Townsend Secures Energy Efficiency Grant

Townsend has secured another grant from Massachusetts' Department of Energy Resources for nearly $200,000 to further improve the energy efficiency of several town buildings.

The grant funded upgrades to the town hall and garage, library building, and Spaulding Memorial School. It is anticipated the enhancements will reduce the annual electric usage by 60,160 kWh and natural gas by 7,292 therms.

"This is the second project in the last year with Unitil that will reduce our energy usage, which benefits taxpayers and the environment, as well as improve our facilities," said Townsend Select Board Member Theresa A. Morse, who also serves as the liaison to the town's energy committee.

The $241,930 of improvements also qualified Townsend for $32,221 in energy efficiency rebates from Unitil. When combined with the state's Green Communities grant of $199,950, the town was only responsible for less than five percent of project costs. For other work that was done last year, the town also received a state Green Communities grant and rebates from Unitil.

"These are win, win, win projects since they eliminate a long payback period allowing the town to realize the savings almost immediately, which not only improves the comfort of the facilities but also reduces their carbon footprint." Unitil External Affairs Director Alec O'Meara said "This reduction in usage is equivalent to what eight homes use in electricity annually."

Each building received a comprehensive energy audit to identify the following upgrades: town hall buildings, weather stripping, and weatherization; library, HVAC retro-commissioning studies; and Spaulding Memorial School, LED lighting and controls, weatherization, and weather stripping.