2010-09-10 Cost of Government Commission Minutes

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MR. FROST: Yes. I’ll send a copy to the commission, and then I should probably send you the copy of like the energy audit report for Wastewater. Would that be helpful? Or anything that already has a cost analysis, I will arrange for that to be sent. MS. PROVALENKO: I have a question. In regards to, going back to the refrigerators and the heaters, what about refrigerators that are in the employee break rooms and stuff like that? Are they being replaced with energy efficient? MR. TAKABA: Maybe I can give you some background. Each department bought their own refrigerator so if they need a replacement it would have to be purchased by the employees in that department. Only refrigerators that are supplied by the county would be like if assuming like an emergency center, like Civil Defense, every base yard that responds to emergency that they need a refrigerator. In most cases, most other cases, it’s purchased by employees and if we were to say replace all non-energy efficient refrigerators then it may create a hardship for employees to have to buy one. I’m not sure. That could be a recommendation to the employees who purchased the refrigerators. MS. NICHOLSON: I have a question. You mentioned briefly composting, but basically it sounds like your charge is energy use. MR. FROST: Energy is the most significant cost in terms of it. The Green Team’s mission is beyond energy because it’s electricity fuel and in waste, and when we get to waste which is paper, or anything that the county produces, there is potential cost implication. MS. NICHOLSON: So you’re involved in recycling but your focus and mission has been on energy use because it’s such a big item? MR. FROST: Yes and potentially biggest saving. MS. NICHOLSON: This is like a standing committee that has been appointed by the mayor as long as we have the current mayor? MR. FROST: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: That you will continue to work on these items so you, in the future you’re going to move into other areas beyond just energy? MR. FROST: That would be ideal. But right now the mayor wanted the focus to be on energy first, but we are also looking at waste. We did finish a waste flow analysis for West Hawai‘i County facilities to look at how much waste we were diverting. It was just taking it out of landfill. And it’s over 30% at that time, which was quite encouraging that we want to move that great way for minimizing, at least physical waste in county operations. 10