Robert A. Kagan
83 Cambridge Parkway #203 Cambridge, MA 02142
510-502-4847 rak@berkeley.edu
February 27, 2020
Dr. John Yee, Chair
Esplanade Board of Trustees
Dear John:
As you suggested, I’m writing on behalf of the Esplanade Environmental Study Group to report on the February 24, 220 Mass Save/ClearResults event in the Tye Conference Room.
To take a step back, in November 2019, we were pleased to learn that the Esplanade’s Management, as we and others had urged, signed our building up for the Mass Save In-Unit energy saving program. Subsequently, the Management sent residents an email that provided on-line access to an order form, offering residents free energy-saving light bulbs, power strips, and programmable thermostats.
It soon became clear, however, that residents could not confidently determine which of their lights, for example, can be replaced, and which particular bulbs to order. We were disappointed that neither Management nor the Board provided any advice or even encouragement for residents to sign up, even as the news we have all seen about the looming climate emergency grows more intense.
Therefore, with the assistance and encouragement of Ben Bara, our committee contacted ClearResults, a company that is implementing the Mass Save program. We spoke with Heramb Tilak, the account manager who had coordinated with Ben. Mr. Tilak agreed to come to the Esplanade to explain to interested residents the Mass Save offerings, to fully answer questions, and help residents sign up for ClearResults services.
The meeting in the Conference Room on February 24 was well attended and received. The Esplanade Management has posted flyers that our group had prepared, and Ed Luciano installed a “crawler” on the electronic bulletin boards in the mail areas that reminded residents of the event. Approximately 40 residents attended, filling the Conference Room. Heramb Tilak explained that all residents had to do was to put their names and contact information on the forms that he made available. He or his colleagues would then make an appointment to come to their unit, assess and advise, provide the equipment the resident chooses, and install the thermostats if desired – all free of charge. (He noted, in this regard, that we all have helped pay for these services by paying the energy-reduction surcharge on our utility bills). Residents at the meeting stepped forward and filled out every form that Tilak provided.
The event demonstrated, we think, that the Esplanade Community Group and its resident-created groups (such as the Environmental Study Group) are assets for the Esplanade Board and Management, eager to cooperate with them to improve our building. We hope that the Board will encourage more residents to sign up with Mass Save, informing those that may not have asked the staff for light bulbs or thermostats because of the charges that these items and installation are now available free of charge. In addition, we wonder if Management can be urged to sign up on behalf of “absentee” owners whose units they manage or rent out. We also hope the Board will encourage Management to keep our committee informed about the Eversource environmental audits and recommendations. We in turn will do all we can to support Management’s energy-saving initiatives and help the Esplanade to be a leader in improving our building’s energy efficiency and reducing our “carbon footprint.”
Sincerely,
Robert A. Kagan
On behalf of Esplanade Environmental Study Group