Energy Conservation

The decision was made at the end of 2014 not to proceed with an Energy Service Performance Contract that was proposed by Ameresco. Rather, it was decided to pay for the Industrial Grade Audit that was performed on the town buildings and to use that as a guide for utilizing State and Eversource programs to perform as much of the work as possible on our own. That same year the SEC passed a motion to have the Public Building and Site committee include in their standard operating procedures that a sustainable energy review be part of any new project or major renovation.

Between 2016 – 2023 Energy Conservation Measures have been incorporated into all of our town buildings including the schools. Much of this work was done using the Small Business Energy Advantage program through Eversource which allowed for on-bill financing. This reduced the amount of out-of-pocket expenses and lower capital expenditure outlays.

With few exceptions all of the town lighting has been converted to LED and many of the controls have been updated. Natural gas lines were extended to Middle Gate and the Middle School with new boilers installed as well. New boilers were also installed at Hawley, the High School and Reed. Issues causing excessive energy use at Sandy Hook Elementary School were also identified resulting in an estimated savings of $125k/year. The SEC worked with the team that designed the new Police Station to ensure that renewable energy and energy efficient measures were incorporated into the final design. In 2024, the Board of Education requested bids for a Facilities Study. If this is conducted it will help determine which way we proceed in the future to help further reduce energy costs associated with Newtown’s schools.

Residential programs were also promoted. The Home Energy Savings program through Eversource was first promoted in 2012 to encourage residents to make their home more efficient. Upgrades were made at the 129 units at Nunnawauk Meadows, as well as an additional 172 single family homes. Since that time, approximately 22% of households and 24% of businesses have participated in Energize CT Efficiency programs.

Work continues on the Energy Star Portfolio Manager program so that we can use if to more effectively for tracking our energy usage.

Transportation

The first municipal EV charging station in Newtown was installed at the Municipal Center using a $9,000 grant earned from the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program in 2017.

An all-electric Chevy Bolt is the first EV purchased by the town in 2018.

In 2024, two new dual-headed charging stations were installed at Edmond Town Hall using the last grant that was made available from the CEC program.

The next EV charging station installations will be at the Community Center/Senior Center.