The town will pay a Woolwich contractor $25,210.34 to install LED lighting inside the Town Office. A grant and a rebate will cover the cost of the conversion, which aims to reduce energy costs and shrink the town’s carbon footprint.
The Select Board approved the contract with Lincoln Enterprises on Thursday, April 27, after a competitive bid process. The contractor expects to complete the work between late June and late July.
A rebate from Efficiency Maine will cover about $4,500 to $5,000 of the cost. Efficiency Maine is an independent agency established by the Maine Legislature to plan and implement energy efficiency programs.
For the remainder, the town will use part of a $32,203 grant from the Governor’s Office of Policy, Innovation and the Future. The grant aims to help municipalities plan for climate change, reduce carbon emissions and transition to clean energy.
An analysis by the Harpswell Energy and Technology Committee estimates that the project will save 8,803.81 kilowatt-hours of energy and $1,666.56 per year. The analysis says those energy savings will reduce the town’s carbon dioxide emissions by 9,067.92 pounds.
Town Planner Mark Eyerman said in an email that the town needed to replace the building’s lighting regardless of environmental considerations, because the existing lighting is “nearing the end of its useful life.”
