Local Energy Advocates Western Mass Launches First Project To Promote Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction
Photo: istock
Source: LEA Western Mass
A new all-volunteer organization, Local Energy Advocates of Western MA (LEA), is fundraising for opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and has launched its first project – a highly efficient heat pump hot water heater for a new all-electric low-income home under construction by Habitat for Humanity in Northampton.
Homes with basements can accommodate standard highly energy efficient heat pumps for heating water. But without a basement, all-electric homes typically use water heaters that are expensive to run because they use old-fashioned electric resistance heat.
With the help of local and state wide experts, LEA identified heat pump technology in which the heat pump is outdoors while the hot water tank is indoors, thus making them suitable for homes without basements.
LEA was created to generate ideas, motivation and strategic funding to reduce greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions, as much and as quickly as possible. The group will address the electricity, transportation, and building sectors in Western Massachusetts. It also will focus on increasing the resiliency of our local energy systems. LEA envisions supporting many kinds of activities, including:
- electrification of our energy, transportation, and building sectors
- creation of local renewable distributed energy resources
- improvement of energy efficiency in buildings
- promotion of energy conservation
- education of our community through outreach
- development of local leaders
LEA strives to benefit low-income residents in our communities and places a high priority on projects that promote environmental justice. To accomplish its goals, LEA intends to raise funds and engage in partnerships with non-profit, for profit, and grass-roots organizations, foundations, and municipalities.
LEA’s recommendation for a system with an outdoor heat pump has been endorsed by the entire build team of Habitat, as a pilot test of the feasibility of providing reliable hot water with reduced energy use for future occupants. Importantly, this project will also familiarize local installers with these products, so that they can rely on them in similar situations in other homes.
The founders of LEA were among the initiators of a local effort to create an inter-municipal aggregation of electricity for Northampton, Amherst and Pelham residents. LEA plans to continue working alongside the municipalities on aggregation and other efforts to reduce their collective GHG emissions.
LEA is also raising awareness of greenhouse gas reduction opportunities. On March 15, LEA provided a zoom presentation to hear from representatives of the ambitious project in Ithaca, NY to transition all of its 6000 buildings to carbon neutrality by 2030.
Featured was Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres, Ithaca Sustainability Director and creator of Ithaca’s groundbreaking Efficiency Retrofitting and Thermal Load Electrification Program, representatives from BlocPower, tasked with running and working out financing for the building decarbonization effort. A link to the presentation will be available at LocalEnergyAdvocates.org.
Membership in LEA is open to anyone committed to finding ways to reduce our GHG emissions and increase our energy resiliency in Western Mass. Individuals requesting membership in LEA will be added to a group email list to keep them abreast of organization activities and related news and opportunities. The public may donate to local energy projects on the LEA website using the donation button. Funds raised in excess of what is needed for the heat-pump water heater demonstration project will be reserved for future projects devoted to reducing GHG emissions in our communities.
The next LEA meeting is on March 29 at 7:00pm. LEA’s website is www.LocalEnergyAdvocates.org
To learn more about Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity’s projects go to: www.pvhabitat.org