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Pittsfield Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales, left, is presented a check and certificate on Wednesday in recognition of the wastewater treatment plant's energy efficiency by Matt McTigue, a project manager with Eversource.
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Morales, left, with treatment plant employees.

Eversource Rewards Pittsfield $140K for Energy Efficiency Upgrades to Wastewater Plant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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Inside the treatment plant. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has been rewarded for its commitment to energy efficiency.

Eversource presented a $140,000 check to city officials on Wednesday for the wastewater treatment plant's energy-saving makeover that began in 2020. This is the first of two check presentations from the incentive program.

With lighting upgrades, heat pumps, variable frequency drives on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment, aeration ammonia controls, new aeration blowers, and a compressed air mixing system, the plant saw an annual reduction of 560,000 kilowatt-hours of energy consumption.

In 13 years, the upgrades are expected to save 6.8 million kWh.

While the project aids global efforts in reducing the carbon footprint, cost-saving benefits are said to extend to residents.

"That program is a clear example of the initiatives to promote a sustainable environment while providing benefits to the customers, the community in this case," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said.

The final result is a culmination of about five years of work between city staff, engineering companies Kleinfelder and JK Muir, and some help from the energy company.

Eversource's Matt McTigue, energy efficiency project manager, said the Mass Save program, which the utility sponsors, is also available to small businesses, large businesses, and residents.

"The Mass Save program has been around a long time," Tim Simmonds, account executive, added.

"And we try to go as deep as we can into a facility like this and try to capture all of the energy efficiency measures that seem reasonable at the time."

Benefits of the design upgrades include efficiency of controls in the heating and ventilating, and lighting as well as more efficient treatment of the wastewater. Representatives from Kleinfelder detailed the impacts.

"On the process side, aerating the activated sludge is one of the biggest energy uses at a wastewater treatment plant and this project included new high-efficiency blowers that provide air to that system," senior professional Pam Westgate said.

"And in addition to that, we provided extra controllers to measure ammonia in the system, which we can then use to control the blowers and it can provide a more efficient process."



Senior program manager Neil Kulikauskas said the largest energy consumers in a municipality are typically water and wastewater treatment facilities.

The firm looked at every element it could to reduce electricity expenditures.

"All these smaller things combine to reduce consumption at the plant, which basically translated to better rates, more electricity available, better rates for the overall service customers of Eversource," he said.

Morales' breakdown of the 560,000 kWh savings

The average annual electricity consumption of a U.S. household is around 10,972 kWh. Dividing 560,000 by 10,972 gives approximately 51, which means that the savings of 560,000 kWh could power 51 homes for a year.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average carbon footprint of one kWh of electricity is 0.97 pounds of CO2. So, saving 560,000 kWh of electricity would reduce carbon emissions by 543,200 pounds (i.e., 560,000 x 0.97). This is equivalent to offsetting the carbon emissions from driving 595,385 miles in an average car.

One barrel of oil contains approximately 1,700 kWh of energy. Therefore, saving 560,000 kWh of electricity is equivalent to the energy from 329.41 barrels of oil.

A typical solar panel produces about 250 watts of electricity per hour, or 2,190 kWh per year. Therefore, the savings of 560,000 kWh of electricity would be equivalent to the annual energy output of approximately 255 solar panels.

The average annual energy consumption of a commercial building in the U.S. is around 68,000 kWh.  Dividing 560,000 by 68,000 gives approximately 8, which means that the savings of 560,000 kWh could power 8 commercial buildings for a year.


Tags: energy efficiency,   eversource,   wastewater,   

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State Study Finds 220K New Homes Needed Before 2035

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A statewide study found that more than 220,000 homes must be built in the next decade to meet housing needs.

On Thursday, the Healey-Driscoll Administration released the initial results of "A Home for Everyone: A Comprehensive Housing Plan for Massachusetts," developed in collaboration with the Housing Advisory Council established when the $5.1 billion Affordable Homes Act was filed.

The report says Massachusetts needs to increase its year-round housing supply by at least 222,000 units from 2025 to 2035 to stay competitive and lower costs and "Every region of the state needs more homes in order to reach this statewide target."

During a visit to Pittsfield last April, a common theme that Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Edward Augustus Jr. heard was the challenge of housing construction.

He said the challenge in Berkshire County is that it costs nearly the same to build a 10 or 30-unit apartment building as it does in the Greater Boston area but you can't get the same rents or sale prices. This requires greater subsidies to make it work.
 
"I think the thing that makes me feel optimistic is you have got a lot of really good, engaged people out here in the Berkshires trying to figure it out. They're not overwhelmed by it, they're not daunted by it, they're kind of putting their heads together, they're building coalitions, they're finding allies to get it done and I think the group we just had around the table is an example of that," Augustus commented.
 
"If it's just housing advocates trying to do it, it's hard to push that rock up the hill but if you've got CEOs and college presidents and municipal leaders and other folks helping you lift that rock up the hill, it gets a little easier and so I think to the credit of the folks here in the Berkshires, they're working together to try to get it done."

In Pittsfield, the average single-family home value has increased by 44.8 percent from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2025, now valued at $295,292. Since FY21, the average tax bill has increased by $275 per year because of rising property values, which is expected to continue for the next couple of years.

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