donald Downes, Chairman, Dept. of Public Utility Control
     Shirley Bergert, Public Benefits Taskforce Director, CT Legal Services
     John Mengacci, Undersecretary, Strategic Management Division, OPM
     Richard Barredo, Chief Operating Officer, CEF

Guests:
     Dr. David Carter, ECSU
     William Leahy, Joel Rinebold, Laurel Kohl, ISE
     Dana Kubachka, DPUC

Meeting called to order by acting chairman, Donald Downes at 1:52 PM .

Donald Downes requested Advisory Board members consider the minutes of the June 23, 2003 meeting. Minor spelling and punctuation corrections were made. A motion to accept the minutes as corrected was made by Richard Barredo, second by Shirley Bergert. Motion carried.

In review of the ISE's programs and activities in 2003, William Leahy presented a handout titled “Major Milestones” that will be presented at the ECMB meeting on Sept. 2 along with a 2003 budget variance report.

Donald Downes mentioned that the next NEG/ECP meeting on state and provincial plans will be held in Mystic Sept. 7-9. State plans for MA and RI are complete and CT is close to being completed.

Joel Rinebold distributed copies of the report compiled by the Institute titles: “An Assessment and Report of Electric Conservation Opportunities in Southwest Connecticut ” completed June 13, 2003 .

William Leahy reported on status of the Energy Star Benchmarking activities being performed by the Institute. The study for the City of Stamford will be completed in late September and the City of Hartford will be finished by the end of the year.

John Mengacci asked if the “Pay and You Save” program concept could be used to pay for the building updates indicated by Benchmarking. William Leahy said that NH has a line-of-credit established for Municipal and State users to finance building improvements.

Shirley Bergert questioned how towns could be encouraged to consider green building standards in their renovation and new construction projects. Donald Downes suggested that ISE host workshops for municipal building committees to educate planners and users. It was indicated that the Green Buildings Council organized by CCEF is current involved in this process.
Donald Downes suggested that the ISE and Board of Advisors approach Ted Sergi of the State Department of Education about promoting more efficient buildings in schools, and including the Utilities companies in promoting this philosophy. It was suggested also to approach Steve Murphy of DPW. John Mengacci suggested inviting appropriate guests to future board meetings.

William Leahy stated that he met with both John Mengacci and Steve Murphy concerning Benchmarking 7-8 state buildings in a pilot program. The results could convince decision makers of the value of the benchmarking information. Also the data could justify including an initiative in the Ct Climate Change Action Plan calling for assessing all state facilities.

William Leahy presented the ISE budget and projected expenditures for the remainder of 2003, and discussed budget guidelines for 2004.

In upcoming work, William Leahy told the board about a public opinion poll that the ISE will complete by the end of the year, exploring energy-related issues. He also is work with the Waterford public schools on an interdisciplinary energy education program that will be developed into a secondary school energy education model.

Shirley Bergert stated that the ECMB members have been positive about the ISE and its work. She feels that the ECMB will support a reasonable budget request. She feels that class and geographic parity will drive funding. A defined southwest CT focus area will need to show effective programming for funding.

William Leahy presented information about the October 27-29 ISE Conference, target audience, sponsorships and agenda. Speakers were discussed, with board members suggesting possible people for the ISE to ask. Donald Downes suggested that the ISE set up a booth at the Mystic NEG/ECP meeting to promote the conference. Dana Kubachka will look into arranging for an invitation. Shirley Bergert suggested that the ISE offer a tuition waiver for ECMB members to attend the conference to gain their support, as many belong to organizations that are not able to pay for their attendance.

The question of future dates for meetings was discussed. The members of the board expressed a preference for a fixed schedule. The 3 rd Wednesday of the month at 2 PM was tentatively agreed upon. If the board decided that a monthly meeting was not needed, it would be canceled. This would allow members to fix time in their schedules.

Donald Downes asked for a motion to adjourn. Motion made by John Mengacci, second by Shirley Bergert. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:26 PM .

Respectfully submitted,
Laurel Kohl