Princeton’s Witherspoon Hall municipal building will receive energy conservation improvements in efforts to reduce energy costs.
The Princeton Council awarded a contract for $108,550 to Somerville-based M&E Engineers to design energy conservation measures, including HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) improvements and related energy conservation measures that include interior and exterior LED lighting upgrades at the 400 Witherspoon St. building.
The conservation measures also include building management system upgrades, replacing faucets and showerheads with low-flow equipment, and installing an air-cooled chiller for air conditioning needs, according to a memorandum to the Princeton Council from Deputy Administrator Deanna Stockton.
“By completing these energy conservation measures, M&E Engineers estimate that Princeton’s energy costs would decrease by 44% and CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions would be reduced by over 45%,” Stockton wrote.
M&E Engineers will help the town to apply for energy efficiency incentives from PSE&G to help offset the project costs. There may be tax credits and other credits available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, she wrote.
“We will continue to explore these opportunities with M&E Engineers, as well as Sustainable Princeton,” Stockton wrote.
The recommendations grew out of an earlier study in 2022 by the engineering firm to conduct a design study of the building’s aging HVAC system, as well as to identify energy upgrades, she wrote.
M&E Engineers also studied geothermal cooling, electrification of the building and a photovoltaic system on the building, Stockton wrote. Each of those items added costs and did not result in an appreciable decrease in operating costs.