MEDWAY — Superintendent Armand Pires and Director of Facilities Eric Ressler are pleased to announce that the Medway Public Schools will receive $99,094 to support energy efficiency projects through a Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities Competitive Grant.
The funds will be used at Medway Middle School, McGovern Elementary School and Burke-Memorial Elementary School to install ventilation controls in the cafeteria at each school.
Currently, the exhaust and supply fans in the cafeterias run at 100% power from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, regardless of cooking activity. The makeup air from outside must be heated or cooled to bring it back to a comfortable temperature in the cafeteria, which uses significant electricity and natural gas.
With the added controls, the schools will be able to vary the speeds and only use the exhaust and supply fans when cafeteria workers are cooking and need to ventilate the space.
The controls are projected to save approximately $7,000 annually in natural gas and electric costs, and remove 31 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
The three control systems cost $108,469 in total. The Green Communities grant will provide $99,094, Eversource Energy will provide $6,975 in utility incentives and the district will provide $2,400.
“These new systems will help improve energy efficiency at the middle and elementary schools, and we look forward to the cost and energy savings that will result from this new equipment,” Director Ressler said. “We are thankful to the Department of Energy Resources, Eversource Energy and the Town of Medway for working with us on funding that supports these projects.”
Added Town of Medway Compliance Coordinator Stephanie Carlisle, “I’m pleased to say that this is the second consecutive year we’ve earned grant funding for energy efficiency measures at the schools. It’s led to great interdepartmental collaboration and I look forward to our continued partnership on projects to come.”
The Green Communities grant is part of a statewide initiative to help Massachusetts cities and towns find clean energy solutions that reduce long-term energy costs and strengthen local economies. The grant application was written by Compliance Coordinator Carlisle in partnership with Director Ressler.
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