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Thank You, Amy Ignatius
Although the entire team at the Office of Energy and planning (OEP) is extremely happy for Amy and congratulate her on her promotion as a Commissioner of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC), we all, without one exception, will miss her greatly. She has been a strong, firm, knowledgeable leader who has tackled many challenging issues in a professional and productive manner. Amy has directed OEP with quiet strength, exceptional listening skills and tremendous respect for her colleagues and as well as her team. There is no doubt Amy will continue to inspire many with her passion for energy-related issues effecting New Hampshire. We will miss her at OEP, but wish her well at the PUC.
New Director of OEP – Joanne Morin
Gov. John Lynch named Joanne Morin to serve as director of the Office of Energy and Planning. Morin will take over for Amy Ignatius, who was recently appointed by Gov. Lynch to the Public Utilities Commission.
"Energy and sustainable growth are two of the major challenges that we face here in New Hampshire and the Office of Energy and Planning plays a vital role in addressing those issues," Gov. Lynch said.
"Joanne Morin brings a wealth of policy expertise, management skill and leadership ability necessary to ensure that the Office of Energy and Planning will continue working effectively to help address these challenges," Gov. Lynch said.
Morin recently served as the Climate and Energy Program Manager in the Air Resources Division of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, where she worked closely with the Office of Energy and Planning. Prior to joining DES in 2000, Morin worked at the Timberland Company in Stratham where she was the corporate manager of environmental, health and safety. She has also worked as an environmental consultant and project manager, with significant experience in the area of managing federal contracts.
Morin is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, and received a master’s degree in biology from the State University of New York - Binghamton.
New Procurement and Contract Compliance Officer – Wendy Gilman
Formerly from the Office of State Planning (OSP) and more recently from the Community Development Finance Authority, Wendy has more than 14 years experience working with state and Federal organizations and programs; municipalities; the Community Development Block Grant Program; and more recently, with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, as administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Prior to her work with OSP, Wendy worked in a municipal environment with the Community Development and Planning Office of the City of Laconia. In 2005, she received certification as a Housing Development Finance Professional from the National Development Council (NDC). Certification is a designation given to individuals who successfully complete an intensive housing development finance series that is conducted by NDC.
"We are excited to have Wendy join the OEP team and welcome her expertise," said Mary Downes, Energy Efficiency Specialist.
New Hampshire’s EECBG Application Review Progresses from DOE
OEP has received word that New Hampshire’s EECBG (EECBG) application has advanced through the project evaluation stage at the Department of Energy and is now in the hands of the National Environmental Policy Act reviewer. Because subgrants to municipalities and counties (other than those receiving direct EECBG allocations from DOE) are expected to be distributed as quickly as possible, OEP encourages applicants to prepare for their submittal by visiting the EECBG Web site. While application forms are not yet available, the steps for laying the groundwork of an EECBG proposal are available on the site. In particular, we recommend taking a close look at the following:
EECBG Estimated Expected Benefits Calculator
Applicants will be expected to estimate the numbers of jobs created, the energy saved, the amount of renewable energy installed, the greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and the amount of methane captured (if applicable) with their applications. DOE has developed an EECBG Estimated Expected Benefits Calculator designed to assist grant applicants in developing these estimations. While this may not be the tool ultimately used to predict metrics values, it may be helpful in determining which projects will offer the greatest benefit.
Please contact Dari Sassan at (603) 271-1765 or dari.sassan@nh.gov at OEP for more information.
Memorandum of Agreement
The Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) is pleased to announce the Governor and Council's approval of a Memorandum of Agreement between OEP and Department of Administrative Services in the amount of $10 million to implement and support energy savings and renewable energy programs in state-owned buildings and facilities through the State Building Energy Efficiency/Energy Renewable Program.
OEP’s intent is to demonstrate the state of New Hampshire’s progress in reaching energy efficiency goals, and doing so with measures that are duplicable by other public and private entities. As an ENERGY STAR® partner, New Hampshire is committed to "Leading by Example"  and showing the public the efforts being made to reduce energy use at the state level.
Please speak with Mary Downes our Energy Efficiency Specialist – should you have any questions about this program. Mary can be reached at (603) 271-1715 or at mary.downes@nh.gov.
Weatherization
Progress! OEP is making great progress with regard to its weatherization program. New Hampshire has received half of its total Recovery Act weatherization funding following approval of a comprehensive state plan. The state anticipates it will receive over $11.5 million in additional funding, for a total of more than $23 million over three years.
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program will be available to families making up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level – those interested should check with their local community action program for eligibility. Weatherization projects allow low-income families to save money by making their homes more energy efficient, which results in average savings of up to 22 percent for heating bills and savings of hundreds of dollars per year on overall energy bills for New Hampshire residents.
The Davis-Bacon wage determination for weatherization workers is expected from the Department of Labor in August 2009 for New Hampshire counties. The Community Action Programs (CAPs) have been given the go-ahead by the DOE to begin weatherization measures, with the understanding that paid hourly wage rates will be adjusted if wage determinations come in higher than current rate-of-pay. One CAP has begun weatherization measures and three are proceeding with the bid process for contracted weatherization services.
"Over 100 homes in NH have received energy audits as part of the weatherization services provided by the DOE’s program. Now weatherization professionals can begin installing energy saving measures, and, thanks to the unprecedented level of funding New Hampshire has received, we can reach a greater number of homes that qualify for energy efficiency upgrades," said Nancy Gamble, Weatherization Program Manager.
Requests for proposals are currently posted on the New Hampshire Office of Economic Stimulus’ Web site.
OEP Web site
Our Web site is updated frequently. In addition there is a tremendous amount of information on our Web site, including some new links to grant opportunities and more program-related details, so please check it often for updates!
OEP Energy Staff
Please review the list below of the OEP energy staff members. Should you have any questions or comments you may contact them directly.
- Wendy Gilman, Procurement and Contract Compliance Officer – please contact Wendy at (603) 271-0596.
- Eric Steltzer, Energy Policy Analyst – for questions on energy policy, please contact Eric at (603) 271-1759.
- Dari Sassan, Assistant Planner – will be working on EECBG funding and can be reached at (603) 271-1765.
- Mary Downes, Energy Efficiency Specialist – will manage SEP programs administered by stat agencies as well as first-time home buyer programs. Mary can be reached at (603) 271-1715.
- Laura Richardson, ARRA Coordinator SEP - will administer all remaining SEP programs. Laura can be reached at (603) 271-6092.
- Joe Broyles, Energy Program Manager – can help you with questions regarding data collection and reporting and he can be reached at (603) 271-8341.
- Andy Gray, Weatherization Program Manager - administers weatherization services for the state of NH. For more information, please contact Andy at (603) 271-6359.
- Nancy Gamble, Weatherization Program Manager - will be working closely with Andy Gray, Weatherization Program Manager, and the state's six independent Community Action Agencies to administer ARRA weatherization services for the state of NH. For more information, please contact Nancy at (603) 271-0639.
- Kate Vattes, Administrative Assistant - is our ARRA AA and will be supporting the OEP energy team administratively and will help to ensure compliance and accountability. Kate can be reached at (603) 271-0598.
Please feel free to contact OEP with any questions. Thank you in advance for your interest. |
