The town of Harpswell is moving forward with a half-million-dollar plan to install a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in the Town Office, on Mountain Road.
On Aug. 20, Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson signed a $453,000 contract with Auburn-based Thayer LLC for the HVAC system’s installation. The Select Board had approved the decision at a recent meeting.
The new system will include five heat pumps, along with energy recovery ventilators, which improve indoor air quality and reduce energy usage by exchanging heat and moisture between incoming fresh air and outgoing stale air.
The system will allow for 21 separate temperature zones and feature a digital control system that can be accessed on-site or remotely, according to the contract. It will serve as a conduit to receive system information and alarms, it says.
The Town Office will continue to use its existing boiler in conjunction with the new system, but Town Administrator Kristi Eiane said in a July 25 Select Board meeting that there is a separate proposal to replace the boiler “at some point.”
Thayer emphasized the system’s efficiency. Its recommended Mitsubishi heat pumps provide 100% heating output in temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and 75% output at minus 13 degrees. And it will qualify for Efficiency Maine incentives, the contract says, adding that it would provide the specifics later.
Still, the system will not be efficient enough to pay for itself over time through lower energy bills, the company said, calling it “a wash.” Lower air conditioning costs in the summer will be “offset by the additional electrical costs during the winter months,” according to the contract. It says the system’s primary benefits are “occupant comfort, air quality, reliability, and longevity.”
While the new system may not lower energy costs, Harpswell’s Resiliency and Sustainability Committee has said the addition of heat pumps will reduce the town’s carbon footprint because the building will use less heating oil.
According to Thayer, the system’s installation should take about 2 1/2 months, with the company saying it could begin work following a “reasonable lead time.”
Have a comment or news tip? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.
