Only a month old and three meetings in, the Gilford Energy Committee already has proposals to benefit the taxpayers. Taking a three-pronged approach to aid homeowners, business owners, and the municipality, the committee will be pursuing a warrant article for 2008 that would encourage energy conservation on an individual level.

Next Wednesday, the committee will be asking the Board of Selectmen to place on the town ballot a question to adopt provisions of RSA 72 which allows tax breaks for homeowners who utilize alternative energy sources like solar power, wind power, and wood heating.

While adoption of the article would not give direct tax breaks to property owners, they would be exempt from the additional charges that could be assessed on the value such energy systems add to their property.

Energy Committee Chair Patrick McKenna explained that the idea is to encourage people to take up energy sources that are alternative options to conventional systems.

Committee member Howard Epstein pointed out that, today, when Town Assessor Wil Corcoran performs a property assessment, he adds on value for solar and other energy systems a Gilford resident might have. "To me, to completely ignore [the environmental benefit of] that is completely ridiculous."

Should the selectmen reject their proposal for this warrant article, the committee has voiced its intention to pursue it through a petitioned article. A petition allows a groups of citizens to compel the placement of a warrant article on the town ballot, as long as the petition contains at least 25 valid signatures from Gilford residents.

The energy committee also is looking at changing its membership slightly by opening up membership to the community at-large.

"For us not to open up membership to anyone in the community might be short-sighted," said McKenna.

McKenna explained that, outside of the fact that what the committee is trying to accomplish hinges on community involvement, the sheer volume of work demands that more people work on the project.

Committee member Doug Lambert said the way the committee is being organized welcomes all regardless of any political feeling or other affiliations.

Outlining the importance of having a strategic plan with action items planned out until 2025, the committee discussed three key components: Energy conservation saves money, cuts pollution, and reduces reliance on foreign sources of energy.

"Whether or not you believe in global warming, there is a benefit in this," said Lambert.

With a unanimous vote to shift the committee's organization, the group is hoping to allow anyone in Gilford to sign up and pitch in with everything form spreading community awareness to keeping the committee up to date on governmental policy and contributing to the massive amounts of research that must be performed.

"We don't want this to be a top-down committee; we want it to be bottom-up," said committee member Chan Eddy. "I have seen other groups take this approach and it always works."

Should the community involvement measure receive final approval from the selectmen, the energy committee will look at establishing three subcommittees to focus on community outreach, keeping up with what the state and federal governments are doing in the energy arena, and research that would look at everything from new energy technologies to establishing an energy consumption baseline for Gilford.

The committee also will be pursing a grant from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund. The grant would provide up to $2,500 for energy projects.

McKenna explained that the money, if awarded, could be used for things like community education campaigns, software, and other things the committee might need along the way.

A letter is being drafted and will be sent to the selectmen in the hope that representatives of the committee will be able to appear before the board and discuss these recently acted-upon items.