MinutesYour Chester Energy Team is here to help you make informed decisions for both your home and business energy use.
If you have questions about:
Ways to conserve energy and lower costs – check out Home Energy Solutions
Simple things to do to cut energy use and costs – check out Energy Saving Tips
Producing your own renewable low-cost energy – check out Solar Purchase or Lease
Replacing old or broken appliances – check out Energy StarTM Appliances & Lighting
How to finance your energy improvements – check out Energy Loans & Rebates
How to tighten your home or business to reduce energy used for heating & cooling – check out Weatherization (coming soon)
For information on C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) click here
Who we are
The Chester Energy Team is a volunteer group of Chester residents (Pat Woomer, Chairman; Sandy Prisloe; Rick Holloway; Peter Harding, Ed Meehan and Bill Bernhart) appointed by the Selectmen to assist town government, residents and businesses by offering information on available energy-saving innovations and programs.
Since the team was formed by the Chester Conservation Commission and endorsed by the Selectmen in 2009, we have:
- written the Chester Energy Plan
- consolidated Chester’s position as a Connecticut Clean Energy Community, providing access to state and federal grants and committing the Town to reducing its energy use. This enabled the recent installation of a photovoltaic system at the Chester Elementary School, providing educational opportunities to the students and energy savings to the Town.
- conducted energy audits of municipal buildings and recommended energy-saving programs and installed energy-saving devices.
- completed a townwide streetlight survey to identify ways to reduce streetlighting costs to the Town and made recommendations for future options to reduce energy costs even more.
- operated a CT Solar Challenge, resulting in 20 new photovoltaic and thermal installations. Participation in this program earned the Town a free photovoltaic solar system installed at Town Hall.
A TIMELY TIP
(ice) Dammed If You Don’t
By Rick Holloway, Chester E-Team
Ice dams form when water from melting snow refreezes at the eaves or gutters. Water can then pond above the ice dam and even leak into the building. This is almost always a sign that (1) the attic is not properly insulated, (2) the roof is not properly ventilated, and (3) if there is leakage, the membrane beneath the shingles is not working.
In an ideal situation, proper insulation does its work to keep heat inside the house, and the roof is merely a means to keep rain or snow out. If your attic is not a living space, lots of insulation between the ceiling below and the attic space ensures that very little heat gets up there. Proper ventilation of the attic space then ensures that the roof never gets warm enough to melt snow on top of it.
Even if the room directly beneath the roof is a living space, the same principles apply. In this case, it is much harder to install enough insulation, but there should be a space between the insulation and the roof’s inside sheathing so that cold air can flow from eave vents up through that space to carry away any heat that gets through the insulation.
Modern materials such as “snow and ice membrane” provide a very good seal beneath the shingles. If your roof is old, it may have tarpaper, which degrades and becomes brittle. If so, it may be time (this summer) to have your roof stripped down to the sheathing and to have lots of membrane and good flashing installed. It may be possible to have soffit vents and adequate roof ventilation installed at the same time.
But in the meantime, if you have ice dams, it is important to drain the pond above the dam. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to do this with heat or an ice pick. Here’s a suggestion of a good temporary fix: make “sausages” by filling a stocking or similar porous tube with either rock salt or calcium chloride crystals and lay this across the ice dam so that it melts a channel through the dam to drain the pond.
Good Luck!
Resources
energizeCT.com: Need a home energy audit on a limited income? Want to see if a rebate is available for your energy-saving purchase? Research for an electric supplier? This site covers all the bases for CT businesses and residences. Plus, the benefits and costs of renewable energy options, such as photovoltaic and thermal solar systems, are covered in depth.
energy.gov (U.S. Dept. of Energy): The federal government’s website also covers all the bases, such as weatherizing, saving electricity, heating water, landscaping to save energy and purchasing renewable energy systems.
epa.gov: Information on environmental topics such as water conservation, composting, indoor air quality, recycling and water quality.
epa.gov/greenhomes: Ways to “green” your home – reduce home energy, conserve water, use renewable energy, choose greener products, etc.
energystar.gov and toptenusa.org: In the market for new appliances, electronics, LED lighting, etc.? Both sites are helpful. The top ten website goes one step further by also rating products by energy cost and price and also gives suggestions where to buy them within your zip code area.
eversource.com:a resource for power saving tips.
Agendas / Minutes
October 12, 2020 Cancellation Notice
February 10, 2020 Cancellation
January 13, 2020 Agenda|Minutes
November 18, 2019 Agenda|Minutes
October 21, 2019 Agenda|Minutes
September 9, 2019 Agenda|Minutes
August 12, 2019 Agenda|Minutes
April 8, 2019 Agenda|Minutes(dated incorrectly)
February 11, 2019 Agenda Minutes
November 19, 2018 Agenda|Minutes
October 15, 2018 Agenda|Minutes
August 13, 2018 Agenda|Minutes
April 9, 2018 Postponement
February 12, 2018 Agenda|Minutes
January 8, 2018 Agenda|Minutes
November 13, 2017 Agenda|Minutes
October 13, 2017 Minutes
September 11, 2017 Agenda|Minutes
January 9, 2017 Agenda|Minutes
January 5, 2017 Agenda|Correct. Agenda
December 12, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
November 14, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
October 17, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
September 12, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
August 8, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
July 11, 2016 Agenda
June 13, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
May 9, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
April 11, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
March 14, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
February 22, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
February 22, 2016 Cancellation
January 11, 2016 Agenda|Minutes
2015
December 21, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, December 14, 2015 Cancellation, November 9, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, October 19, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, September 14, 2015 Cancellation, August 10, 2015 Cancellation, July 13, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, June 8, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, May 11, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, April 13, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, March 23, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, March 16, 2015 Agenda|Minutes, February 9, 2015 Agenda, January 12, 2015 Agenda|Minutes
2014
December 8, 2014 Agenda Minutes, November 10, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, October 20, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, September 8, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, August 4, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, July 14, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, June 9, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, May 19, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, April 14, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, March 10, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, February 10, 2014 Agenda|Minutes, January Agenda 01132014\Minutes,
2013
December 9 2013 Mnutes, Energy Team agenda 12092013, November 18, 2013 Agenda|Minutes, Clean Energy October 21, 2013 Agenda|Minutes, September 9, 2013 Agenda|Minutes, August 12, 2013 Agenda|Minutes, July 8, 2013 Agenda Minutes, June 10, 2013 Agenda|Minutes , May 13, 2013 Agenda|Minutes , April 8, 2013 Agenda|Minutes, January 14, 2013 Agenda|Minutes
2012
December 10, 2012 Minutes, November 19, 2012 Agenda|Minutes , October 22, 2012 Agenda|Minutes , Agenda September 10, 2012|Minutes , Agenda | August 13, 2012, Agenda | July 09, 2012, Agenda | June 11, 2012, May 14, 2012 cancellation, April 09, 2012, March 12, 2012 |March 12, 2012, February 06, 2012 | February 06, 2012, January 09, 2012
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