Weymouth awarded $250K Green Communities grant for energy conservation projects

Weymouth, MA – Mayor Robert Hedlund announced today that the Town has been awarded $250,000 through the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Green Communities Competitive Grant Program to fund energy conservation projects in more than a dozen Town-owned buildings. Weymouth’s Energy Coordinator Robert O’Connor and Asset and Facilities Management Director John MacLeod, representing Mayor Hedlund, joined Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Matthew Beaton, and DOER Commissioner Judith Judson for an announcement ceremony at the state house on June 19th. More than $14 million in competitive grants was awarded to 72 Green Communities.

“Investment in municipal energy conservation is critical to achieving Massachusetts’s energy goals and emission commitments,” said Mayor Hedlund. “Reducing energy consumption not only protects the natural environment; it saves taxpayer dollars for more vital municipal functions, like education and public safety. Weymouth is proud to be a Green Community, and we thank the Baker-Polito Administration for supporting our work.”

DOER’s Green Communities grants provide financial support for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that further designated communities’ energy conservation goals. Under the Green Communities Act, municipalities must meet five criteria to be designated a Green Community and be eligible for funding, including a commitment to reduce municipal energy consumption by 20 percent over five years. Each Green Community receives an initial designation award of $125,000, plus additional amounts tied to per capita income and population. Green Communities that successfully invest their designation award are eligible to apply for competitive grants offered annually by DOER. Competitive grants are capped at $250,000 per municipality per year.

“As we work to meet our ambitious energy and emission reduction goals, the Green Communities program gives our municipal partners the resources they need to continue building upon the substantial energy progress each city and town has already made,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito in a statement. “We look forward to the continued success in energy innovation these grants will ensure across the Commonwealth.”

Weymouth earned designation as a Green Community in 2015 and was awarded a $277,635 initial designation grant to install an Energy Management System (EMS) at town hall, as well as retrofit florescent lighting with LED technology at three municipal buildings and two primary schools. These energy conservation measures were completed in early 2017 and are projected to save the Town 272,995 kWh in electricity per year and generate over $41,000 in annual cost savings.

Weymouth’s $250,000 competitive grant award will fund energy conservation projects in more than a dozen Town-owned buildings and are projected to save the Town an additional 339,792 kWh in electricity per year. The proposed work includes weatherization of the Johnson Primary School, Teen Center, Fire Station 3, and Fire Station 5, as well as LED interior-lighting retrofits at the DPW Building, Fire Station 2, Teen Center, Great Pond Water Treatment Plant, High School (Wings C and D), Johnson Primary School, North Branch Library, School Administration Building, Town Hall Annex Building, and Winter Street Water Treatment Plant.

Since 2010, the DOER has awarded over $80 million to Green Communities in designation and competitive grants. 185 Massachusetts cities and towns have currently earned Green Communities designation, representing 64 percent of the state’s population. Funding for Green Communities grants is made available through proceeds from carbon allowance auctions under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and Alternative Compliance Payments (ACP) paid by retail electric suppliers that do not meet their Renewable Portfolio Standard compliance obligations through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates. 

“The efforts of the 72 communities receiving over $14 million today are important as we work to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals set forth under the Global Warming Solutions Act,” said DOER Commissioner Judith Judson in statement. “These grants represent another milestone for both the communities and the Commonwealth as we continue to work collaboratively to build a clean, resilient, and affordable energy future.”