January
The Energy Commission approved December meeting minutes. For the Town Hall Solar Energy System, electrician Justin Poulton manages pole removal and burying lines through 2026. The utility pole meter will be returned to Eversource to stop $21/month rental costs. Streetlight replacement must be included. Municipal solar expansion targets the Town Garage/Transfer Station, Dow Pavilion, and school rooftops before the IRA program ends December 31, 2026. Bob will organize an NHSaves Button Up workshop at Town Hall in 2026. Heat pump replacements for fossil fuel heating are planned. Energy audits will restart, specifically targeting the Safety building and water system. A partial audit of Water 5 and Water 4 occurred, but Water 5 requires a 2026 revisit due to VFD pump programming issues. A comprehensive audit is planned for Mittersill systems 1, 2, and 3. The 2025 municipal energy usage report is complete for the town financial report. The BOS seeks a $27,000 refund from Fidium. The next meeting is February 17, 2026. Source: https://www.franconianh.gov/uploads/1/1/6/8/11680191/energy_commission_minutes_-_jan_2026.pdf
FRANCONIA ENERGY COMMISSION MINUTES January 20, 2026, 4:30 PM In attendance: Dan, Chris, Dave, Bob Minutes from December Energy Commission meeting approved. Franconia Town Hall Solar Energy System • Pole removal in front of the Welcome Center, including burying the lines, is being managed by electrician Justin Poulton. Work will extend into 2026. • Meter at the utility pole (72 358 500) is not connected to anything and is to be returned to Eversource (rental ~ $21/month). • Removal of the pole will also remove the attached streetlight. Replacement of the streetlight with alternative lighting should be incorporated into this project. • Municipal solar expansion o IRA program ends Dec 31, 2026 o Franconia expansion at Town Garage/Transfer Station (combined?) and Dow Pavilion o Outreach to Amy Kopp to revisit discussions with school about rooftop solar energy Dow clock lighting: to be completed by Eric and Dave, TBD Energy Efficiency Programs • The Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative has announced that they will be presenting the informative NHSaves Button Up workshops. Bob will head this up for Franconia, with a workshop at the Town Hall later in 2026. • Replacement of town buildings’ fossil fuel heating with heat pumps Energy and System Efficiency Audits • Restart energy audits, as part of reviewing town energy usage. • Franconia Safety building: outreach to Fire (Chief Tyler Gaudette) and Police (Chief Martin A Cashin) about managing energy usage. • Include water system, as this is the single, largest consumer of municipal electricity. Partial energy audit of the Franconia Water Treatment Department was conducted 12/4/2025 by Rachel Pluchino, Franconia Water Dept, Pete of LRW Water Services (operator), Steven Boles, Process Energy Services, Christina Rambo, NH DES. o Energy audit of Water 5 on Water Works Rd and Water 4 on Coal Hill Rd. Water 5 audit was incomplete because the VFD pumps (variable frequency drive) were programmed to only operate at 0% or 100%, defeating the VFD optimization feature. A revisit is planned in 2026, date TBD. o A more comprehensive audit should include water systems 1,2 and 3 at Mittersill site. Energy use by town buildings • Completed a report of Franconia municipal energy usage for CY 2025, which will be included in the town financial report. Ongoing Town Business • BOS is pursuing a refund from Fidium/Consolidated for $27,000 for work not done. Next meeting: February 17, 2026 @ 4:30 at the Town Hall. Meeting Adjourned 5:50 pm Respectfully submitted, Chris Dubé