Nathaniel Abbott: Support money for Gilmanton energy audit

One of the accomplishments of the Gilmanton Energy Committee in 2020 was the compilation of a Town Baseline Energy Report, which is posted on the Gilmanton town website at gilmantonnh.org. It shows that, on average, the town of Gilmanton spent $100,000 annually on energy of all types and in all departments over the last three years. I am writing in support of Article 16 as written in the 2021 Town Warrant, asking for $15,000, for the purpose of performing energy audits on municipal buildings.

The reason this money is necessary to save money for the town is that a technical analysis must be done on each building in order to make specific recommendations that can be acted on by the town. The analysis includes both the energy lost through heat escaping as well as inefficient fixtures and appliances, and also the specifications for remediation with accurate counts of parts, labor and materials so that a competitive bid may be submitted for the remediation work. Such work would be proposed at a future Town Meeting for review and voting by the legislative body after a competitive bid process administered by the Energy Committee and finally by the Selectmen. If the scope of what is possible this year for energy audits falls short of the $15,000 budget, the remainder of the budget may not be expended for any other purpose. Gilmanton residents, I hope that you will vote for this article.

Nathaniel Abbott

Gilmanton