Under the contract, ConEdison Solutions will pay the difference between the projected savings and actually energy costs, if any.
Northampton City Hall has new energy-efficient windows.NORTHAMPTON — After being boarded up for several weeks, the windows at City Hall are letting the sunshine in, and with that sun will come energy savings.
The replacement of City Hall’s 42 drafty windows with energy-efficient models marks the end of a $6.5 million project that aims to make back that investment and more in the coming years. The City Council borrowed the money in 2010 to make capital improvements in dozens of municipal building that will save the city money on water, electricity and heat.
Central Services Director David Pomerantz said planning for the project goes back as far as 2008, when Northampton put out a request for proposals to help it save on its energy costs. In 2010, the city signed a contract with ConEdison Solutions, which had audited 35 municipal buildings and come up with a list of 225 conservation measures. The city settled on 160 of those. They involve upgrades or replacements of heating systems, new insulation, and energy efficient windows and doors.
Under the contract, ConEdison Solutions will pay the difference between the projected savings and actually energy costs, if any. City officials are confident that the savings will more than pay for the cost of the upgrades, however. In fact, Pomerantz estimates that the city will pay off the bond after six or seven years and be able to roll future savings back into the budget.
According to Pomerantz, the City Hall windows cost about $163,000. They are being installed by New England Glass and Mirror, which started that project in the middle of April and expects to complete it by the end of May. It is the last piece of the construction phase of the larger energy-saving project.