The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.
Staff members at the Elkins Public Library in Canterbury have been wearing hats and gloves to keep warm while working throughout the cold winter months due to the building’s lack of insulation. However, our friends at the library can put away their outdoor gear following the recent completion of a weatherization project that will improve heating, reduce energy usage and provide comfort for years to come.
In 2021, an energy audit of the library identified the lack of insulation in the building, which was originally constructed in the early 1960s to serve as a fire station and highway garage. The building was renovated in 2004 and became the new home for the Elkins Public Library..
The solution for the library’s chilly interior came via Unitil, a NHSaves® utility partner, who provided a $7,210 energy efficiency incentive to the town to help offset the cost of energy efficient solutions. These improvements included adding insulation throughout the building, incorporating interior air sealing of a rear door and gaps around the trim of 34 windows and repairing holes in the ceiling.
These upgrades to the library were designed specifically to reduce heat loss during colder months while also keeping the building cooler during the summer, resulting in year-round comfort and lower energy demand.
Library Director Rachel Baker said the energy efficiency incentive provided significant savings for the town toward the $20,000 total project cost. Unitil was able to offer the incentive through NHSaves, a collaboration of New Hampshire’s electric and natural gas utilities working together to provide customers with information, incentives and support designed to save energy, reduce costs and protect the environment statewide.
The completed energy efficiency enhancements are expected to lower the library’s annual energy usage by an estimated 1,447 therms, which is equivalent to approximately 1,515 gallons of propane—the building’s current heat source. The reduction could lead to estimated energy bill savings of $4,500 a year.
Following the success of the insulation project, the library is exploring options for the replacement of its current heating system with a geothermal system or heat pumps, which are high-efficiency heating and cooling systems that use electricity to draw heat energy out of the environment to heat a building.
For more information on energy efficiency incentives available through NHSaves, visit nhsaves.com/businesses-towns.