Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fuel Use Data topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners question fuel‑use figures in draft energy plan, including 4,311‑cord estimate
Summary
Members challenged the draft EEP's fuel‑use calculations (the plan lists 4,311 cords), disputed household counts and conversion methods (BTUs), and asked the consultant to supply source data so the town can produce locally grounded numbers.
A major line of debate centered on the plan's fuel‑use and household estimates. One member read aloud a large figure in the draft — "4,311 cords of wood" — and several commissioners said that figure was inconsistent with local observations and household counts. Members discussed translating energy units into BTUs and converting across fuel types, and observed the plan appears to generalize per‑household usage rather than use town‑specific data.
Commissioners agreed to have consultant Jeremy identify the data sources and methodology used to generate the figures, and to recompute energy use using locally relevant inputs (seasonal residences excluded, local household counts, and a realistic per‑household cord estimate). The group discussed simple checks — e.g., surveying known local usage and applying conservative per‑household cord counts — to produce a defensible town figure before submission. The commission did not accept the draft numbers as final and directed staff follow‑up.
