Town Meeting members did not have to look far to see energy inefficiency. They needed only to crane their necks skyward.
Giving the Greener Framingham Committee’s first annual report to Town Meeting, committee Chairman Dawn Harkness invited those at the first night of Town Meeting to note the two chandeliers above their heads in cavernous Nevins Hall.
The chandeliers, while majestic, do not pass the green grade, said Harkness. The fixtures use more than 3,500 watts of electricity to remain lit, she said.
“That’s a lot of watts for two chandeliers,” said Harkness. “And those high burning bulbs are about as expensive as you can get.”
Swanky lighting is far from the only shortfall the town faces when it comes to energy efficiency.
Greener Framingham, formed at last year’s Town Meeting, is tasked with evaluating ways to reduce costs, cut consumption and shrink the town’s carbon footprint. To cease holding meetings in “energy monsters” like the Memorial Building that are drafty, have high ceilings, a lack of proper insulation and an inefficient heating system may improve the town’s energy efficiency.
Harkness wants to see the town urge municipal committees, commissions and groups to meet in more modern, tighter facilities like the Callahan Senior Center and Framingham High School.
“The Memorial Building should not be used after 4:30 p.m. and the heat should be shut down before that,” said Harkness. “Nevins just sucks the heat out of places and keeps it up near the ceiling where no one is.”
Recently, the School Committee changed the hours middle schools and elementary schools are open, saving the district an estimated $55,000 in energy costs, said School Committee member Beverly Hugo.
The old boiler that heated Memorial works at 30 percent rate, said Harkness. The piping and the radiators that heat the rooms are outdated as well, she said.
“That means 70 cents of every dollar is wasted,” she said.
That problem is being corrected. A new furnace, funded by a 2006 Town Meeting appropriation of $809,000, is scheduled to be installed. Currently, work to remove asbestos from the boiler room has begun, said Director of Buildings Jim Egan.
Egan, however, declined to say the new boiler would bring about a bottom-line savings. It will reduce consumption, but Egan said he “can’t predict price” of fuel.
Egan said Harkness’ idea of moving meetings away from the Memorial Building had merit. “It’s a wise policy,” he said. “The problem with that is to get people to actually do it.”
It may be the selectmen’s decision to funnel meetings to the more eco-friendly and less expensive buildings, said Egan.
“You can’t have one group do it, you have to have them all,” he said. “It’s not a new idea. It’s going to be a tough sell though.”
Selectmen Chairman Jason Smith thought the notion was worth pursuing.
“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we need to be helping these taxpayers anyway we can,” he said.
(Dan McDonald can be reached at 508-626-4416 or dmcdonal@cnc.com.)