WEST NEWBURY AWARDED $32,000 IN GREEN COMMUNITY GRANT FUNDING

Phase 2 of Project to Upgrade HVAC Controls & Hot Water System for Town Offices & COA: More Energy, Cost, & Emissions Savings

On January 3, 2023 the state’s Department of Energy Resources awarded West Newbury a $32,000 Green Communities grant to make additional upgrades to the HVAC control system and hot water system for the Council on Aging and 1910 Building. The total value of the project, including the grant, utility incentives and Town matching funds, is $67,500. This is another project that will pay for itself while benefiting the environment.

The first phase of the Town Offices’ HVAC control system upgrade from pneumatic controls to a Direct Digital Control Energy Management System (DDC EMS) has resulted in significant energy, cost, and emissions savings. This was installed at the end of June 2021 and resulted in a decrease of Town Office Building energy use from 1498 MMBTU in FY21 to 1193 MMBTU in FY22. This initiative, partially paid for with a Green Communities Competitive Grant, has performed >20% above expectation. It is noteworthy that there was some addition of staff numbers /work hours in FY22, which would typically be expected to push energy use numbers up slightly.