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Municipal Projects Spotlight

Green Communities Grants Improve Town’s Energy Efficiency

January 2025

During the month of January, a series of three energy efficiency projects were completed in Town of NEliot Lightingeedham buildings thanks to grant funding ($162,848) from the state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities Competitive Grant program.

First, the Eliot Elementary School was upgraded to LED lights. LED (light emitting diode) lighting products produce light on average 90% more efficiently than incandescent lightbulbs. Thanks to these efficiency improvements, the Eliot lighting upgrades are expected to save annually an estimated 59,479.1 pounds of carbon dioxide (7,376.6 gallons of gasoline). LEDs also last longer than incandescent light bulbs, which means reduced maintenance costs for future replacements.

Second, the Town Hall hot water heater was upgraded from a natural gas water heater to an electric heat pump hot water heater. This project replaced a piece of aging equipment with more efficient equipment, and also reduced the Town’s usage of fossil fuel dependent equipment. With this replacement, the Town will save an estimated 368.2 therms of natural gas annually.

Third, the DPW Garage hot water heater was upgraded from an inefficient electric resistance hot water heater to an electric heat pump hot water heater. This project replaced a piece of aging equipment with more efficient equipment. With this replacement, the Town will save an estimated 5,918.9 kWh annually.

Needham has been a state designated Green Community since 2020. To date, Green Communities grant funding has funded six energy efficiency projects in Town of Needham buildings.

PSAB LED Lighting ReplacementLED Upgrades in Town Buildings Help Reduce Town’s Carbon Footprint

December 2024

During the month of December, lighting fixtures at Town Hall and the Public Services Administration Building (PSAB) were upgraded to LEDs. LED (light emitting diode) lighting products produce light on average 90% more efficiently than incandescent lightbulbs. 

Thanks to these efficiency improvements, the Town Hall lighting upgrades are expected to save annually an estimated 5,157.3 pounds of carbon dioxide (equivalent to 639.6 gallons of gasoline) and the PSAB lighting upgrades are expected to save 12,064.3 pounds of CO2 (equivalent to 1,496.2 gallons of gasoline). LEDs also last longer than incandescent light bulbs, which means reduced maintenance costs for future replacements. 

This project is funded in part by Eversource Energy Efficiency Incentive funding. As part of its sustainability efforts, the Town has been upgrading its existing incandescent fixtures to LEDs for several years. A Green Communities grant in 2020 funded LED upgrades at the Pollard Middle, Mitchell, and Newman elementary schools. 

Summer Sustainability Construction Update at Eliot 

July 2024

This summer, Eliot Elementary School is undergoing the replacement of its four existing Rooftop Units (RTUs), a project that was funded during the May 2023 Town Meeting. RTUs supply pre-heated or cooled fresh air to the school building. The prior RTU’s were over 20 years old and were past the end of their useful life. They also relied on a refrigerant that was banned because of greenhouse gas emissions and was no longer available. The new all-electric RTUs at Eliot will use Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERVs) which include wheels inside the RTU that capture energy from air exhaust and return it to supply air. Three of the new RTUs will use electric resistance heating, which will allow the Town to remove gas piping to the roof. The fourth and largest RTU will have six variable refrigerant flow (VRF) condensers that can either heat or cool the condensate liquid serving this air handling unit. In addition, Air-Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) are being installed for summer reheat to the variable air volume (VAV) boxes, allowing the Eliot boilers to “rest” during the swing and summer months, minimizing the use of the natural gas boilers. This Permanent Public Building Committee (PPBC) project is managed by the Building Design & Construction and Building Maintenance Divisions, and this project marks an important first step in transitioning Eliot away from natural gas to a more energy efficient all-electric heating and cooling system. 

  1. 1 Air Source Heat Pump placed on the Eliot roof.
  2. 2 Air Source Heat Pump lifted via crane onto the Eliot roof.

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