Ashburnham Westminster Schools Boost Energy Efficiency

ASHBURNHAM, Mass. — Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District, a public school system located in North Worcester County, recently completed energy efficiency upgrades that will help district facilities minimize energy costs. The district worked with JM Electrical Company Inc., a leader in advanced automated building system installations, and competed the work under a performance contract with New England Trane, a leader in HVAC systems, services and solutions.

JM Electrical began work on the schools in June 2016, starting with the installation of power and controls for new HVAC equipment (provided by Trane) for Oakmont High Regional School and Overlook Middle School, according to a statement by the firm. The schools will now operate in a more energy efficient manner and, in turn, experience minimized energy costs. The company’s electricians also worked to ensure the project was completed on time and on budget.

“We were pleased to work with the Ashburnham Westminster school system in upgrading [its] HVAC controls,” said John Guarracino, project manager at JM Electrical, in a statement. “We are always happy to provide school systems with the tools they need to operate more efficiently and create a more comfortable learning environment for both the students and teachers.”

With no capital outlay required from the district, the project team delivered more than $4 million in much-needed facility upgrades, including a new roof, HVAC equipment, a biomass boiler fueled by wood pellets and a state of the art building automation system, according to a statement by Chris Marshall, general manager of energy services at New England Trane.

In addition, Trane has guaranteed energy savings exceeding $5 million over the 20-year term enabled by Massachusetts General Law CH25a, 11i, which focuses on energy management services contracts and will be used to pay for the project.