SOUTHBURY — Eight people have volunteered to serve on a committee that will look for ways to help the town and schools conserve electricity and fuel oil, and save money on energy bills.
First Selectman Ed Edelson said he will ask the Board of Selectmen next week to appoint an Energy Task Force of volunteers who will brainstorm ways to conserve resources and run buildings in town more efficiently.
He has said the goal is to save taxpayers money by reducing energy bills in places like the Town Hall, the library and public school buildings.
However, he hopes the committee's reach will extend into the community where home and condominium owners can get some practical advice about how to reduce costs.
He said the committee will have volunteers from the Region 15 Board of Education and Heritage Village, the state's largest community of age-restricted condominiums. All units are heated with electricity.
Heritage Village management has tried for years to help its 2,580 unit owners save money, and Edelson said the committee will attempt to find solutions.
He also wants a task force in place so the town can qualify for grants for money-saving conservation initiatives that it cannot obtain if no such group exists.
Woodbury qualified for such a grant in 2010, when it secured a $52,954 federal stimulus grant for energy-efficiency projects in town.
The town spent the money on insulation, devices that monitor outdoor temperature to control indoor boilers, and an energy audit for Woodbury's town office buildings, library and fire and ambulance headquarters.
Southbury is replacing its old oil-fired boilers at Town Hall with furnaces that will heat with natural gas, which is cheaper than heating oil. The cost to switch is being paid up front by Connecticut Light & Power, but the town will have to pay the utility back through its electric bills.
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