Town Takes Steps Towards a "Greener" Portsmouth

"Greener" days are ahead for the town of Portsmouth, which received a $167,000 energy efficiency grant this past spring.

The energy grant is a result of a formula grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the recently developed Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources.

Robert Gilstein, town planner, said that the funds must be used for energy efficiency, alternative energy or related projects.

The amount of $167,000 is not enough for a meaningful alternative energy project that would produce meaningful dollar savings for the town, Gilstein said. Instead, the town is concentrating on energy efficiency -- upgrading heating systems, efficient lighting and new energy saving windows.

"We are not doing anything grand or fancy," Gilstein said. "The energy efficiency things we are doing have needed to be done for a long time."

One of the recently-approved projects will include converting the Portsmouth Fire Department's heating system from gas to oil, installing a new gas furnace and special heaters for the garage area of the fire station.

The funds will also be used for new lighting at the Portsmouth Police Station, fire station, Town Hall and Portsmouth Department of Public Works buildings.

The plan is to bring them up to "modern standards" Gilstein said. He said these types of energy efficiency replacements have "more bang for the buck" and a quicker pay back.

The town has plans to use an estimated $93,000 of the grant for the proposed projects. They are looking into other projects for the remainder of the funds, but want to make sure the primary things will be done with the amount allotted.

The lighting work has already been awarded to RISE Engineering through National Grid. National Grid pays for 70 percent of the price for the work.

RISE has spent more than 30 years making home and work environments more energy efficient. The corporate headquarters for RISE is located in Cranston. They offer free home efficiency audits.

The process for awarding the work to contractors involves placing ads in the newspaper, putting the work "out to bid." Then, private contractors can send in written proposals of details and pricing for the work.

Gilstein said the bid to do window replacement is already out and will close on Sept. 17. The windows will be more energy efficient, developed specifically for heating.

Interested in learning more about RI energy grants? Visit here.