Cranbury aims for energy efficiency

[Cranbury Press]

Cranbury aims for energy efficiency
Thursday, August 7, 2008 2:01 PM EDT
By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer


CRANBURY — The township’s days of using its energy inefficiently are numbered.

That’s because township officials are planning to take some energy conservation measures by making improvements to several municipal buildings in the coming years. These improvements will be based on the recommendations made by Metro Energy Solutions, a West Caldwell-based energy consulting company that completed an energy audit and report on nine municipal buildings in January.

Township Administrator Christine Smeltzer said the township plans to make its first upgrades to the Cranbury’s Fire Department’s doors as well as its heating system.

The township prioritized this project because officials saw it as a necessity, she said.

”The firehouse needed much attention, because the doors are very drafty. Also their heaters were dying,” Ms. Smeltzer said.
The township is funding the project through a $100,000 Middlesex County sustainability grant.

Cranbury hired Metro Energy Solutions in July 2007, paying the company $7,748 to conduct a detailed inspection of several township facilities including the Municipal Building, the police station, Dey, Cranbury Brook and Half Acre Road pump stations, the Fire Department, the Fire House Museum, Department of Public Works and the Cranbury Museum.

The report not only assesses current energy use, costs and savings as a result of upgrades but the life span of some of the township’s older equipment.

Metro Energy’s report revealed that the township’s total energy cost is approximately $145,563 per year. Metro Energy identified 25 energy conservation measures with the total installation cost, including engineering and project management, totaling $664,257.

”Even if you buy a door that’s more expensive, the energy savings over the years should balance the cost out — plus, there’s the added benefit of being energy efficient.”

According to the report, the township will save $2,553 annually by replacing the department’s six garage doors with new 2-inch thick steel doors with thermal breaks and new seals. By replacing the current heating system, the report projects that Cranbury will save $1,194. The total cost for these two upgrades were estimated at approximately $87,520.

If there is any left over money from the firehouse project the township will likely put it toward some inexpensive heating and cooling upgrades in the Public Works building, Ms. Smeltzer said.

The township might not implement all the recommendations of the report but is looking at what is financially feasible and a necessity, she said.

As for 2009, Cranbury officials plan to apply for the same grant and there has been some discussion about replacing the old school building’s windows, Ms. Smeltzer said.

”I think we’re glad we did it, especially with the cost of energy getting more and more expensive,” she said. “I think it was a timely thing to do.”

http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/08/07/cranbury_press/news/doc489b2f6647e18404271609.txt