KEYS regional energy meeting August 28, 2009 Kittery Town Hall

Attending: Steve Thomas, Kennebunk; George Muller, S. Berwick; Bobbi Beavers, S. Berwick; Meredith Sudborough, Kittery; Bruce Davis, KVCC; Paulette Millette, YCCC; Stephen Kosacz, York; David Flood, Biddeford; Dwayne Morin, N, Berwick; John Rudolph, S. Berwick; Torbert Macdonald, Jr. , York; Paul Schumacher, SMRPC; Maury Hepner, Kittery Pt.; Nancy Farron, Kittery Pt.; Jenny Isler, Eliot.

BPI Energy Auditors standards to be the new Maine “standards” to which all state rebate programs will fund by. Currently there are 7 BPI certified Energy Auditors in Maine. It will cost $3,000 - $5,000 per year for the community college to lease the curriculum. Once KVCC has certified instructors, they will be happy to share with YCCC.

They hope to have a “bridge” program for current auditors to take to become BPI certified up & running by the beginning of 2010. The bridge course will be 3 days long and the development of the course will be funded by stimulus money. Down the road they will consider developing a similar bridge type course for the weatherization techs.

The PV and Solar Thermal installer courses provide the required NABCEP curriculum to become state certified. Currently there’s 1 certified (NABCEP) instructor in the state. The solar thermal course costs $335; 94% of student pass the course & become certified; there are about 300 certified providers in the state. The PV installer course costs $450; currently about 450 base level installers in Maine and 7 “Master” installers.

Stimulus money: $41 million to Efficiency Maine for low income, $600,000 to York County.

Things to include in block grant proposal:

Include small businesses

Marketing

Consumer advocate for recipients

Who should control the funds?

Should we use Biddeford/Saco Economic Development for the small businesses and local bank such as Kennebunk Savings for the residential loans?

The use of a nonprofit community lender for all loans would reiterate community development aspect