Town Of Arlington: Arlington Receives Nearly $100,000 Competitive Green Communities Grant

Press release from Town of Arlington:

10/29/2021 10:56 AM

The Department of Planning and Community Development is pleased to announce that as part of the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Green Communities program, Arlington will receive a $99,632 grant aimed at implementing municipal energy reduction initiatives in town.

Through the grant, incentive funding, and Town matching funds, Peirce and Brackett Elementary Schools will receive 555 new high-efficiency LED lighting fixtures in classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms. At the Community Safety Building, an uninsulated attic area will be fully insulated with mineral wool batting and Fire Foam insulation. The Green Communities Grant will cover 65% of the total $153,861 project cost. Eversource and National Grid are providing an additional 22% of the project cost via energy efficiency incentive funding. Nearly 95% of the Town’s match of $20,590 will be paid back in energy savings in the first year alone.

LED lighting is energy efficient, low maintenance and high-quality. Most lighting in Town buildings are fluorescent tubes and use 60 or 90 watts per fixture. LED replacement fixtures are much more efficient, using half the energy of a fluorescent tube—just 25 watts per fixture—and last more than twice as long, providing approximately 20 years of service. The net result is significant maintenance savings. Additionally, unlike fluorescent tube lights, LEDs contain no toxic mercury, making them easier to maintain and safely dispose.

This is the tenth grant Arlington has received from the Massachusetts Green Communities program since its inception in 2010. This new grant puts Arlington’s cumulative grant total at $1,873,615, one of the highest in the state. DOER’s Green Communities Competitive Grants are awarded to existing Green Communities that have successfully invested their initial designation grants and previous competitive grant awards.

The Green Communities Division of the state DOER empowers the Commonwealth's cities and towns to reduce their energy use and their carbon footprint on the journey towards healthier communities and stronger economies. Read more about Green Communities. For more information about Arlington’s Green Communities grants, please contact Jennifer Raitt, Director of Planning and Community Development at 781-316-3092 or at jraitt@town.arlington.ma.us.

This press release was produced by Town of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.