6.1 Energy Use and Energy Efficiency
Each employee works in an open work area that fosters transparency and communication throughout the organization. This has reduced energy consumption by use of natural lighting and smaller work spaces. In 1995, Green Mountain Power consumed 1,400,225 kwh to operate its company headquarters. This compares with 819,400 kwh for 2006. This represents a decrease of over 41% over an 11-year span and is a result of streamlining company operations and our decision to move our corporate headquarters into an existing company service center.
In some of our buildings, we have a daylight control system where lights within the building dim as more daylight enters the building. Employees are also able to control how much lighting is allowed in the building by the use of skylights and high-efficiency T-8 lamps and ballasts. T-8 electronics allow for the dimming of fluorescent lighting, anywhere from 5-10%, throughout the building based on employee needs and outside light conditions. This feature conserves energy and provides a level of comfort for employees that prefer conventional lighting.
In 2006, we installed additional occupancy sensors to minimize lighting use when areas are not being used. We added high-efficiency air-conditioning units to the Colchester computer room for additional cooling capacity. We also replaced two older, inefficient rooftop heaters with five small energy efficient heaters in Colchester garage spaces. The smaller heaters are more efficient and more appropriate technology for the workspace.
Figure 6-1 compares our overall energy use from 2000 to 2006. The variations are largely due to changes in use of some of the buildings, such as consolidating operations and then later adding tenants to the same meter. The decrease since 2004 is a direct result of energy efficiency initiatives in our building operations.
Figure 6-1: Electricity Use 2000-2006
EN3, EN4
Energy use can be broken down by location, as follows:
Click Here to View Table 6-1: KWH Usage by Location
Table 6-2 lists the gallons of water used for each Green Mountain Power location in 2006. EN8
Table 6-2: Green Mountain Power Water Use by Location
|
Location |
Gallons Used in 2006 |
|
Colchester |
511,290* |
|
Bellows Falls |
17,300 |
|
Vergennes |
N/A |
|
Montpelier |
177,000 |
|
Wells River |
N/A |
|
White River |
3,000 |
|
Wilmington |
N/A |
Through looking at historical water usage data, we realized that our Colchester office usage, which houses most of our employees, has been incorrectly metered for several years. We are working with the town of Colchester to remedy this situation going forward and compensate the town correctly for our previous estimated usage. The Colchester water usage is estimated based on standard commercial water usage estimates of 15 gallons per person per day. We have also corrected past reported total water usage using the same estimation technique.
Through looking at historical water usage data, we realized that our Colchester office usage, which houses most of our employees, has been incorrectly metered for several years. We are working with the town of Colchester to remedy this situation going forward and compensate the town correctly for our previous estimated usage. The Colchester water usage is estimated based on standard commercial water usage estimates of 15 gallons per person per day. We have also corrected past reported total water usage using the same estimation technique.
Currently, the Wells River and Wilmington offices use a well for their water supply, and do not have meters to track their water usage. The Vergennes office is connected with the generation facility, and there is no separate meter or bill. Next year, we intend to purchase water meters for these locations to connect to the water intake.
In Colchester, our building is heated and cooled using a closed-loop system. Instead of using new water, it uses a radiator to cool and a highly efficient boiler to heat. We also installed automatic shut-offs on low flow fixtures in the rest rooms of each office to conserve water.
In 2006, the water-cooled diesel generators at the Essex facility were removed from service. The new diesel engines utilize air-cooled regulator systems and eliminate the need and risk associated with an open-loop river water cooling system.
Figure 6-2: Green Mountain Power Total Water Use (2004-2006)
Due to inaccurate metering, Colchester service center water usage has been significantly underreported for several years. This chart reflects estimated water usage for the Colchester facility. The increase in water usage is primarily explained by an increase at our Montpelier facility. We are researching the source of this increase.
There were no known water sources or related ecosystems/habitats that were affected by discharges of water or runoff in 2006. Also, there were no significant discharges to water. Additionally, Green Mountain Power does not withdraw any ground or surface water for industrial purposes.
Green Mountain Power does not have many stormwater impacts. The only facility where stormwater is an issue is at our Colchester location. We performed some improvements to our stormwater collection system in Colchester in 2004, and evaluated the improvements in 2005. As a result of these evaluations, we performed some upgrades to this system in 2006.
6.3 Impacts from Transportation
Green Mountain Power has recognized the impact of vehicle use on the environment and has taken the following steps to minimize impact while not sacrificing our reputation for excellent customer service. EN29
6.3.1 Fuel Efficiency
Green Mountain Power improved its average vehicle fuel efficiency (measured in gallons per 100 miles traveled) by 10% from 2005 to 2006 and has similar aggressive fuel-efficiency goal of 7% improvement for 2007. We continue to replace older, less efficient trucks with newer vehicles. We also have an ongoing hybrid purchasing program. Green Mountain Power currently owns nine hybrid vehicles (Toyota Prius and Ford Escape) which comprise 8% of Green Mountain Power’s fleet of vehicles. Each hybrid vehicle has an improvement of greater than 15 miles per gallon over the vehicle it is replacing.
In addition, carpooling is encouraged, and hybrids are used by management to travel within our service territory. We continue to explore additional ways to improve our mileage and reduce transportation emissions, such as our early 2007 project to fill vehicle tires with nitrogen to improve fuel efficiency and extend tire life.
We recently instituted a non-idling policy that strongly discourages field employees from idling vehicles. Occasionally, idling will occur during winter months for safety reasons and is often a required part of our operations since the buckets use the truck engine to power their work.
Figures 6-5 and 6-6 show trends in miles traveled and fuel efficiency for our gasoline and diesel fleets. Data are based on 106 vehicles from all seven districts (Colchester, Vergennes, Montpelier, Wells River, White River Junction, Bellows Falls and Wilmington). EN4
Figure 6-5: Gasoline Fleet Miles & Efficiency Trends
Figure 6-6: Diesel Fleet Miles & Efficiency Trends
There are a couple of important changes in reporting fuel use that have occurred:
- In mid-2005, we implemented the use of fuel cards, which more accurately track mileage and fuel use for each vehicle. We also replaced some diesel vehicles with gasoline vehicles – which accounts for changes viewed in miles traveled and miles per gallon for each fuel type.
- We found an error in the fuel use data and mileage calculations presented in previous reports. Previous reports included only fuel dispensed at our two largest service locations, while mileage was reported for the entire company. This resulted in an under-estimate of fuel use and an over-estimate of efficiency of about 20%. The information in this year’s report, including Table 6-4 and Figure 6-7, has been corrected to include fuel dispensed at all locations.
6.3.2 Emissions Reductions
Since 2005, we have required that a 20% biodiesel mix (B20) be used in our larger vehicles in the summer and a 5% biodiesel mix (B5) be used in the winter. All vehicles that fuel up at our Colchester and Montpelier facilities run on biodiesel. Biodiesel use and emissions avoided during the two years of the program are summarized in Table 6-4. EN7
Click Here to View Table 6-4: Biodeisel Use and Emissions Avoided
* Gallons include blends of B20, B10 & B5
While biodiesel does not improve mileage, it does drastically reduce emissions. We currently use biodiesel to fuel vehicles at our two largest facilities, which are fueling stations for 31 diesel vehicles and represent over 70% of our diesel fuel use. We plan to install an additional fueling station at another service facility in 2008, which will allow us to use biodiesel for another four vehicles.
6.3.3 Vehicle Performance and Service Life
We follow a regular preventive maintenance schedule for all equipment. We purchase high quality oil and filters to extend service intervals, which minimizes resource use while maximizing vehicle performance.
6.3.4 Airline Travel
In this 2006 report Green Mountain Power is for the first time including quantitative information on fuel used for business travel by airline. In 2006 our employees flew approximately 210,000 passenger miles. Based on an average fuel efficiency for U.S. commercial aircraft of 48.9 passenger-miles per gallon (Air Transport Association), approximately 4,300 gallons of jet fuel was consumed for these flights. As shown in Figure 6-7, on a per gallon basis airline travel accounts for only 3% of the total fuel consumed for transportation.
Figure 6-7: Transportation Fuel Use
EN4
Note: In addition to the above, we used 519 gallons of propane for our forklifts.
6.4 Raw Material Usage
Green Mountain Power maintains approximately 50,000 items in its existing inventory. Items are organized by approximately 50 stock categories (i.e., transformers, reclosers, etc.). The following data represents usage of items in 2005 and 2006 that represent the highest volume, weight, and potential environmental impact: Green Mountain Power’s main distributor (60-70% of supplies) is located locally, in White River Junction. We have not yet measured the transportation impacts associated with our purchase of raw materials.
Table 6-3
Click Here to View Table 6-3: Raw Material Usage 2005-2006
EN1
We rent our space in Wells River and have no way to capture the portion of fuel that we use.
6.5 Purchasing Policy
While Green Mountain Power does not have a formal Sustainable Purchasing Policy, there are aspects to its existing purchasing policy which encourage purchase of sustainable goods and goods/services from companies with strong environmental records. The following is an excerpt from Green Mountain Power’s purchasing policy:
“Preference should be given to…suppliers who are proven to be environmental friendly in their daily work practices and attributes, maximize Post Consumer Recycled content, minimize toxicity and packaging, or have any other environmentally preferable attributes, without sacrificing price, quality, and delivery requirements.”
Our purchasing policy also specifies that priority should be given to “suppliers located near the company operation” EC6.
6.6 Impacts from Wastes and Releases
6.6.1 Solid Waste and Chemical Waste
Table 6-5 describes some of the chemicals used and wastes generated by Green Mountain Power, the waste destinations, and on-going waste minimization efforts. This data represents the total for all GMP locations. EN22
Click Here to View Table 6-5: Trended Waste Data for 2005-2006
In addition to the waste listed above, 1,500 lb of D018 hazardous waste was generated in 2006 by the Pine Street Barge Canal cleanup site. EN24
Figure 6-3: Hazardous Waste Generation (2004-2006)
Figure 6-4: Scrap Wire Generation 2006
EN22
6.6.2 Recycling
Table 6-6 describes the various recycling methods for materials that were recycled from Green Mountain Power in 2006.
Table 6-6
Click Here to View Table 6-6: Recycling Methods
Figure 6-5: Scrap Metal Generation 2006
Scrap metal generated by Green Mountain Power is hauled by All Metal Recycling, Inc. Total scrap metal for 2006: 84.86 tons. This includes all Green Mountain Power locations that generate scrap metal (i.e., Colchester and Montpelier). EN22
6.6.3 Berlin Landfarm
In 2006, Green Mountain Power diverted approximately 38.69 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil and debris from the conventional hazardous waste stream for treatment at the Berlin Landfarm. This treatment program uses bio-remediation to treat soils that are less than 5% total petroleum hydrocarbons by weight. The process includes amending the soil with organic material (cow manure), tilling and natural aeration. The soil is treated until it tests clean. Green Mountain Power finds this method of using natural treatment technologies for this type of waste preferable to landfilling. EN2, EN22
6.6.4 2006 Releases
In 2006, we had 18 reported spills. One spill was to the surface of the Little River at GMP’s hydroelectric power plant. This spill of approximately 1 gallon of lubrication oil was completely contained and cleaned up. The spill occurred when the pail of lube oil rusted through and flowed to a sump pump in the basement of the plant. The pail of lubrication oil was not stored on a spill containment pallet. The VTDEC was notified of the spill and has considered the spill closed.
Seven spills were greater than 2 gallons and were reported to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Six of the seven spills were the result of automobile accidents and damaged transformers. One spill was the result of a failed hydraulic hose on a line truck. Another spill involved the release of a small amount of oil that contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The PCB spill was the result of a leaking bushing on a transformer. The transformer leaked approximately 1 quart of PCB-containing mineral oil. One drum of PCB oil-stained soil was excavated and disposed of as hazardous waste. All non-PCB oil stained soil from spill events was transported and treated at the Berlin Landfarm (see above). All of the oil absorbents were managed and shipped off-site as hazardous waste. EN23
One spill of note occurred at 2258 West Main Street in Richmond, Vermont. Upon arrival to the site, the property owner did not want spill clean-up to occur. The mineral oil spilled onto a flat grassy area along the roadway. The farmer who owned the property was opposed to the grass being removed. GMP contacted the VT DEC and the property owner spoke with the Chief of the Spills Division (Marc Roy) and requested the mineral oil be left in place. There was no apparent pathway for the mineral oil to infiltrate a surface water body or any other sensitive receptor. The VT DEC approved leaving the mineral oil in place and not conducting invasive clean-up. GMP used oil absorbent materials to swab the area.
Table 6-7
Click Here to View Table 6-7: Spills 2006
EN23
6.6.5 Pine Street Barge Canal
Green Mountain Power was among those named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1982 as responsible for the contamination of the Pine Street Barge Canal in Burlington, VT. In 1998, EPA directed responsible parties to pay $4.3 million for site remediation activities that involved containing canal contamination with an underwater cap, restoration of wetlands areas at the site, and a long-term maintenance and monitoring program.
A 2006 update on the site is as follows:
“The first five year review of the remedial action was completed in October 2006. The remedy is currently protective of human health and the environment except for ongoing release of coal tar in a limited area of the subaqueous cap in the canal. The remedy will not be protective in the future without a mechanism in place to monitor to determine compliance with institutional controls that have been established to restrict land and groundwater use at the site. Two issues that must be evaluated in order to determine protectiveness in the future are: 1) the vapor intrusion to indoor air pathway and the potential to impact current or future indoor receptors; and 2) the ability of the existing compliance monitoring program to adequately monitor performance standards for contaminant migration given new site conditions. The precise mechanism(s) for these ongoing releases is the subject of additional field investigations which are expected to be completed by mid-winter 2007. Environmental controls, such as absorbent booms, keep the contamination from entering Lake Champlain.” - excerpt from epa.gov website.
6.7 Sidebar: “Go Forth and Compost”
In June 2007, we started a composting program in our corporate headquarters in Colchester and our Montpelier service center. Here is the memo that went out to employees:
33% of our trash can be composted and sent to Intervale Compost Products. The resulting compost improves soil and plant fertility while reducing erosion and run-off, and reducing chemicals that end up in our rivers and Lake Champlain.
It’s easy…you’ll see white plastic buckets from Earthgirl Composting in the kitchen and in some restrooms. You can compost much more than you think…not just food waste, but paper plates and even pizza boxes. There will be helpful signs to help you know what can and can’t be composted.
It’s another step in “Greening- Up” our GMP environment. We’re hoping you’ll see the benefits and how easy it is……..and want to include your homes in this service!! More to come on that very soon, but for now… GO FORTH AND COMPOST!
