NHSaves utility partner Unitil is providing more than $100,000 in energy efficiency rebates to the town of Hampton, N.H., for several key upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant.
The town worked with Unitil, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, and Wright-Pierce, an engineering firm with a local office in Portsmouth, N.H., to make improvements to the facility that would not only qualify for rebates, but also reduce energy consumption and lower operational costs.
The rebates were provided through NHSaves, which is a collaboration of New Hampshire’s electric and natural gas utilities working to provide customers with information, incentives, and support designed to save energy, reduce costs, and protect the environment.
“Unitil encouraged the town to take advantage of the energy efficiency programs during the project’s planning stage, leveraging dollars to get the best equipment,” said Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara. “The benefit of higher efficiency equipment is that it does the job with less energy so operating costs are reduced along with better plant performance. This is really about having a good design that’s highly efficient and it might not have happened without the utility rebate programs.”
The upgrades included the addition of new LED lighting, energy efficient HVAC equipment and blowers for the aeration system, and variable frequency drives, which ramp up and down the motors that run the plant to match effluent in-flow rates.
“The town of Hampton is currently nearing the end of construction of the first phase of a comprehensive wastewater treatment facility upgrade project. With construction costs close to $10 million and operating costs soaring, having the opportunity to find savings is essential,” said Hampton Department of Public Works Director Jennifer Hale. “This rebate will save the town of Hampton taxpayers money in annual energy consumption costs that will compound over many years. It also serves as an incentive to continue to look for ways to implement energy efficiency.”